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HealthAnxiety

2016-06-14T14:36:24

About six years ago I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I battled it for several weeks before I was finally cured. This was my first encounter with a terminal illness, at the age of 15. I was healthy for a long time. Everything was great, until I discovered I had a brain tumor. I didn't have headaches often, but this one could only have one explanation. I knew I only had a few months left to live. Miraculously, my tumor atrophied over the course of a week and completely disappeared. I felt normal again. Things were great. I was a new person. Until I contracted HIV. I knew it the second it happened. I won't go into details about the event that led to this, but what else could explain the enlarged lymph nodes about a week later? And then the fever and night sweats. Every symptom of a new HIV infection listed on Wikipedia fit perfectly, except for the ones that didn't. This was the first major disease I had that lasted more than a month. In fact, it lasted over half a year. I purchased my first HIV test kit 16 days after the initial infection. I knew that the detection window was usually 4-6 weeks after the initial exposure, but I religiously adhere to the mantra of "Better safe than sorry". Of course, this test came back negative, but I already expected that. I was able to wait another 2 weeks, at which time I immediately purchased a test kit two-pack. $58 for two tests was a better deal than $37 for one, and hey, I need to start buying in bulk if I want to test myself as often as my brain tells me I should. Test 2 came back negative, but let's be honest, only 75% of people infected will test positive 4 weeks after exposure. I figure that since my immune system was naturally already so weak (I get a cold maybe once every year or two), I would probably take a bit longer to test positive. I used the second test at 6 weeks, which is around the 90% accuracy mark. Negative. I've always been unique. Eight weeks and 4 tests in, and it finally happened. As I sat and waited the 20 minutes for the test results, I broke into a cold sweat. I already knew the answer, and by the time I flipped over the test swab, I had already accepted my fate. Negative. Fuck, JUST BE POSITIVE ALREADY SO I CAN MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE! Alright, alright. Not to worry. I'm still only in the 96% accuracy window. That's 4 people out of 100 that get a false negative. 2 out of 50. 1 out of 25. I'm way more unique than 1 out of 25. I'm like 1 in a billion. 1 billion times 1 out of 25 is like 40,000,000, which means I must have HIV, right?? I accepted my diagnosis, even though the damned test kits kept lying to me. I didn't really need their confirmation to live like a sick dying person. Heck, I was really good at living like a sick dying person all on my own. I had plenty of experience with it, having already survived 2 terminal illnesses to this point. I wallowed in self pity for another two months before the panic started to come back. I was beginning to feel a bit sick. Sore throat, runny nose... uh oh. I knew what that meant. AIDS was setting in, and I had just developed an opportunistic infection. My immune system was probably already compromised even before I got HIV, which is why the tests kept coming back negative. I mean, I don't have a scientific source for this, but if you have no immune system in the first place, then you're not going to develop any antibodies to HIV when you contract it. And since the HIV test I had used detected the presence of antibodies and not the virus itself, that's why the tests weren't coming back positive. As I lay on my deathbed, I gave in and dropped another $60 on two more test kits, bringing my total up to 6. I wasn't going to need the money when I was dead, after all. I took the first one 4 months after the initial infection, and it came back negative, not to my surprise. This was more of an addiction than anything now, I didn't really care about the result so much as the process. 2 months later, my AIDS had subsided a bit. I took the second test for shits and giggles, and it came back... negative. I felt like I had been trapped on a roller coaster for the past 6 months. I had developed severe generalized anxiety alongside my HIV/AIDS infection, to the point where I couldn't even drive to the grocery store without having an all-out panic attack. Then things got better. I told myself that I could beat this disease, I just needed to take care of myself. I started eating healthier, forcing myself onto a better sleep schedule, and even moderately exercising. Then, something amazing happened. My AIDS started to rapidly subside. Within a week I had regressed from terminal AIDS patient to a run-of-the-mill HIV patient. But I was able to cure myself of the HIV, too. All in all, two weeks after I set my mind to it, I had beaten this debilitating disease to a pulp. I felt amazing, for the first time in over a year. I had a new life, new possibilities, new energy and drive. I was going to conquer my dreams now, no longer my illnesses. And I did pretty damned good, until I discovered that I had a congenital heart defect. You know the story from there. I sunk down, down, down. Then I saw a doctor, had a battery of tests, was told I was healthy as an ox, and began to rebound. Here I am today, 3 months after surviving the heart disease. This week, I learned I have MS. I am not looking forward to this fight, but I have confidence that I can beat this disease's ass too. Today, I was diagnosed with another disorder as well. It's called health anxiety, and this is the one I'm not going to fuck around with. Overall, it is one of the most debilitating diseases imaginable. It can turn a person with boundless potential into a sickly shell of their former selves. And the worst part? **This one is not imaginary.**

LABEL_0

HealthAnxiety

2018-08-18T18:29:24

Hey listen, I have been where you have been, I�m 27 years old and in the past year I�ve had the following �symptoms� : - twitching all over my body - numb arms in the morning - such blurry vision I couldn�t read the computer - dizziness (I constantly felt drunk) - Yellow shits with bits in (purely from worry and anxiety, anxiety makes your digestion super fast) - stomach ache - Spasming stomach - bloating which was so uncomfortable - constant acid reflux - a white covered tongue - inability to think, unable to concentrate completely zoned out like a zombie - heart jumps and scares - Bloodshot eyes - chest tightness and pain - headaches - migraines with aura - ear ache - ringing in my ear - crawling sensation in my ear - ulcers like all the time - felt weak (e.g. In the gym) - Nausea - Back pain - Joint pain - jittery jaw/ involuntary jaw moving - swollen lymph nodes - numbness and tingling down one side of face As a result of this I had the following tests: - 1 MRI - About 30 blood tests (diabetes, thyroid, full blood count you name it, I�ve had it) - About 5 stool tests - 1 ECG - 2 �emergency� hospital rushes - 1 x-Ray - Ears checked multiple times - Saw an ENT specialist twice - Saw a neurology specialist - Had an oral cancer screening (have a single tonsil up) - Had a mole checked - got a lump in my tongue checked (Definitely had more than this too) Paid privately for screenings and all sorts (I�m from the UK so healthcare is free) I�ve convinced myself I�ve had the following illnesses at times: - MS - Lymes disease - Skin cancer - Oral cancer - Bowel Cancer - A Stroke - Brain tumor - Heart attack Etc etc.... Guess how many things I had wrong with me? ##**ZERO!** I was worried about a few things, one was a lump in my tongue which the doctor said was fine, and now I�ve learnt to accept that they are right. I�m still here, I still have the lump, everything is okay and it�s the same for you. �������������������������������������������������������������� The best things you can do to help yourself are: ###**1) DO NOT FUCKING GOOGLE EVER** I stopped googling about 2 months ago, been 100x better ever since. Has google ever helped you identify a killer disease? Nope didn�t think so. ###**2) TRY TO BE RATIONAL** The best thing you can do if you think something is wrong is tell yourself: �okay I have found this, what is the most likely cause� (the most likely thing is that it is something benign) �okay then I will wait for 2 weeks and then go to the doctor� 9.9 times out of 10 it will be gone ###**3) REALISE THAT YOU HAVE TO DO THIS YOURSELF - IGNORE YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR THOUGHTS** Are you going to honestly let your own brain control how you feel for the rest of your life? Take the time to take control now. It�s honestly completely in your control. Take a moment and consider what you are doing, there are two people in your head, your conscious self (if you choose to think something) and your unconscious self, which is there doing its own thing. The unconscious self will make you think things are wrong with you, but you need to take control and not let it control you. As soon as you let yourself think you have something your body will feel as if you have it. It sounds dumb as fuck, but you need to choose to be healthy, choose that you are okay. Because by choosing that you�re not okay.... shock you�re not okay! Every single one was manifested by myself cos I allowed myself to get so worked up and stressed. ###**4) LOOK AFTER YOURSELF** Sleep, exercise etc will help. I had a vitamin D deficiency which was definitely contributing to my anxiety, get a test for that if you don�t get much sun, almost everyone is deficient in it. Heck take a low dose regardless the placebo effect might help! ###**5) THINK ABOUT THE PAST** How many times have we been though this? How many times have you had a deadly infections disease? Are you dead? No. Why? Because the average life expectancy is like 80 years old.... ###**6) BELIEVE YOUR DOCTOR** How many times have you seen a doctor? How many times were they right? �But they only looked for one second they must be doing a bad job� - no they�ve just seen whatever you�re showing them 39728364 times before they know what good looks like. If they were worried they would look for longer. These people are medical professionals because they love people, including you. ###**7) THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE** Would you rather spend the rest of your life, no matter how long or short it may be like this? You�ve got shit to go and be successful at, and you sure as hell will struggle if you let something consume you like anxiety will. It�s no good being alive but not living, go and live! ###**8) DON�T FUCKING GOOGLE** Just incase you didn�t read the first time. ###**9) TALK TO PEOPLE** More people have anxiety than you think, almost everyone above like 25 has been anxious or depressed. Therapy is good, get it if you can, but ultimately it�s up to you to take control and �make yourself healthy� ###**10) STOP CHECKING STUFF** Poking, prodding, opening, touching all makes things dirty, swollen, irritated. Whatever is �wrong with you� will not go away if you keep fucking touching it. Apply a rule to yourself like �I will leave it alone for 2 weeks and then go to the doctors� that will help you to filter things that do and don�t matter more easily. Finally: *Oh and I am not a medical professional and nothing I�ve written is medical advice. You should listen to what your doctor tells you*.... which I am guessing is that you have anxiety, which is why you�re on here searching for answers. You won�t find them here, nor will you find anything wrong with you! Go and enjoy your life, go socialise, make a stand, like I said I don�t have anxiety anymore, I stopped one day and said fuck this, I�m choosing to not have this anymore and it�s gone, it�s a state of mind and you can control your own brain IF TOU CHOOSE TOO! If you want anything or someone to talk too message me. I�ve not been anxious for at least 2 months now. ���������������������������������������������������� **Edit:It's now been 6 months since I posted this, I consider my HA to be gone now, I default to the 'normal' rational thought process that everyone else uses. Honestly stop googling and start living.** 3 year update. Wow where did that time go? Life has never been better. I don�t panic about my health, I don�t obsess or check things, I don�t google, I accept I will one day die, I don�t stress about it because what will be will be, I accept that of the 100s of times I have worried in the past so far 0 of them have been a cause for concern, I no longer stress myself out about my health. I live. It�s that simple. Good luck everyone, you can take control and move on with your life, it really is in your hands, no one will do it for you. ❤️

LABEL_1

VACCINES

2018-10-16T09:18:19

Hey I would like to hear if somebody is also suffering from fainting / black out a few minutes after a vaccine. It's not happening to me every time but often. If read a little online and the only thing I found is syringe phobia. But I dont fear syringes or needles. I don't avoid situations where I encounter needles and it doesn't hurt much. But nonetheless I will faint. Someone know what's wrong with me ?

