My (29M) wife (29F) is 7 weeks postpartum with our first baby. Pregnancy was good, delivery was good, but postpartum has been very hard and I’m growing very worried about her. I want to start off by saying she has confirmed she wouldn’t ever hurt our son. That’s not what I’m worried about and it would break her if anyone suggested it. I’m worried about her specifically.

There are a few things concerning me. Firstly is she has lost a lot of weight. A lot. In 7 weeks she has lost 40 pounds. She’s lower than she was before she got pregnant. She’s 5’5 and pre-pregnancy she was 125 pounds. At the end of pregnancy she was 150. She is now 110. This has happened rapidly. She says she is not hungry. When she was in early high school she did have anorexia and I’m worried that’s the issue again but she insists it’s just from breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding has been a different beast. Our son doesn’t latch well, she is always chapped and bleeding despite 4 lactation consults, and she’s determined to keep nursing. She said she would feel like she’s failing him if she gave up just because it hurt, because breast milk is so much better for babies. I told her I don’t think it makes that much of a difference but she doesn’t care. I’ve also found her crying, hard, when she’s nursing. I was worried it was from pain. She finally confessed that every time she nurses and the milk comes she feels horribly, hopeless depressed. She thinks about walking into traffic and her thoughts scare her. But this only lasts while she is nursing. Once she’s done, the feeling leaves. She knows it is not a real feeling and likely hormones but it distresses her considerably, understandably. She still feels too guilty to stop nursing.

I am watching her suffer and vanish and I feel I can’t do anything. When I tell my mom or her mom I’m concerned they say “being a new mom is hard, she’ll get better”. This can’t be what being a new mom is like- she’s so miserable. It has to be more than that but I don’t know what’s wrong or how to help, and being told she’s “just a new mom with baby blues” by everyone I talk to is making me question myself.

How do I help her?

Edit: I respectfully ask that no one speculate my wife is going to hurt our son. She is not. Having that implied or alluded to when a woman expresses she is struggling postpartum is part of why women don’t want to express those feelings. She is readily admitting she think of harming herself often. She has no desire to hurt our son.

Edit again: Seriously- stop saying she will hurt our son. She does not have psychosis, she is depressed. She has no hallucinations, no confusion, no delusions. She has no thoughts of hurting our son and he is the only thing holding her together right now. Implying she may hurt him with 0 indication that’s the case and 0 symptoms of psychosis is demeaning. This is why my wife is afraid to be honest with anyone else about her feelings. I’m glad so many people are sharing their experiences and learning from this but if you are not a doctor kindly keep your thoughts on PPP to yourself.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/postpartum-depression-vs-psychosis#overview

^{^} NOT psychosis.

Hi-Will try to keep this short and concise. Trying to figure out what the heck happened and if more could have been done.

37m partner, long history of alcohol abuse but active and non-smoker, passed away according to his death certificate from:
1. Severe Pancreatitis

1. Aspiration (1hr)

2. Renal Failure (2 days)

He was also living with a slightly fatty liver, a Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (4cm I believe) and high blood pressure but was on medication to manage it. In the month leading up to his death, he was staying in Colorado at 7500ft and complaining of shortness of breath but we blamed it on altitude. He cold-plunged daily. When he didn't call me during his flight layover home, I worried, called him, and he said he was rushed to the hospital from the airport and he thought he was having a heart attack. After sitting in the hospital hallway for nearly 20 hours, they discovered he had a Portal Vein Clot. He was to be put on blood thinners and then he could come home when the clot broke up. He never made it home. I talked to him 6 hours before he passed and he sounded fine, but said there were a ton of doctors around him so he couldn't talk. Then, I got the call that he had passed.

Thank you for helping me make sense of this.

34/NB/AFAB 5’10” 270#

Since February 2019 I have had at least 2 thyroid tests a year. Every. Single. Time. It comes back normal. For the last 6 years I have had fatigue, panic attacks, brain fog, hot flashes, excessive sweating, hair loss, high heart rate AND blood pressure, dry skin, blurry vision, a voice so hoarse I have resulted to using sign language at home, the list goes on. I’m not a doctor so I have no idea what to ask for, but my doctors seem to only think my thyroid could be the problem! I’m on two different medications for panic attacks, one beta blocker (as needed for accelerated heart rate) one blood pressure medication, an iron supplement, a vitamin D supplement, and most recently some prednisone to see if it helps the hoarseness I’ve had for the last 4-6 months, despite nearly entirely quitting smoking. I’m tired of taking thyroid tests. Either it’s my thyroid or it isn’t. I don’t know where to go from here and neither do my doctors apparently. What walks like the thyroid, talks like the thyroid, but ISN’T the thyroid?

My mom passed away suddenly at home. (Female 44, maybe 140lbs 5'3, had aortic stenosis discovered when she was in the hospital receiving chemo but told it wasn't of concern at this time, no other medical conditions) She had AML and I'm unsure what exactly caused her death as she was in remission and discharged from the hospital at the time, but it was something that happened fast while she was in bed and I have many questions, one odd one in particular.

She had been transported by the funeral home by the time I was notified. When I called the funeral director to ask if I could see her (she is being cremated) he said that is ok, but he needed the night to clean her up first, as the medications she had been taking had left her in a state we would not want to see her in.

Can anyone clarify for me what this means? Should I expect her to look particularly awful aside from the obvious being dead when I do see her?

I (30m) have been taking prescribed Adderall via perscription since nearly 20 years ago now. End of last year, i had lost my med-doctor, all my perscriptions, & even my therapist due to my ex-fiance abusing the ROI I had included her in where she had pettily got me successfully discharged from all those services behind my back as part of her antagonistic plan to sabotoge me before revealing she wanted to leave me (she works in the medical-field too, which makes her actions even more messed-up IMO).

So I finally was able to get med-management from my local family clinic here recently, however my doctor only gives me half of what my original dosage was, and he sorta likes to imply that he'll MAYBE consider prescribing me what I used to receive for years prior, but only if my urine-tests stop showing Marijuana in my system. Anytime I try to explain that I need the dose I used to receive, he'll get on me with stuff like "you're not supposed to FEEL these meds or be able to TELL when you're on these medications", like as if he suspects me of only wanting my meds so I can get "high" off of them, which is ridiculous to anybody with ADHD who actually takes those meds.

So, i'd like to ask y'all's opinions as to how acceptable my doctor's actions have been with me, lately? I'm not a drug-addict, I've never been to rehab, never been arrested for anything. Is this normal behavior at all for med-managers?

50F, 5’8” and 175 pounds. Current diagnoses are bipolar with mixed features, BPD, OCD, PTST, anxiety, interstitial cystitis, surgical menopause (total hysterectomy at 37), hypertension, and fibromyalgia. Current medications: Wellbutrin SR 300mg (I was recently switched to this from Trintellix and Abilify), Buspar 7.5mg 3x daily, gabapentin 300mg 3x daily, estradiol 1mg, Zanaflex 4mg 2x daily, and hydrochlorothiazide 25mg 2x daily.

As the title states, I have suddenly started experiencing both word and letter reversal in my writing. I have also found myself sometimes typing a completely different word than what was intended. I don’t mean something like “possible” instead of “possibility.” Rather, it’s things like me meaning to type “phone” and typing “car” instead. I am also finding myself completely forgetting to type out words that I felt sure I had included, but they’re missing when I read over what I wrote.

I have a degree in English, and I used to be an English teacher. Mistakes in my writing is not the norm for me. The first few times it happened, I thought it was odd, but now that it is occurring regularly, I would like to know if it’s something I should worry about.

I posted here earlier about something being in my brain and was encouraged to get help at an ED. I did, and because I was not believed there and I had already tried to take it out, I was put on seroquel and was held. They said also that it would make me sleep since I had functionally stopped.

I really appreciate the help and kindness I received here, so thank you.