LABEL_0

HealthAnxiety

2019-07-14T17:49:33

I've recently got through health anxiety and wanted to use my experience to help others. I've waffled on a bit so if you don't want to read it all please just read the top 2 points as they are the key. I can guarantee reading this is better time spent than googling symptoms. Know your enemy As you are on a health anxiety page you've likely had confusingly clear test results and already know your enemy isn't Cancer MS, HIV etc. It's anxiety. Don't underestimate your enemy Feeling physical symptoms that cannot possibly be anxiety? Wrong. The effects it can have on your body can be very physical, very painful, very scary and very real. I'll have to start my story part-way through. I was running up the stairs at work to get to my desk in time and slipped. I fell awkwardly on the hand rail and heard and felt a rib crack. Work was a nightmare and had been for weeks. I'd just become the manager of a new team and things were going wrong. I carried on up the stairs in pain and a few days later went to hospital. I had a chest Xray and they confirmed a fractured rib. Work got worse and my cat became very ill (and I really love my cat). Looking back all the signs were there months before this. Each time something stressful happened I got all hot, felt sick and lost my appetite. At the time I didn't think much of it. Then one morning everything changed. A couple of days later, I woke up with what felt like a burning hot hand squeezing my heart. I couldn't breathe properly as I started to panic. I ask my girlfriend to take me to the emergency department and I genuinely thought I was going to die. I even kissed my cat goodbye thinking I'd never see her again. I got seen straight away. After an ECG and blood tests and a few hours of waiting, my chest had settled but was incredibly tight. I was asked if I had eaten anything yet. As I got there at 6am I said no. I was given toast and paracetamol and told there was nothing wrong with me and was shortly after sent home. I think leaving without an answer was a real tipping point. I took 3 weeks off work and in that time my body and mind spiralled downwards. I kept catastrophizing. What if I get fired from my job? What if I can't work again and have to sell my house? What if I am seriously I'll�? And that one stuck. Meanwhile my body was malfunctioning all over the place. My bowel habits changed for the worse, my digestion was all wrong with reflux and heartburn. I felt so weak and light headed. Then overnight I developed excruciating back pain that radiated up my neck. I was sure now that the doctors had made a mistake and that my attack that day was something more. This carried on at varying degrees for months. Deep down I kind of felt I can't be that Ill as I went on holiday twice and felt a bit better when I was away. But then at it's worse I couldn't leave the house. I even text my girlfriend when she was at work to say I had a flesh eating skin disease. Now known as a blister in my toe... I fell into the trap of googling symptoms and trying to use the internet for reassurance. I'd diagnose myself first with a stomach ulcer, then gallbladder disease then pancreatic cancer. New ones each week. Each time the doctor sent me for the tests which came back clear putting me back to square one believing it was me against the doctors who kept missing things. One day after I had made 4 diagnoses in one day I felt enough was enough and contacted a councillor who fitted me in that day. She took me to the beginning of the story. I just wanted her to fix me and was puzzled why she was asking about recent bereavements. Earlier in the year I had been at a close relatives bed side when they died and my dad had a very risky operation that was 50/50 if he would make it. I thought I had dealt with that. I got back into my car after the therapy session and was in tears. Obviously I hadn't. She also made me think about what my triggers were. My back ache had worn off a little in recent weeks. A stressful conversation with my boss on the phone and it was back with a vengeance. So the link in my brain was now correctly back ache due to anxiety rather than back ache due to randomly malfunctioning organ. I also went to my GP who put me on sertraline which is a commonly used antidepressant for anxiety. The side effects were difficult at first. In fact 3 days in I was having panic attacks but after a week the side effects subsided. After 4 weeks my physical symptoms virtually disappeared. My health anxiety went with those pretty much. I suppose humans are great at suppressing the knowledge that we are all going to die some day otherwise life wouldn't be much fun. I think my experiences with death and illness of people close to me stopped me suppressing that and my stress and anxiety at the time made me relate it to myself. So relating all of that together, here is my advice: CBT. I have an app called Quirk that really helps. It gets you into the habit of challenging those irrational thoughts. If apps aren't your thing, imagine you are in a courtroom being cross examined for your irrational thought, being pressed for the actual evidence etc. Your brain carves out a path and the more you think the same, the better and easier that path becomes for your brain. Challenge this path to start closing it off. Medication. I'd never taken antidepressants before and never wanted to but the truth is they just calmed my whole body down (after the side effects). My physical symptoms reduced greatly which was a game changer. Not saying they are right for everyone. Speak to your doctor of course. I'm definitely not a doctor. Therapy. I was lucky enough to afford private therapy straight away. I would recommend it to anyone. They really get to the root cause. She helped me break the cycle by getting me to relate my symptoms to anxiety triggers and not other illnesses. Lifestyle changes. Exercise helps but fitness isn't for everyone. I'm a much more creative person so I forced myself to write some music and did things I enjoy. Whatever you do to enjoy yourself is better than sat worrying and googling symptoms. Work out your triggers. If a certain situation results in a certain symptom, this realisation can help immensely. Dont rule out anxiety just because one of your many symptoms isn't on a list. We are all different. DO NOT Google symptoms. If doctor google was real he would have been struck off by now for getting everything wrong. Do not seek reassurance from statistics. If it says 1 in a million people your age will get this illness, you will still focus on the 1. Do not seek confirmation of your self diagnosis from friends or family. This will only reinforce the faulty path your brain keeps sending signals down. Tell them to shut you down if you talk about health. Keep busy and productive while taking care of yourself. If a friend was going through a tough time you'd but them a gift etc right?. Do it for yourself. Above all, if you have got this far you know its anxiety so take control and be proactive about fixing yourself. Hope this helps someone. Happy to talk to anyone going through this as it is horrible to go through. You will be ok.