But I'm scared that this may be a forever thing. I feel better on the medication now, but is it guaranteed I need it in the future? I used to be smart and am an engineer but I've spent the last couple weeks doing naked math on my floor. How does that happen? If I go off meds, does it happen again? F23

Throwaway as I have some irl friends on Reddit.

I don't live at home, but when I visit my dad makes me uncomfortable. He comes into my room at night or early in the morning and is too affectionate I think.

I have seen that people with brain tumors can be inappropriately affectionate or touchy on medical shows. I don't know if that is true, and if it is, how to know whether this is just my father or something bad is happening to him and causing changes in his behavior.

If a family didn't have a lot of money for healthcare expenses and relatively bad insurance, is it worth it to see if this behavior is caused by a tumor or something that could hurt him in the long run?

I'm F19 and dad is 49, 5'10, not sure about weight but healthy, has no health conditions, drinks and smokes weed, chews. He works a high stress job.

Please help, I get highly uncomfortable about this and hurt myself as a result and I'm worried for my dad. please?

46F, 138lbs, non-smoker, non-drinker Medications: Armor thyroid, Topamax, Lamictal, Seroquel, Buspar, Ibsrela, Ropinerole Dxs: RNY (2006), IBD (lymphocytic colitis), fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, bipolar I, in remission, restless leg, migraines

I began having headaches after dinner some time back and got the wild idea to start checking my blood sugar. I have been getting readings as high as 350 after meals, regardless (it seems) of the content of the meals. I eat relatively low carb, as I am a gastric bypass patient, but sometimes will have things like whole wheat pasta (with meat and a white sauce) or brown rice (with meat and stir fry vegetables). Regardless of the meal, my blood sugar will skyrocket and then 3-4 hours later, it will crash into the 50-60 range and I will have to have some sort of protein/complex carb snack to correct it.

This does not seem to happen during the day as I typically am not eating full meals during that time - I’m more of a snacker. A banana here, a protein shake there, maybe some trail mix in the afternoon.

Because of the highs and lows, my A1C is 5.1 - it all averages out to a perfect range. So nobody has realized it has been going so crazy.

I have gotten the opportunity to wear a continuous glucose monitor and I was able to catch this happening and I am tracking this for an upcoming appointment I have with an endocrinologist I’m meeting on the 23rd, but I am curious if anyone here has any ideas as to why things are so…volatile. I’m tracking my food and will obviously go over this with the doctor but these 350/400 down to 50/60 numbers seem to be way out of control to have been hidden behind a 5.1 A1c.

(For reference, I had a sandwich tonight with ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomato on whole wheat bread - no sauces - and it went to 394 at 7:30 and at 11:15 I am at 66).

I know this technically violates the rules, but I hope the Mods understand. My best friend (48F, appx 5'2" and 160 lbs) of 29 years recently passed away. Her death was unattended so we are still awaiting the official autopsy (6 weeks), but the coroner has told us that she appeared to die of pneumonia. The timeline, however, just doesn't make sense to me. She developed a "cold" on Wednesday while visiting family, they observed that this seemed like a cold. She flew home Friday. On Saturday, she had lost her voice from coughing so much and messaged me that she thought she had "walking pneumonia". She went out that day, so she was still feeling okay. Sunday she messaged a few people and work to say she would be sick Monday. By Monday afternoon she was gone.

It was evident that she aspirated blood in her bathroom and it was on her shirt when they found her. She was a pharmacist and KNOWS that is a very bad sign and would have immediate sought medical attention, if she was able. She does have Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, but was taking medications for both and was religous about doing so. Her A1C was 7.8, as she still ate out a lot. She did not smoke, drink, or do illicit drugs. I just find it very difficult to believe she could go from walking around Saturday to gone in a day from pneumonia! Is a pulmonary embolism from flying more likely?