LABEL_1

HealthAnxiety

2019-11-05T20:01:03

Hi everyone. This will be a long post, but I think it will also be a helpful one for those of you who are struggling to cope or have not yet had access to CBT. I am not a therapist, nor am I attempting to counsel. However, I have learned some strategies in therapy that are slowly helping me, and I thought for those who have not heard these, perhaps they could be of use. I'd like to start by saying that I do not subscribe to this sub. I did for a while, and I found that it actually fed my health anxiety. Constantly seeing posts by people who were seeking reassurance would always put a new and frightening illness on my radar. So now, I occasionally check back when I am in a deep state of anxiety. The key difference, however, between checking then and checking now, is what I'm looking for. When I used to look at the sub, it was because I too was seeking reassurance. I wanted to know what others were struggling with, if my symptoms matched up with other peoples symptoms and if I discovered a new ailment along the way, well then great, I could add another to the long list of things that would kill be before I turned 25 (next April). When I look at this sub now, however, I don't look to the posts; I look to the comments. I am not seeking reassurance, but rather **evidence**. In CBT, my therapist has been working with me on the importance of building evidence, both for AND against the disease I am concerned about at that moment. I give you an example. A snapshot of me right now: **Age:** 24 **Gender:** Male **Medical History:** Nothing significant **Family History:** bowel cancer and melanoma (however, these are not relevant to my current state of anxiety) **Current symptoms:** \- aching pain in my left leg for the last 6 weeks - am now getting pain in both legs on alternating days \- muscle twitches (fasciculations) in both legs, primarily above the knee, but all over and in other areas of my body \- slight weakness in my sore legs and my left arm **Testing/treatment I have had done regarding these symptoms:** \- lumbar MRI (clear with minor wear and tear) \- X-Ray (left leg) (awaiting results) \- regular physiotherapy visits, treating for referred pain from back **What I'm afraid of:** \- ALS/MND/MS \- Bone cancer For a couple of weeks I was a MESS. I was having panic attacks that I had ALS/MND. My muscle twitches were going haywire. I couldn't sleep. I was getting tingles down my leg and left arm. Then I started to actually pay attention to my therapist, and some helpful commentors on this sub. Below is what my evidence for and against all of these things looks like: **Evidence that I DO have ALS:** \- I have muscle twitches, which is a symptom of ALS \- Muscular pain is sometimes a symptom of ALS \- I feel some minor weakness (but nothing that stops me walking or grasping things) in my sore legs and arm. **Evidence that I DO NOT have ALS:** \- I am 24 years old - most cases of this disease occur in people over 40, and often, closer to 60. \- I have no family history. While most cases of ALS occur in people with no family history, almost ALL cases in people below 30 or 40 are familial related. \- Muscle twitches - while there are exceptions as with anything - are usually a later stage symptom of the disease. \- There is very little medical study into muscle twitches because they are considered to be of little medical significance. In other words, they are SO common and have hundreds of causes (plus hundreds more that doctors likely do not know about), all of which are FAR more likely than ALS, this symptom alone means little to nothing. A quote I saw online, but cannot remember where, said, 'Remember, muscle twitches are common, ALS is not.' \- The prevalence of ALS is about 1 or 2 in 100, 000. That's only between 10 and 20 in every 1, 000, 000. Or between 100 and 200 in every 20, 000, 000 people. Those numbers are pretty good. \- Generally before other symptoms, people will experience clinical weakness in their limbs, i.e. unable to walk properly, unable to hold a mug. Not just tripping, minor losses in dexterity or even minor foot dragging/tripping. \- I have been clumsy my ENTIRE LIFE. It's a running joke between my girlfriend and I about how clumsy I am. \- the weakness and soreness in my left arm is probably from a tendinitis injury I have struggled with on and off for the last 5 years. **Evidence that I DO have bone cancer:** \- my legs hurt. **Evidence that I DO NOT have bone cancer:** \- I had a lumbar MRI come back clean, meaning nothing in lymphatic system, nothing in my spinal column, no tumours causing referred pain \- no family history \- I have had an x-ray and while I do not yet have the results, if they come back negative, that's about as conclusive as you can get. **Conclusion:** All we need to do is look at the evidence. I probably don't have ALS or bone cancer. It's far more likely that I have some mechanical fault in my legs or a muscular issue that will probably resolve with some physiotherapy. True, there are no absolutes in life. True, I COULD have one of these horrible diseases. Nobody on planet Earth can guarantee I or anybody else doesn't. But, the statistical likelihood of me having these ailments is so minuscule that it isn't even worth worrying about. And I know telling a person with health anxiety not to worry about health is like telling a dog not to smell another dog's butt and I'd be lying if I said this was a cure for my anxiety. It isn't. I still have low days and I still have weak moments. But what this has helped with is coping on a day-to-day basis. I won't tell you not to Google, because I know that won't stop you. But I will say (a) limit the amount you do and (b) if you do Google, don't just search symptoms and match yours to whatever horrible thing comes up. Instead, look for **evidence.** Look for statistics in your age bracket. Look for ties to family history and hereditary links. And most of all, remind yourself that it's okay to get anxious, but it isn't okay to let that anxiety rule over you and ruin your day, week, month or existence. I hope this was helpful for those who had time to read it.

LABEL_1

VACCINES

2019-12-01T19:48:23

I'm 23 now, and I want to know what vaccines should i get

LABEL_1

VACCINES

2019-12-04T17:47:15

I have found a few articles to attempt to convince her otherwise. She is claiming the vaccine causes cancer and sterilization and 500 deaths a year.... While i know thats all bullshit, she drank the fucking kool-aid and is insisting she knows better. I read that over 2.3mil vaccinations 55 died and it was determined they were unrelated. My problem now being thatcim trying to source FDA and CDC sources she thinks its a gov't conspiracy. I'm dumbfounded. He has had every single vaccine required up to this point. I don't know what flipped that switch in her head. So anyone know more about this than i do? Any good reading material you can link me to convice this crazy hosebeast? Or point me to a sub that could help.... Please.

LABEL_0

AskDocs

2019-12-06T04:08:46

Age: 30 Sex: F (post hysterectomy. I am not contaminating the urine w/ menstrual blood) Height: 173 cm Weight: 60 kg. I lost almost 28 kg in 6 months this year unintentionally but have gained back 10. Race: Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish. Duration of complaint: 1 year (hematuria for 6 mos) Location: whole body Any existing relevant medical issues: confirmed cEDS via genetic testing, Raynauds, confirmed Nutcracker Syndrome (not phenomenon) awful gastro issues that have no name. Current medications: Oxycontin 10mg x2, XR Propranolol 160mg (migraines and BP) Ibuprofen/Paracetamol as needed ----------- I reach out to the experts of Reddit as a last shot at figuring this out. Firstly, I know nutcracker should be the obvious answer for my hematuria but I have been to a vascular surgeon who said the amount of blood in my urine cannot be explained by the level of compression I have and cannot account for other symptoms. In May I was in hospital for 2 weeks due to gastro issues. It was awful and I wasn't able to eat for much of that time. Thankfully with the more weight I gained back I was able to eat more comfortably and Oxycontin and Propranolol have the added bonus of curing my 40x a day toilet trips. I left without much of an answer but with a shiny new Nutcracker diagnosis (and narrowed mesenteric angle) for my troubles that they found on a CTA after my hematuria began while I was there. They also discovered a cherry tomato sized hard immovable lump in my abdomen but called it a calcified hernia (it wasn't as we later ruled out.) Since the hospital I have had daily macrohematuria. My pee ranges from pinky rose tinted to a deep brownish red and is frothy and bubbly. I have always had a lot of pee in my life and I thought it was just some quirk. However since the hematuria has led to multiple 24h collections I have since learned it is not okay to pee 6l a day when you only drink 3 liters of liquids. An average urination results in 300-900 mL of urine. My daily symptoms (excluding joint and EDS symptoms): crushing exhaustion, general feeling of not being well, profuse sweating, occasional flank pain, lots of pelvic pain when I push on my abdomen or during sex, my abdominal lump has grown and I also have a new one in my neck, itchy as a mother.... (Unrelated to opiates), standing makes me dizzy, my stomach bloats out constantly and it's hard and very painful, I feel really weak and like I can't do simple exercises (which is very important to me.) I am a pretty healthy person in spite of my EDS complications. I smoke marijuana occasionally and drink even less occasionally. I do not smoke. I eat mostly vegetarian but make sure to get my protein even though it feels pointless. I gained much of my life back when I began taking the low dose of oxycontin earlier this year and was able to make big gains with my PT for joint instability but these unrelated symptoms still persist. I may have forgotten things because my brain is awful right now but to the best of my knowledge this is everything. My recent Labs (more on request) **BLOOD** Glucose: 82 normal Urea: 32 normal Creatinine: .66 normal eGFR: 90 normal Potassium: 4.1 normal Sodium: 136 normal � ** **Calcium: 10.6 HIGH** � ** **Protein total: 5.7 LOW** I cannot get this to increase no matter what I eat/do � ** **Albumin: 3.5 a little LOW** Bilirubin total: .8 normal ALKP: 65 normal ALT: 26 normal AST: normal Osmolality: 281 normal � ** **Phosphorus 4.5 slightly elevated** Vitamin D 1.25 (OH) 26 PTH: 10 normal CRP: normal DNA ds Ab: normal CANCA & PANCA: normal C3: 123.3 normal C4: 26.8 normal Hba1c: 5.1 normal Urea: 24 normal GGT: 11 normal Transferrin: 301 normal Ferritin: 43 normal Folic acid: 5 normal WBC: 5.7 (typically it's around 3 or 4. This was a surprise) � ** **RBC: 3.9 a little low** Hemoglobin: 13.5 Hematocrit: 42.2 MCV: 88 MCH: 28 MCHC: 32 RDW: 12 Platelets: 277 MPV: 10.4 � ** **Neutrophils: 37% a little low** � ** **Lymphocytes: 56% a little high** (normally I have high lymphs) Monocytes: 6.4 � ** **Neutrophils Total #: 2 a little low** � ** **Lymphocytes Total # 4 a little high** TSH: 2.04 � ****Streptylosin Ab: 200 high** (I haven't had strep throat in ages so ???) Smooth muscle Ab: normal Mitochondrial Ab: normal ANA: normal Protein electrophoresis: normal Immunofixation test: normal Bence Jones: normal **Urine:** Bilirubin: NEG � ** **24/h creatinine: 2.2 HIGH** � ** **24/h protein: 201.4 HIGH** � ** **24/h Urine volume: last two were 3,800 and 6,000 respectively HIGH** pH: 7-9 usually Nitrite: negative Ketone: negative Glucose: negative Urobilinogen: normal Bilirubin: negative � ** **Protein in random sample: 50 mg/dL high** Leucocytes: negative � ** **Erythrocytes: 250 maximum of the scale** � ** **Urine microscopy: Erythrocytes 31.0/F + squamous epithelial cells** Cytology: normal/clear 24h Albumin Micro: normal � ** **24/h calcium: 732.6 !! extremely high** Osmolality: pending in lab

LABEL_1

AskDocs

2019-12-26T07:47:41

* 30 year old white male, 5'9", normal range BMI * I exercise 3 times a week and walk to work every day (20 minutes each way) * I don't smoke (drink sometime but not much) * Diet is good * No conditions or medications (don't have daytime sleep problems) * Blood work was normal with the exception of cholesterol but this was barely over the threshold (5.2 - healthy level is 5.0) For the last few years I have been sleeping an awful lot. It's not laziness - if I try to get up before 10 hours of sleep I will feel totally dazed for the entire day and resort to drinking tons of coffee just to keep my eyes open. Given that I'm otherwise healthy, could this be a side effect of some diagnosed condition?