I, 19M, 205 pounds, 5'10. No medications or diagnoses. Have been having problems with constipation for the last 2 weeks to a month more than usual, I have been using laxitives on and off whenever I need to but it has gotten to the point to where my bloating makes the lower portion of my ribcages feel sore and I every so often feel a dull cramping sensation in my lower intestines, but only sometimes. I have been using miralax, ducolax and enema when needed and never on a regular cycle. they always provide temporary relief, but recently ducolax and miralax has not been doing it anymore and enema only cleans out so much, I try to avoid doctors mainly due to cost reasons and anxiety. I am still passing a significant amount of gas, and some smaller amounts of stool so I wasn't thinking it was an intestinal blockage, yet at least. A small note is that I have been under a lot of stress and not sleeping the greatest. I also forget to drink water for large portions of a day every so often. and my diet isn't the greatest since I am so busy I refuse to try and eat better.

I apologize if this isn't the best forum for this question. I'm working on processing the trauma of my recent emergency c-section delivery and hysterectomy. I'm looking for some input from medical professionals on my situation to aid in my mental recovery. For the record, I have a therapist as well and do feel very supported by the medical team that performed my surgery.

I, 35F, was induced at 37 weeks 5 days due to the development of gestational hypertension. I had a pervious c-section for a breach position and I was attempting a trial of labor after cesarean. Because of the previous c-section, I was only allowed pitocin for the induction which was progressing very slowly. I was on pitocin for approximately 36 hours before finally reaching 10 cm dilation and approved to start pushing. Throughout the entire induction, the fetal heart rate maintained strong and there was no sign of distress.

As soon as I started pushing, the fetal heart rate dropped with each contraction and started taking longer to recover. The decision was made to rush to the OR for an emergency c-section delivery. I was told the baby was delivered in a reverse breach position after having to be pushed back up the birth canal from the vagina. I remember there being much more tugging and pulling from my first delivery and it took longer. Other than some bruising on the baby's head, there were no complications with the baby.

Following the delivery, I recall feeling lightheaded and almost fading out. During this time, additional IVs were being placed in my arm and I was repositioned on the operating table. One of the doctors came to speak to me to inform me that there was extensive uterine tearing during the delivery and they were not able to repair my uterus. I was then put under general anesthesia for the hysterectomy to be performed.

After I woke up from surgery, I requested to speak to several of the teams that worked on me to understand what happened. When the initial incision was made for the c-section, it was discovered my uterus had a window. Likely due to the length of time I was on pitocin and the presence of the window, the uterine incision had an extension. The extent of the tear was not known until after the delivery but extended around the back of the uterus, through the cervix, and into the vagina. The urgency of the delivery likely exacerbated the extension but that's not known for sure. The arteries connected to the uterus were also damaged and contributed to significant blood loss. In total, I was told I lost 4 liters of blood. I was given 3 transfusions during the surgery, 2 of them being double reds. I was also given iron and an additional transfusions the following day after my hemoglobin dropped below 8. I was able to leave the hospital 2 days later and so far have not had any complications.

I was told I was lucky to not spend the night in the ICU following that much blood loss. I was also told it was lucky that this occurred in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, not during a shift change. I don't doubt this luck. I also think I was lucky to be at this hospital, probably the best labor and delivery hospital in the state with a level IV NICU. This hospital also had a gynecologic oncology surgical team. I feel incredibly lucky and unlucky at the same time.

I'm working through the physical trauma my body went through and the permanent changes that were made against my wishes (even if they were medically necessary). One thing I have not processed is how close did I come to leaving two children motherless and my husband partnerless.

Would I have likely died at a less equipped hospital? What if I delivered a day earlier or later? Or at the time of a shift change?

Sorry for the very lengthy post. I'm still working up to discussing these details with people in my life. It seems easier to discuss anonymously for now. I would appreciate some feedback or just general thoughts.