LABEL_1

AntiVaxxers

2020-01-01T01:30:40

Quick mandarin get the shots

LABEL_1

VACCINES

2020-01-01T10:50:01

A close family member recently jumped on the anti-vax bandwagon and has no interest in vaccinating their infant daughter. I'm looking for simple, straightforward research both supporting and yes, opposing vaccination so I can have a more educated discussion with him. I always took it as an obvious given, and continue to support vaccination, but that also came with a total lack of education on the topic. I see constant posts from his wife about how babies are dying every day from vaccinations but I can't seem to find a single study or report supporting those claims literally anywhere I look. I'm not looking to have a huge blown up fight, because I know it won't get me anywhere with them. Any help would be very much appreciated

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VACCINES

2020-01-01T11:01:53

The problem is there is no science on the anti vaccine side. All the evidence is supporting vaccination which is why the American academy of pediatrics recommends adhering to the CDC immunization schedule.

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AskDocs

2020-01-01T17:34:21

Can be from certain medications especially antipsychotics like rispiridone. When I was inpatient it was a common issue that both males and females complained about but everyone was warned if it was a side effect of their meds. But get a test for prolactin levels as it can also be due to serious medical conditions.

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VACCINES

2020-01-01T18:44:23

I like this collection of antivax busted myths: http://www.docbastard.net/2019/04/vaccine-mythbusting.html Also SkepticalRaptor: https://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/vaccine-search-engine/

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VACCINES

2020-01-01T18:49:51

Also, if you are on Facebook, this group is great - https://www.facebook.com/groups/vaccinetalkforum/?ref=share Vaccine Talk takes people from both sides, and requires civility and citations for all discussions. There are some immunology scientists and someone who actually helps write inserts for their job.

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VACCINES

2020-01-01T22:50:46

As far as I know, NY is just considering that law. It hasn�t been passed. Are you worried about the school not letting your son come to class or are you worried he will get HPV? If you are worried about school, it isn�t an issue yet. If you are worried about HPV, it is sexually transmitted, so if he isn�t sexually active he won�t get it. If a child of 9 gets the HPV vaccine, nobody is 100% sure the vaccine will protect him years later when he is exposed. The jury is still out.

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AskDocs

2020-01-02T07:24:41

NAD - but is he on any meds? My sons take risperidone, and growing boobs and lactation are both side effects, that we monitor for very closely. I don't know if any other meds may cause this, but that may be a route to check with his doctor.

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VACCINES

2020-01-02T09:12:04

Does anyone have any further insight on this. It sounds like they have just developed a traditional vaccine against the internal flu proteins which are much more conserved. My concerns are 1. Antibodies against these will not prevent infection or spread of viable virions as they will just bind useless protein from ruptured infected cells, 2. Antibodies can't reach them when the proteins are being packaged within the cell and 3. This is a very simple approach, I can't imagine it wasn't attempted in the early days of major vaccine development. Also the NIH just put something like 100 million into universal flu vaccine development so it makes me think this is Not A Thing.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-02T16:53:29

But I do have evidence. My son, aged 2, Timothy, died of Vaccinations after his father took him behind my back and got him vaccinated. It was a tragedy. The doctors were forced to lie by the GOVERNMENT about how he died. They claimed it was polio, but that's actually a code word for vaccines. No worries though! My President Donald Trump will fix this corrupt government. #Trump2020

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-03T00:35:53

THE FUCK There are no goddamn heavy metals in vaccines, Only antibodies...

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-03T09:38:34

Vaccines aren�t related to the miscarriage

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VACCINES

2020-01-04T08:47:02

https://faithit.com/medical-professional-debunks-flu-vaccine-myths/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=title&utm_campaign=faithit20191023&maropost_id=744343096 https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2017/11/fluvax/ Also, congratulations! It is absolutely your right to not allow unvaccinated people around your baby.

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VACCINES

2020-01-04T11:33:03

Congrats and don't forget to take your own shots! Specially against Hepatitis B, whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria. Even if you've taken them before it's important so your newborn is protected until it can take it's own shots.

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VACCINES

2020-01-04T14:54:05

Hearty Congrats!! Checkout the [Video FAQs on common questions on vaccines](https://www.vaccinateyourfamily.org/questions-about-vaccines/video-faqs/)

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AskDocs

2020-01-04T16:15:44

Need more history, things like past medical problems, medications, drug use, etc. Differential as I see it includes infectious, autoimmune, vasculitis, drug use, medication, environmental (especially considering the burn pit). It's very odd that it would take years after that exposure that these ulcers would start, but not impossible. Why has he lost countless jobs? What did previous skin biopsies show? What have his labs shown?

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-05T00:44:23

Freddie Mercury goes to the doctor to get his vaccine shots

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-05T05:45:49

Mama jusk killed a men, She forgot to wash her hand, Made a sandwich now he died, Mama he was so young, But you didn't vaccinate him, Mama don't be anti vaccine , If you don't want to see him in coffin,

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-06T11:58:05

It's not really can infect vs not able to infect vaccines don't make sicknesses not contagious it's can get vs can't get (even if it's still a small chance that you can still get it it still reduces the risk and thats good)

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-06T12:18:45

The problem isnt vaccinated people, we have a very low chance of contracting the disease from someone. The real issue comes when some people have immunity defects and can't be vaccinated, thus being in danger from the fall of herd imunity

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AskDocs

2020-01-06T15:21:50

I would doubt this is a tear unless your partner has a penis stud. It could be swelling as a result of stress from anal sex, though we could also go back to fecal impactment. Were your bowel movements normally sized and amount? Was your partner's Weiner clean before insertion? Are you on any medication? And self medicating? Some drugs have constipation as a side effect, and it could be this bad as well.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-06T15:45:38

[https://www.reddit.com/r/VaccineDiscussion/comments/ek1cpt/slates\_investigative\_reporting\_finds\_that\_hpv/](https://www.reddit.com/r/VaccineDiscussion/comments/ek1cpt/slates_investigative_reporting_finds_that_hpv/)

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VACCINES

2020-01-06T18:01:52

I would say MMRV (where I live, the chickenpox, or varicella, vaccine is in with the MMR) and tDap for sure. During flu season, a flu shot would be a good idea too. Probably talk with your doctor to see.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-06T18:28:14

Still wrong, missing uninfected non-vaccinated people who cannot infect others. Also, all vaccinated people are infected and it is possible for in extremely rare cases for vaccinated people to be carriers infecting other people. So there should be four options not two. Also, depending on the vaccine it is possible for some vaccinated people to be left unprotected and get sick (3% for the Measles) making it possible for them to infect others. I. A few ways the original was actually more accurate. Sorry. Now for the mysophobes to down vote me and make stupid arguments for pointing out the truth.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-06T21:28:55

"Less wrong" doesnt make it right. The meme is still wrong as infected unvaxxed people can't spread it to people who are *successfully vaxxed. (*Added with the understanding that an extremely small amount of vaccines can fail, leaving one unknowingly exposed)

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-07T20:31:15

The influenza a & b virus strains have both mutated to be highly resistant to the flu vaccine and have made it as far north as the U.P. I think I feel another pandemic coming on....

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-07T20:35:28

But the Chinese Zodiac isn�t real! Just like the effectiveness of vaccines! /s

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AskDocs

2020-01-07T21:37:34

Sorry to hear about your illness. It could be a lot of different bugs. The things to worry about with fever and dysentery (blood and mucus with diarrhea) are often typhoid or paratyphoid (Salmonella typhi/paratyphi) or shigella infections, and Ecoli travelers diarrhea is also very common. Giardia and amebiasis are less likely with your symptom profile. Generally, imodium is not a good choice - one needs to find out the cause and fix it. Usually, one needs antibiotics. The good news is that most infections (even typhoid and shigella) are self-limited - the risk is of complications. There's actually an oral typhoid vaccine that's very effective,but you didn't mention taking it. I suggest going to a physician again if your symptoms persist or increase.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-07T22:00:03

With the number of radical anti-vaxxers exponentially increasing, vaccines will gradually become illegal in more and more country at an increasingly accelerating rate.

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VACCINES

2020-01-08T15:03:07

Hello everyone, I�m just wondering if there�s anyone out there that knows about doctors or medical professionals that are know to give give expert testimony as a witness for my court case? I�m located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. My child has yet to have a single vaccine at 3 years old and mother is an anti-vaxxer and will fight to the death to prevent it from happening. I need as many resources as possible to aid in the fight. News articles showing the downside of not getting vaccinations unfortunately don�t hold up in court. Thanks for your consideration.

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HealthAnxiety

2020-01-08T15:18:18

I don't make my own reddit posts but I feel like I need to for other people. A little background: I'm a psychotherapist (weird, I know), who has a sad history of health anxiety, sometimes cancer but mostly devastating neurological diseases. When I was in graduate school, and I had very hard internship at a hospital. I remember my first (now looking back) panic symptom that was odd. My vision was blurry. Hm. At my first therapy job I noticed eye pain as well. Now, looking back, I was very stressed and the florescent lighting is trash. But, I researched, and wouldn�t you know it? Eye pain is an MS symptom. I�m a white woman in my 20�s. Uh-oh, that�s the main demographic. I�m in trouble. I keep googling and as I see symptoms I start to get those symptoms. They don�t come and go, they are CONSTANT. My face on one side and my arm on one side are numb. All. The. Time. 4AM? Numb. I cry all the time, go to neurologists, have many tests, rack up bills. No MS. I see a psychiatrist, was prescribed Lexapro, and within a few weeks my life is back to normal. Shouldn�t say this was simple because I cried for months, and would vomit every morning out of sheer panic. But, it�s behind me. I take the meds for 3 years, then decide I can stop. I should note that in between this event and the next, I had smaller events and went to doctors for them, always was nothing. But, then.. A year later something happens. One day I notice my hand feels weird. It�s like my typing is clumsy. I spend 4 hours on ALS forums reading people�s experiences. I watch youtube videos of diagnoses. Oh no. This is it. My muscles start twitching uncontrollably. I have cramps in my legs, in my hands, every day. I cry all the time. I plan my death. I tell my fiancé he should probably move on, that we shouldn�t have the wedding because the money would be better saved for care. I go to the doctor, he says I seem fine. He reads my medical records and sees I have health anxiety. Says I can see a neurologist if I want, but it�ll probably be a waste. Puts me back on Lexapro. My fiancé also insists that I start therapy. I believe it�s a waste because I�m dying, but fine. Every morning I wake up nauseous, sobbing, hands cramped. I read and read and read. I see my hand is smaller on one side. I�m wasting away. I lose lots of weight, and can barely do any work. I see a neurologist, practically crawling to the office because I feel so weak. When she tests my reflexes, they are hyper. Another symptom. I immediately burst into tears. She tries to assure me that a lot of young people, and anxious people, have hyper reflexes, but I�m hearing none of it. We schedule an MRI and have a follow up in a month. The weeks waiting for the medication to kick in are BRUTAL. **Everyone needs to know that SSRIs have bad side effects in the initial weeks, including increased anxiety** (I know, right?). You have to understand that it takes a long time to build in your system, you have to be patient. This is where the therapy comes in. We used CBT which really maps out your greatest fears, the likelihood of that outcome, and your ability to cope with that outcome. We look at the FACTS. I am not a doctor. This is incredibly rare. Surely I would�ve gotten worse by now. I don�t feel my hand is messed up when I�m drinking alcohol (**my favorite health anxiety hack**�drink and see if you still have the problem! lol). I start doing yoga in my office even though I suck at it, because I just want to feel better. Self-talk is very dangerous. **You need to watch the messages you're playing in your head**. I told myself "I know it. I know" over and over again. It's like your own personal health anxiety flavored brain washing. I changed it to "It feels like. It feels like". And like my therapist said, **Feelings aren't Facts.** The 24/7 panic stops, but I�m still worried. I follow up with my primary, he says I�ve gained some weight back and look a lot better. I see the neurologist again, and she notes the same. I was prepared mentally for this appointment with an agenda. I said, �I trust you. If you say I should get an EMG, I will. If you think I shouldn�t, I won�t�. She said �consider this a clean bill of health. I don�t think you need an EMG�. I give her a hug, thank her for being so kind, and move on with my life. I am not allowed to google this anymore. Point blank period. I thanked my friends for dealing with me during this time, and now I just cope with some bummer side effects from the Lexapro, but I don�t care. I have my life back. My therapy moved to twice a month, and I still take the medication. My muscles twitch sometimes and.. oh well! Not as much as before. More evidence that it was stress related. Logic is your friend. I hope that you can pull some nuggets from this post, including how symptoms can seem VERY real, and yet, not be real. I�ll leave you with this. One of my dearest friends (also a therapist) said to me, �You know, you�re really smart. So your anxiety is smart too. Of course it picked a disease that you can�t easily prove you don�t have!� Fin.

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VACCINES

2020-01-08T16:20:13

I would think a local public health official, or any pediatric doctor, would be happy to testify. That happened in a Detroit, MI custody case similar to yours a few years ago. https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2018/02/26/expert-in-pediatrics-takes-stand-in-michigan-anti-vaccination-case/ https://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/lori-matheson-refuses-vaccines-child-michigan-court-no/

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HealthAnxiety

2020-01-09T03:11:34

Great post. Thanks for this. Maybe it should be stickied so others can read it. As a therapist your story carries some weight! I was absolutely spiraling with anxiety for the last few months. If I even breathed differently it could spin me into a panic attack thinking I'm dying. I was starting to see signs of new phobias and agoraphobia. I finally was at my wits end and started on Celexa. It's the 6th or so SSRI/SNRI I've tried, and it's the one. The side effects are minimal and I feel like I'm back to my normal self. I'm really surprised how effective it is, knock on wood. My brain doesn't spin anymore. I still have health anxiety but it doesn't get me spun up into a frenzy like it has in the past. I'm much more able to think logically about it.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-09T06:00:17

Wow funny cause 30 seconds laters I saw a post where apparently arsenic cures vaccines injury. Yes,eat **poison** to remove "*poison*"

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-09T13:05:50

Karen: *see vaccines * ah yes, enslaved autism

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VACCINES

2020-01-10T08:48:41

Why do you need a vaccine? You havent been sick during your most vulnerable years. Why the slavery mindset of "i nEED to" all of a sudden?

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AskDocs

2020-01-10T18:21:33

My mom stays in Mumbai..and she has a very low immunity due to diabetes. She got highly infected in the stomach. Doctor said it's water borne disease and she had all kinds of infections. She had the worms too. She is suffering now. Sonography result will come today ... Looks like these infections are increasing. Do get checked in a big hospital. Doctor Lunia in Thane is good.. in Hiranandani estate

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VACCINES

2020-01-11T21:48:08

Shot

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VACCINES

2020-01-12T09:34:55

If already have flu, use spray. If not, then vaccine

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VACCINES

2020-01-12T14:55:15

Here is a comprehensive article on all types (clarifies [Types of Flu Vaccines and Why](https://www.familiesfightingflu.org/types-of-flu-vaccines/) based on age and allergies). Hope it helps!

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-13T08:59:57

Researching VAERS? Hilarious. I guarantee she doesn�t know it�s a passive reporting system, and ANYONE can publish ANYTHING, no proof needed.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-13T10:02:37

Yes Karen 25 minute search about how much vaccine suck is alot better than a book about the pros and cons about vaccines

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-13T11:40:26

I love the �package inserts� argument. I am a nurse who has worked in an office and administered many vaccines to high-risk population. When there have been questions the inserts are a great reference. When giving on I�m not as familiar with I typically glance as the �administration and side effects�. I don�t know why people think these are hard to access, read, or understand. Doc�s don�t read ever medicication package insert because they don�t typically administer the meds and have other reference tools. But they are all readily available, even online.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-13T11:50:21

> looking at the reports on VAERS

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-13T12:39:34

Of course the doctor gets paid to give vaccinations That's like saying cashiers get paid to bag the shit you bought, because it's part of their fucking job

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-13T22:26:48

well i think that google is always correct! all my kids need are essential oils! i have 3 healthy, beautiful children! edit: so uh... little timothy died. i still have 2 kids! ... kyle died from pneumonia... see, im glad i havent vaccined my little angels! before you bully me read my name and look at my profile