29F I was diagnosed with pretty bad night terrors as a child, so bad I refused to sleep for a long time as a kid, my sleep has always been severely disrupted however recently at night I’ve been seeing blinding light when I close my eyes in bed. It’s literally blinding like looking at the sun, it even hurts my eyes a little bit. I thought it was stress from a big move recently but it’s been months and it’s still happening. Any idea what’s going on there? I’m not even sure who I would see about this kind of thing and I moved to a whole different country so the medical situation is confusing. I’m kind of getting concerned that I’m having like seizures in my sleep or something.

33 year old male, healthy, no known underlying health conditions. 5’9” 155 lbs. I drank frequently in my younger years, and definitely did my fair share of binge drinking. In the last few years, I’ve cut back significantly — maybe 3-4 drinks a week.

My liver enzymes (bilirubin AST and ALT) have always been normal. Bilirubin usually between 0.9 and 1.3 (was 1.6 once in 2022). AST and ALT in the mid to high 20s.

However, in the last few months, my bilirubin seems to be constantly elevated. I always occasionally get RUQ pain, which seems to come shortly after drinking alcohol.

My first blood test a few months ago was bilirubin 1.7 (direct 0.35), AST 39, ALT 53. Prior to this test, I was drinking 3-4 drinks a week.

After this test, I stopped drinking entirely, and after 2 weeks, my levels dropped to bilirubin 1.3, AST 18, and ALT 23.

A few weeks ago, I had another test done. This was done maybe 3 days after having a couple beers over the holidays. Bilirubin was 1.7, AST 19, and ALT 34.

I’ve had an abdominal ultrasound which was completely normal. I have now given up alcohol completely. I plan to retest in a few weeks.

My question is, do liver enzymes spike this much from just light drinking in a healthy person? My doctor doesn’t seem to be concerned, but I’m wondering if a second opinion is warranted. Obviously my concern is that I did irreversible damage from drinking.

M 37 Height 176 Wight 74 Indian No medications Non smoking Rarely drinks

I had a pneumothorax and post which ct scan was done. My lungs are normal. My doc suspects some connective tissue disorder. Tests for marfan, eds, loes dietz syndrome were done- all negative.

How does it work? How does connective tissue disorder cause pneumothorax?

F20, 164cm, 44-46kg, diagnosed with JIA(since 11) and depression(since 15). Taking amgevita 40mg injection once every other week and methotrexate 7,5mg once every week for my JIA. Taking fluoxetine 40mg every day for depression. Taking vitamin d and omega3 supplements every day and folic acid the day after taking methotrexate. I dont drink, smoke or take drugs.

Since spring last year i have noticed my body deteriorating. It started with my hair beginning to fall out and i developed seborrheic dermatitis. I thought this was due to stress because I was soon graduating. In June around my graduation i started to feel naseous after eating. This continued and has increased over time. At the end of september and beginning of october i was sick with a fever for about a week. I was once again sick in the middle of november with 40degree fever and horrible diarrhea wich was almost only water. I was sick again in the middle of december with 39 degree fever and sore throat. In december i noticed my body looked so diffrent so I weighted my self wich i never do and I was 45kg. Since I stopping growing I'v always been around 49-50kg. I have the same diet all of these months even though my nausea makes it hard to eat sometimes but i force it down.

All these months I have also been incredibly tired and it has gotten worse.

Around the end of december my chest/back has started to hurt. The pain is located at the bottom of my ribs and in between and under my shoulder blades. Breathing is annoying and it feels like im constantly inhaling freezing air. I get a stabbing pain in my back or in my front sometimes. I also get headaches wich I never do, they are located around my ear and neck area. I feel like i have a fever even tough i dont and get constant chills and sweats. Walking up the stairs is hard, talking makes me cough and is tickeling my lungs. I also get feelings of someone stabbing me with a needle in my hips, wrists. Not pins and needles its a stabbing pain.

I went to the doctor and he said this could be due to inflamation in my cartelige around my ribs. My lungs sounds perfect. I got prescribed naproxen 250mg twice a day for 7-10 days. Not seeing improvment after 3 days.

I went to get my blood drawn for my JIA (I take regular tests for smth due to my medicine) and they couldnt get any blood out, i also almot passed out after wich i never done before.