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AskDocs

2020-01-13T22:48:34

34f, 5�11� 140lbs, Caucasian. No history of disease. Only medication is birth control pills. My [LEFT FOOT](https://imgur.com/a/WZIwNir) in the upper foot area around the toes has been mildly swollen which increases to moderate swelling and redness in the evenings, for a few months. Blisters recently appeared on three of my left toes caused by the swelling which promoted me to visit my physician. I am experiencing no pain associated with the swelling and redness, just some mild to moderate tightness. Elevation of the foot helps relieve some of the swelling but it doesn�t appear to go away completely. The redness is particularly bad after I get out of the shower in the evenings. On this same foot I have had ongoing toenail bed injuries on my big toe including an ingrown toe nail 6 years ago and repeated blood blisters under the nail bed from hiking over the years (which has caused my toenail to grow thickened and easily reinjured), the most recent injury was maybe 6 months ago. I mentioned the toenail injures to my physician so she assumed an cellulitis infection due to the redness and swelling. I was placed on 825mg Augmentin 2x a day for 7 days. No improvement was seen after the course of antibiotics. An ultrasound was performed on my entire leg to check for veinous issues and blood clots. The results were normal. They then completed various blood tests for rheumatoid arthritis, that also came back normal. I mentioned the possibility of lymphedema but that was dismissed as the doctor mentioned I didn�t show any swelling elsewhere in my lymph nodes and that I likely did not have any underlying condition to cause it. The physician(s) are stumped and have referred me to a podiatrist who I am seeing next week. Does anyone have any other ideas what may be causing potential chronic redness and inflammation in one foot that is worse in the evenings and tolerable during day time? I am concerned it could be related to some underlying disease or something. UPDATE: thank you all very much for your comments. It helps to re-confirm that I need to push my physician on this and get to the bottom of what is going on. To answer a few questions that were asked, the DVT test (ultrasound) was normal. They did the entire leg and groin area. Although they did not scan my foot, can you get a clot in your foot? The doc and ultrasound tech seemed very unconcerned about DVT since my swelling and redness in my foot is not constant and I have no pain, there is no swelling or redness elsewhere in my leg or groin. I will keep this in mind though and ask again about DVT. I have not been bitten by a tick, so I am not sure about Lyme disease. Can you get Lyme disease other ways? I have had no injuries in my leg or foot area except the injuries to my toenail bed. That is why my big toenail is yellow and deformed looking. I have been on birth control pills since I was 18. Although I did recently change prescriptions because I was having issues with my mensuration (extra pain, bleeding, nausea that was not normal for me) and started my new prescription (generic for Seasonale) in June 2019. I will ask my doctor if there could be a connection. I have attached a couple extra photos to the images of my foot, one is my foot this morning after I was walking around. As you can see the redness and swelling has gone down considerably. My foot looks like this most of the day, but then turns red and swollen at night. The other photo is the bottom of my foot, since someone asked for that angle. Thanks all for your help! UPDATE 2/5/20/: My physician thinks I could have Erythromelalgia. She ordered a CBC diff blood test and results were all normal. I saw a podiatrist as well and he was stumped, he did rule out fungal infection. My concern is how do you for sure test for Erythromelalgia? It seems like some of my symptoms are similar, redness and swelling mostly at night and hot, itchy, skin after showers that are alleviated with cool water or ice. Some symptoms that are not similar are constant swelling. My left foot is constantly mildly swollen, not just at night. Also, I am not experiencing any pain which seems to be common with that disease. Is there any other tests I should request from my doctor or a type of specialist I should see to rule out other things? UPDATE 4/8/20: I spoke with my PCP again she referred me to a vascular surgeon. I have now been to a vascular surgeon and had a Reflux ultrasound done. Results were normal. The ultrasound tech said she didn�t see any edema in my foot even though I could feel my foot slightly swollen. The vascular surgeon wasn�t totally sure what is going on but it doesn�t appear to be veinous. He mentioned vasospams and Raynauds in passing but ultimately referred me to an Orthopedic surgeon. I had that visit recently with the ortho, had an X-ray of my foot completed. Normal. Ortho noticed an area of swelling was just below my lateral three toes and gave me a steroid shot thinking it could be arterial swelling. He also ordered an arterial study to be done. He kept saying he isn�t getting a good pulse in my foot and my foot was very cold. He also mentioned Raynauds as a possibility. My next appointment is to get the arterial study done. Update 6/13/20: the steroid shot did not help the swelling. The artery ultrasound was normal. The ortho has now ordered an MRI with contrast to be done. When he was pressing with moderate to heavy pressure on the are of swelling, just under my third and 4th toe there was quite a bit of pain. I hadn�t noticed any pain previously although I don�t think I have ever squeezed that area if my foot to check. After walks I sometimes feel pain like swelling tightness, but not throbbing or shooting pain like I felt when he was placing pressure on the swollen area. No where else in the foot. He didn�t outright mention tumor but I think he was hinting at the possibility. I started researching tissue and bone sarcomas. They are extremely rare and even more rare in the foot, but my symptoms especially for osteosarcoma seem to fit (swelling at tumor location, redness, hot to touch, symptoms worse at night, comes and goes). Although the ortho did not mention if he saw any tumors on the x-ray. I am assuming if it was an osteosarcoma it would show up on X-ray. Anyways, just waiting on my insurance to approve MRI. Here�s hoping it�s not cancer! Update 11/14/20: I have a lot of tests done since my last update. The MRI showed my foot has bone marrow edema, mostly in the toes and joint effusion in the metatarsal toe joints. No mass or neuroma detected. The radiologist suggested possible severe Raynauds. So the vascular surgeon referred me to a vascular doctor. The vascular doctor said definitely not Raynauds based on my symptoms. He was thinking either an auto immune disease or marrow edema syndrome. He ordered a ton of lab work for various auto immune disease, also gout, vitamin D level; all came back normal. He ordered a second MRI to check on the bone marrow edema, since it had been several months. The MRI was stable and my condition remains the same. He prescribed arthritic aspirin 325mg to see if that helped my symptoms. It maybe helped a little but was not effective overall. We discussed Erythromelalgia as a possibility, so he referred me to a neurologist for further diagnosis. The neurologist didn�t think it was EM and instead believes it to be complex regional pain syndrome. He wants to rule out other diseases first, so he has ordered additional blood work including diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, and heavy metal poisoning. He also ordered a EMG and nerve conduction test. Both tests were normal and my nerves are all fine. Waiting to get bloodwork soon. He wrote me a prescription for Gabapentin (300mg twice a day) to see if that helps with my symptoms. The side effects have been a little rough for me so far, but I actually think it is helping with the burning sensation at least. My foot still gets read and is always slightly swollen, but I have noticed i am not feeling the hot itchy burn since I have been on gabapentin. It�s only been one week though. 12/31/20: I am officially diagnosed with CRPS as of today! Finally got a diagnosis after almost a whole year.

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AskDocs

2020-01-14T03:00:08

Any trauma or previous surgeries? Have you done xrays to both limbs? Any bloodwork? How is your sensation on light and deep touch? If you have a painful stimulus on both limbs do you feel it any different? You mentioned it worsens at night, how do you feel when you wake up? Is the affected limb warmer/colder than the other? Is it sweaty? Do you feel your ankle or toes with less range of motion or strength? Weakness? Tremors? How�s the skin thickness? Did your nails have this appearance before? How about other changes in your body? Do you have pain anywhere else? How�s your stool consistency? Urine? Do you have any autoimmune/rheumatologic diseases in your family?

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AskDocs

2020-01-14T08:57:22

I drafted a response several times before responding. You have gotten A LOT of different opinions based on a photograph. This is not really constructive. Any diagnosis really need to be based on detailed lab work and an actual clinical evaluation. I was originally going to suggest that you post labs here; I am increasingly of the opinion that you will not get the help you need this way. The problem you have is that your symptoms are unusual, and ambiguous. They may be caused by infection, trauma, or inflammatory (autoimmune) processes. Without being disrespectful to my podiatrist friends, this is NOT a problem for a podiatrist. My best guess is that something (or things) significant (and systemic) is happening here, and that you should work hard to get to the bottom of things. I don�t think you are going to get a persuasive response until you have had a team based approach to address you as a whole person. There are two major centers in the US that do team based diagnoses: Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic. I would get the referral from your PCP and go to one of these hubs for evaluation.

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AskDocs

2020-01-14T11:02:31

NAD- However my stepfather displayed similar symptoms in his knee and foot. After a battery of negative tests he was sent to a rheumatologist who also couldn�t treat him but had a colleague whom specialize in an autoimmune disease called Sarcoidosis. So the rheumatologist was able to refer him the the necessary specialist to receive a diagnosis. May be an avenue to look into.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-14T14:17:47

Y�all a bunch of dumb asses if you think vaccines don�t work

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VACCINES

2020-01-15T01:09:29

Here is what I know from my experience... regular flu shots hurt your upper arm and you will have 100,000 first year med students learning how to give injections between the first floor stair well and the second floor stairwell during flu shot time. If you want to correlate autism to anything, you should encourage adults in the United States to smoke more. The rate of the adult population smoking has gone down as autism diagnoses have gone up. Cigarettes prevent autism..../s Tdap hurts. It fucking hurts and you will sort of wish you hadn�t taken the vaccine for a couple of days because your shoulder muscles will hurt. On the other hand, it is better than dying. I�d rather have a sore muscle for two to three days every ten years than die from a fucking scratch from a rusty nail. We can grumble about minor side effects, but you made the right choice.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-15T12:45:13

Puppet, look up the ingredients of these vaccines ur so quick to inject into your helpless child that trusts u with their health

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AskDocs

2020-01-15T19:37:25

Not a doctor and other people have already gave good advice and things for you to check, it's just that I noticed in a couple of comments you mentioned that you were sick when your ex was still living at home and you got better after he left. I completely understand why you think that's suspicious however you've got to remember that while he was living there you would have had a lot of stress (your body can be stressed even if you don't 'feel' stressed) which can make people very ill and it would make sense for you to get better after he was gone (no longer living with constant stress). A couple of years ago I had a lot of unexplained pain and was sick a lot, low immune system etc and it turned out I actually had anxiety and depression which were causing physical effects. I wouldn't give yourself extra worry thinking you've been poisoned until you've ruled out every other possibility, I hope you find a explanation soon!

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VACCINES

2020-01-16T03:01:56

My mother is not per say an "antivaxer", she just does not think vaccines do more good than harm. My father is a Muslim so he does not believe in vaccines as they contain pork. It is not allowed in Islam to have pork. I have been doing some research about vaccines for a bit now and I have only found government websites that say vaccines are good and essential, so I wanted to get other opinions. I am considering vaccines but first of all it's a bit late, second of all I have had no diseases vaccines to prevent so far. I have traveled to London 2 times, India 2 times, Cuba and Virgin Islands once, and have traveled well around the states. I am concerned that as my mother believes, getting these vaccines could do more harm to me than good.

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VACCINES

2020-01-16T03:19:51

On the issue of pork: At least in the UK, [only three](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/824013/PHE_vaccines_porcine_gelatine.pdf) of the vaccines in the routine immunisation programme contain porcine gelatine. One of those is shingles, which you won't need until you're older. The other two (MMR and nasal flu) have easily available alternatives which do not contain gelatine. So your father is wrong: This is not a problem for the majority of vaccines. On the issue of harm: Adverse reactions to vaccines are extremely rare. In almost every case, the only side effect you will experience is a slightly sore arm. Statistically speaking, the risk of catching a vaccine-preventable disease if you are not vaccinated is far higher than the risk of any kind of harmful side effect if you are vaccinated (in fact, this is a regulatory requirement--public health authorities do not license vaccines which don't meet this criterion). This is not a matter of opinion; there are mountains of scientific evidence demonstrating clearly that the good does outweigh the (extremely rare) harm. The fact that you have not contracted any vaccine-preventable illnesses yet is not particularly meaningful. This is like saying 'I've been riding in cars without a seatbelt for the last 13 years, and I've never gone through the windshield, therefore seatbelts must be unnecessary'. You've been lucky so far. There is zero reason to believe you will continue being so lucky for the rest of your life.

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AskDocs

2020-01-16T11:16:26

I take a high dose of SSRIs and I don't know if this is a side effect, but I also frequently look back and feel like I didn't really experience that or I wasn't conscious about it, and sometimes I have kind of like an out of body experience...

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VACCINES

2020-01-16T12:24:55

On the concerns of pork derivatives, you may want to read the Dakar Declaration with your father. The signed declaration by African Muslim scholars goes in detail on why they support vaccines including passages from Quran as they interpret it. �Upon completion of an intensive series of deliberations and consultative sessions at the International Conference on Vaccination and Religion in Dakar, Senegal, we, a network of prominent African Muslim scholars and medical professionals make the following declaration in support of efforts to vaccinate children in every part of the African continent.... Muslims knew about and practiced vaccination before other nations, as validated by historical records that confirm how Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) learned about vaccination in Turkey in 1717 during the Ottoman Empire and had taken the practice to Britain.[Dakar Declaration: Muslim Scholars supporting vaccinations](https://www.afro.who.int/sites/default/files/2017-09/Religious%20Leaders%20Declaration.pdf) On the safety of vaccinations, you can find a Video FAQ as well as an article on the growing case of measles outbreaks in this subreddit. Sounds like your mother isn�t necessarily an anti-vaxxer and just wants the best for you; it would be best if you go to a doctor with your dad and her. The doctor can explain safety, any allergy conditions you may need to get tested for, dosage guidelines, and more. All the best! I hope this information is somewhat useful.

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AskDocs

2020-01-16T15:35:53

A lot of meds can make you feel dissociation. I had this when I was prescribed Lyrica, it was like another version of me was making all the decisions and I was just along for the ride. A lot of doctors prescribe this instead of opioids, but it was a lot more side effects and people can get addicted to it. Not sure what you�re taking but if you have cancer I�m sure you might be on various meds. Best of luck and talk to your doc about it!

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AskDocs

2020-01-16T17:37:49

Make sure you are getting vitamin B12, deficiencies cause serious problems. A b12 shot would be great and 250mcg a day every day.

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AskDocs

2020-01-16T18:58:05

Hope you�re okay OP? I had depersonalisation for a few months after starting sertraline. Very, very troubling. Muddled through, came out the other side on the same dose and stable. Listed as a side effect in the SPC. I will note I was also under the stress of moving from a really small town to the capital, London. So all the stress associated with that was there too.

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AskDocs

2020-01-18T21:44:54

Details: 18, Male, 163lbs, 5�10, have smoked (not regularly), has experimented with light drugs (i.e Marijuana, alcohol), no allergies or previous diagnoses. Before reading: I believe this is has been resolved and I�m in the clear, but any advice or professional opinions are still greatly appreciated I had my wisdom teeth removed about a month ago, and I thought everything was going fine and dandy. No complications, no more pain, nothing except for the remains of not yet fully healed back left extraction site. So a few moments ago I sit down at my desk with a cup of coffee, and I swish it around my wisdom tooth hole (Something I�ve started doing to dislodge stuck food) when suddenly a small object pops out of it. I figure it�s just food and nearly swallow it, until it starts giving me an almost tonsil stone like taste in my mouth. I spit it out and examine it, and low and behold a small (1/4 of a pinky nail sized), yellow brown, circular object is lying on my desk. The strangest thing is that it has what appears to be small white hairs or appendages on it. It was also extremely firm. I ended up squishing it with a pencil to try to confirm if it was food or not and it has what appears to be a bunch of small white worm-like things (or one long tube broken up) inside (possible interior appendage or organs). I�m really worried that this is an actual living thing, and haven�t been able to find any information on it, any help would be greatly appreciated. CLARIFICATION: My wisdom tooth extraction was in mid-December, and my extraction sites have fully healed, though one of them is not fully closed. Video Link: https://imgur.com/gallery/cgHxOiM Update: The "Thing" has now shriveled up to due a lack of moisture, almost to an unrecognizable state, though I've bagged it and have it ready to take to the doctors. Update 2: A few have mentioned that it could be a seed of some kind, and this seems like the most plausible answer. I am very fond of sour foods and will occasionally indulge in a lemon. I ate one about 2 weeks ago, and with the warm, moist conditions of my mouth, it may have stayed alive long enough to start growing roots internally (causing the white things coming out of it). Update 3: After reading all of the comments up to here, I think I can safely change �parasite� to seed. While I�m not 100% sure what fruit caused it. There are a few fruits I eat regularly that may have caused this; raspberries, blackberries, apples, lemon, or (a long shot) banana. Being trapped in my wisdom pit and possibly starting germination, I can assume it�d expand and wrinkle and tear from moisture and movement, causing the strange, hairy appearance. The object appears to have a large tendril of sorts, which may be the epicotyl ( I think?) of the seed. I think I can safely say and alien hasn�t rooted in my jaw! Thank you all for a quick response, I was pretty anxious about this and the discussions in the chat helped to soothe my mind. Merci AskDoc. I�ll update it if there are any more strange happenings, but I think this is a cased closed. Oh, and I�ll buy an irrigation syringe for proper cleaning.

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VACCINES

2020-01-19T00:20:36

Hi, hope this is the right place to post this question. I am getting married soon and there will be multiple babies aged less than 6 months there. They will all be up to date with their shots (we are in New Zealand) A relative who has a completely unvaccinated child (5 years old) is currently considering coming to the wedding. They are from Australia (if it makes any difference) My question is, is this unvaccinated 5 year old a significant risk to the other young children at the wedding? The unvaccinated child is completely healthy as far as we know. My partner and I are considering not allowing the unvaccinated child to attend. If there was any serious risk of the unvaccinated child making anyone else sick, he would certainly not be allowed to attend. Thank you

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VACCINES

2020-01-19T07:43:14

There is something called 'herd immunity' in which if in a group, and most are vaccinated, the few unvaccinated people in there could be protected, but just as long as no one is sick, you are safe. Put safety and hygiene number 1. If people eat at the wedding, make sure that it has been cooked properly. Tl;dr: If almost everyone got the shots, most would not get hot(or die of fever by an acute bacteremia).

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VACCINES

2020-01-19T12:51:15

The babies are not necessarily up to date on their shots. The MMR isn't routinely given until 12 months in most countries and their are outbreaks in Australia. Plus, you can be contagious even before you have symptoms. https://vaxopedia.org/2018/05/30/when-friends-disagree-about-vaccines/ You might also ask some of the guests with infants how they would feel...

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-19T14:43:01

well all the other things imply pro-vaccine. hmmm....

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-19T15:45:27

No, it means that you don't think there is enough transparency around vaccines, that you don't see them as an either or proposition and that you think people have a right to decide for themselves what goes in their bodies. I for one don't have a problem with vaccinations nor do I believe they cause autism. However, I'm vehemently opposed to compulsory vaccines because it's a dangerous road to go down setting precedents that the government has say over what you can and can't do with your own body. Edit: I'll add that there seems to be a lot of fear mongering going on over the measles and listening to mysophobic morons tell me how deadly measles are when they don't know what they're talking about gives me a freaking headache.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-20T10:42:19

This whole anti vaccination thing is ridiculous because I guarantee the parents who don�t vaccine actually have not taken a science class in the past 10 years to learn about it. Look up Herd immunity and start praying your kids friends got vaccinated. On top of that your making it more dangerous for other kids you CANT get the vaccine. This is a mix of selfishness and utter stupidity.

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VACCINES

2020-01-21T17:40:47

It has been easy to find many case-control studies and cohort studies that show no link between MMR, thimerosal, or mercury and autism, but I haven't found any that compare people who have received zero vaccines against people that have received some or all of the vaccines on the recommended schedule. The only study that I was able to find on my own that has this type of data can be found here: [https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/2/e367.short](https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/2/e367.short) It includes a population of 2545 children at 6 months, 182 (7%) of which never vaccinated. This study only looks at eczema and recurrent wheeze in the first year of life. Is there another study like this that looks at other adverse effects of vaccines that antivaccine groups promote such as autism. Yes, I know that there are already many studies that show that MMR, and it's components are not linked to autism which is fair enough for me since the original fraudulent claim by Andrew Wakefield was just about MMR, but a friend challenged me to find any research that compared *never* vaccinated people to vaccinated people. Any study, even if it's not specifically about autism, would be helpful. If there aren't any, then it would be helpful to learn better about why studies like this haven't been performed. Is the population of never vaccinated people to small? Are places where there are large populations of never vaccinated people lacking reliable data? Does the population of never vaccinated people have too many confounding factors to control for?

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-21T18:02:31

As someone who used to detest vaccines, I�m slightly offended

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VACCINES

2020-01-21T18:30:40

You will never find the study your looking for due to it being unethical. Such study would leave the unvaccinated vulnerable to vaccine preventable disease.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-21T20:06:49

This is absolute bullshit. The majority of anti vaccine advocates ARE vaccinated. Between 55-80% according to various studies. This is what makes it so offensive. The campaigners are safe. Their children are not. Mid you are insinuating it�s because they didn�t like injections as children, more bullshit. The objections are much more serious than that. Remember, vaccines do kill. Down voted because I say vaccines kill? Is that the reason. Dumb fucks.

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VACCINES

2020-01-21T20:07:14

That's a good question. I have a [retrospective cohort study](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UZYXL0Ta2SY4L7JVCUP0FjHsnUY4eP97/view?usp=sharing) consisting of 1,256,407 vaccinated children and 9920 control children born in 4 different countries from 1976 - 1999 (5 different papers total), but having looked at the summary table I don't think that the control kids were people who were 100% unvaccinated. In that paper, I followed the reference for the Madsen paper (reference 12) and I believe their control group is MMR+/MMR-, but they don't specify whether or not the kids were otherwise vaccinated. Other studies included in that paper looked at cumulative Hg- or thiomersal dose, so perhaps their control groups were never exposed (ie. unvaccinated). You're welcome to follow those links yourself! Table 1 summarizes the studies and provides references that you can then follow to find the primary papers yourself. I imagine in, oh, 20 years, there'll be a sizeable chunk of population that's never been vaccinated that one could prepare a study on to follow outcomes... if they make it that far! Some of them may choose to get vaccinated as adults, or maybe one parent is pro-vaccine and gets them vaccinated in secret, and thus would probably be excluded. I would say that yes, good data on unvaccinated persons is probably unreliable. I don't think there's too many other factors to account for, in terms of age, location, height, weight, etc, but more just the need to make sure that no vaccines were given at any point in the kid's life, and that may or may not be hard to verify. It would be unethical to design such a study, where patients were deliberately denied vaccinations. If you even tried to recruit previously so-called anti-vaxx parents, you might encourage them to deny vaccines to their kids specifically so that the kids could be included, whereas perhaps the parents would've changed their mind at some point and vaccinated. The only way to study such a thing is retrospectively.

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VACCINES

2020-01-21T20:18:00

Agree with the other poster that certain types of cohort studies can't actually be done because it's unethical. There's actually enough evidence that vaccines are safe and effective that it's unethical to select a group of people and ask that they not vaccinate. Like you said, it *is* ethically possible to compare groups of people who have never been vaccinated to those that have. To my knowledge this hasn't been done in the US, and you're essentially right in guessing why. My guess **A)** anti-vaxx populations were relatively small until maybe 5-10 years ago. It's difficult to find enough people that have *absolutely never* been vaccinated for anything, although give it 10 years and maybe there will be a larger population. These people also need to trust doctors and researchers enough to enroll in the study. **B)** just because a group of people have been vaccinated doesn't mean they've been vaccinated for the same things. If you were to make a generic "vaccinated" group" you'd introduce variables of which vaccines they'd gotten, how many doses, what years they'd gotten them, and if they still had immunity. I've been vaccinated for *a lot* of things both because of travel and because of my job. I've gotten vaccines like hepatitis A & B, yellow fever, typhoid, and meningitis. I am too old to have gotten the chickenpox vaccine. I'm also overdue for an MMR booster. So, me and the standard vaccinated 12-year-old kid have pretty different exposures to vaccines. Do we make a "standard-vaxxed" group and a "super-vaxxed" group? These are just ideas of the types of variables these studies would have to consider. **C)** you need a more specific question to ask. It's not enough to say "lets compare overall health!" because that isn't quantifiable. You'd need to ask things like "do vaccinated people get more colds than unvaccinated?" or "do they have high rates of this specific autoimmune disorder?" or one that has been answered already "do women who have been vaccinated for HPV have lower rates of cervical cancer?". **D)** This would be a pretty expensive study due to the broad information being looked for and due to the small size of unvaccinated populations. It was also have to be long-term (like I mentioned, since anti-vaccination ideology was less common up until 10ish years ago, kids of the current anti-vaxx movement are young and thus we can't look at differences in teenager/adult health). This all being said, there *are* some bigger studies that have been done comparing unvaccinated populations to vaccinated. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31537568](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31537568) here's a study of one million Danish children. In this study, they found that lower MMR/DTP vaccinations correlated with higher overall mortality... meaning unvaccinated children were *overall* more likely to die of non-accident-related causes. But mostly you're gonna find studies with a more specific population/question.[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22694948](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22694948) patients on dialysis who have been vaccinated for the flu have better survival rates than unvaccinated patients. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31553471](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31553471) in a 60-year followup study, the TB vaccine is associated with lower lung cancer rates One common claim among anti-vaxxers is that vaccines increase autoimmune risk, but: [https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/69/4/726/5316263](https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/69/4/726/5316263) shows no increase in autoimmune disorder risk among vaccinated people, except for Guillain-Barre syndrome after flu vaccines (which it states: the risk of GBS after vaccination is lower than the risk of GBS after getting the influenza infection). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26564178](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26564178) vaccines are not associated with Type I diabetes I've been meaning to look for some larger/broader studies but these are some that I have on hand for questions about vaccines and overall/general health.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-21T21:49:34

I don�t like shots but doctors are medical professionals and they know best so I trust my doctor and modern medicine

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VACCINES

2020-01-22T11:40:59

Comparing all vaccines to no vaccines is generally bad science. It offers no conclusion about what component is �bad�. Moreover, different vaccines for the same disease have evolved over time. For example, we don�t use the oral polio virus vaccine in Europe or the Western Hemisphere. There is more than one type of flu vaccine, etc. What is the endpoint? Healthier isn�t an endpoint. The vaccine type needs to be narrow and the endpoint needs to be narrow. Chicken pox or HPV would be good choices as they are relatively new and you can look at before and after with a specific endpoint. Don�t forget that antivaxxers don�t understand science or the intricacies of FDA approval and how the endpoints are determined. Double blind placebo tests and years worth of data collection is unethical and bad science. Comparing a cohort of all vaccines to no vaccines to determine who is healthier is also bad science.

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VACCINES

2020-01-22T12:51:31

I found a study that attempts to do what I was looking for, and in many ways, it is a good example of why this type of study is not effective. It tries to compare vaccinated and unvaccinated children in a population of homeschool students. If you're interested in reading about what is wrong with the study a good summary is here: [https://www.snopes.com/news/2017/05/17/vaccine-study-autism/](https://www.snopes.com/news/2017/05/17/vaccine-study-autism/) You can find a link to the original study on that page as well. TLDR; The study data was collected by survey and probably biased because someone who believes their child was damaged by vaccines would probably be more likely to take the survey. Other issues with the paper include the background of the writer, questionable publisher, self-reporting biases, and small sample size.

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AntiVaxxers

2020-01-22T15:17:42

And furries don't yell at your fucking face that vaccines cause autism

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AskDocs

2020-01-22T23:37:20

Oh boy. My friend I�m so sorry for your dad and you too. You�re a loving son coming here to get help. I�m from Seattle and had stomach cancer. I was at the University of Washington. Top of the line. We also have Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Fred Hutchison & Swedish Hospital here that are known for their cancer care & success rates. People come from all over the world to get treatment & support here. We�re kind of known for that. But I�m not sure traveling at stage 4 is possible? UW saved my life several times. I�m living with terminal illness, but I�m lucky. In 2013 I was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (kidney) caused by an autoimmune disease. It is the *only* organ disease that has treatment besides just transplant. Dialysis *and* transplant. I finally had a successful living donor transplant a year ago. I�m a walking miracle. Lol I�m 52 F and my two sons, 28 & 22 were my sole support. I have huge family but for some reason people get really weird when you�re that sick and tend to stay away. I�ve heard that over and over from fellow patients too. People know what to do or say. I am very grateful for the people that showed up to pass the time, hold my hand, cry or comfort me. We documented everything too. I�m grateful to be able to look back on that now. Just because I�m dying, doesn�t change my basic day to day. You have to live until you die. That being said - the best thing you can do for your dad is just be there for him emotionally. He is probably more worried about you. I know I was with my kids. They kept me laughing through the ordeal. That is really the best medicine. I also put my affairs in order while at my sickest, because I had taken a turn for the worse. It was hard to do, but important so I didn�t leave my boys stuck with it. I want to also stress, you need to take care of your self and your needs too. This is very traumatic. Call on your friends, your support circle. Your life and all the responsibilities can be put on hold temporarily, but not for long. Seek out the social worker or patient coordinator to see what kind of support or help they can offer at the place your dad is at. You�re going to have to be your dads advocate. Educating myself about my disease and treatment really helped me cope. So I knew what to expect if it went either way. I�m so sorry you�re having to face this, i dont know what you�re feeling, but I can imagine. Edit: typos

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AskDocs

2020-01-23T01:02:21

I lost both my parents to cancer. I am not into broadcasting options because I'm not a doctor and do not want to give you false hope, but I read this article and I felt the need to share with you. I hope it helps. Otherwise, know that you aren't alone. https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/ergiwm/immune_cell_which_kills_most_cancers_discovered/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

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VACCINES

2020-01-23T05:18:56

I have a high school level understanding of biochemistry and medicine (most people in the anti vax debates do too, tbh) and there's no way I'm going to be switching careers to something in science, but it seems almost like I need to know more about both biology and chemistry in order to debunk someone when they throw around words like blood brain barrier, inflammation, immunological, polysorbate 80, correlation to infertility and inflammation in rats, etc. I know it's pointless to get into an internet debate about such things, but when I see someone on Facebook trying to warn against life saving measures as simple as vitamin K in one-day-old infants because they read a blog post from someone who read a "study" about the ingredients and concluded that there wasn't enough proof that it was safe, I want to scream THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS. THAT'S NOT HOW YOUR BODY WORKS. Then I read the links they give me (not from scientists or even from people who understand the full extent of the words on vaccine inserts), and I'm like "this is BS", but I can't explain why it's BS because I really truly don't know how the body metabolises these chemicals and why none of them are considered harmful in the way they are given. The Karen's of the world don't know either, but I would feel better about myself if I did. I honestly think these people feel really smart just because they've exposed themselves to big words and looked at a science-y chemistry diagram. No question here, I'm just venting my frustrations and wondering why I didn't try to pursue something in science.

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VACCINES

2020-01-23T21:50:40

There is no harm in having 'extra' doses of a vaccine, so it's not a big problem if you can't find your vaccination records. Just go to a GP or clinic, explain your situation and tell them what you do know, and they will recommend a vaccination schedule to get you up to date. As for being vaccinated without your parents knowing, that depends on how old you are and what jurisdiction you live in. If you're over 18, your parents of course won't know about it or be involved. If you're under 18, then in some jurisdictions, you still have a right to be vaccinated without your parents giving consent (and without them being informed) but it depends where you live -- even within the US, it varies from state to state.

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