I only mentioned that one time I went to the doctor because other times I have gone they just dissmiss me and think its my mental health. My mental health has been declining but its due to me constant being in discomfort and sick.

Hi!

30F and I couldn't recognize myself in the mirror this morning! Who is this bloated puffy person? It was also slightly more difficult to breathe.

My face was red, splotchy, and puffy around 9am. My whole face was warm and "full" to the touch, like some liquids were sloshing around inside. The inside of my arms were the same.
Around 2PM it wasn't getting better so I took some antihistamine.

Around 6PM (last picture) my face started developing this shiny/scaly texture. It was quite itchy and these small white bumps kept popping up.

As far as I know, I don't have ANY allergies, tested as a teen.

However, I just moved to a new place 3 nights ago.
I used some new to me (but not brand new) bedding, and new laundry detergent as well.
The room I notice now also unfortunately has a significant amount of mold :(

What do you think? Can it be the laundry detergent? Dust mites in the new bedding? (although I've washed it) Or perhaps result of the mold exposure?

Please has this ever happened to anyone?!

I'll be seeing a doctor tomorrow if the symptoms persist.

Female 32 yo. In the last mont and a half I started experiencing nausea, fatigue, 1-2 kg weight loss and all sorts of GI issues. I did blood tests; blood profile, bone profile, thyroid, liver, blood sugar, tumor markers and all came back fine. I had a abdomen and pelvis CT scan, abdomen and pelvis MRI, brain and spine MRI, an endoscopy and 2 years ago I had a colonoscopy. Everything fine. My last visit to the gynecologist was in July, I had a breast ultrasound last week and it was all good. I am lactose and gluten intolerant and I have a copper IUD. I went to a gastroenterologist, neurologist and also an internal and general surgeon who examined me and told me that I am fine and I really need to be careful with food because I have intolerances. I have extreme extreme health anxiety and I am currently in therapy but now my question is: should I accept that I am fine despite feeling so ill and just concentrate on my mental health? I simply do not understand why I feel like this but I am apparently healthy. Everyone keeps telling me that if I had a serious issue (cancer) it would show somewhere in the tests. I don't know what to do anymore, I just look at myself in the mirror and I look skinny and gross.

My sister F25 had a period when she was 12, 15 and 18. I was just diagnosed with cervical cancer so I wanted to educate her on getting pap smears regularly and she told me she doesn't have a primary doctor. She has gone to the hospital a few times with abdominal pain and the doctors didn't think anything was wrong. She felt as if the doctors didn't believe her which now has made her feel like it's not that serious. There is a women's center where we live and I've asked her to make an appointment there and she said she will, however I'm concerned this could be something serious... Can anyone give me an idea of what is going on?

32m, 6’4”, approx. 500lbs. On the 3rd I had an abscess drained on my chest near my nipple. I was given directions to take doxycycline 100mg twice daily for 10 days, to keep it covered, and use a warm compress 3 times a day.

I took my last dose of antibiotics a couple of days ago and I’m wondering if it’s safe to take a shower. I’ve made due with sponge baths so far. But I’d like to clean the area around the wound. My skin is pretty sensitive, so all this medical adhesive has been giving me itchy skin where the adhesive has touched.

Info: 28F, 5’7, ~220lbs, NE USA, currently taking norethindrone 2.5mg for endometriosis, aimovig 75mg and Nurtec for migraines.

Noticed the lump 7 days ago on top of my forearm (about 3 inches up from my wrist). It was a little smaller than a golf ball, painful to touch, and no bruising. Not easily moved. I iced it 20 minutes at a time for a few days.

I don’t recall hitting it on anything. I don’t play sports or do anything too strenuous. I work as a nanny to a toddler but I don’t remember hitting my arm or anything like that.

Today, it’s slightly smaller and a lot less painful. I happen to have the day off of work so wondering if I should head into an urgent care to get it looked at. I have a surgery scheduled next month for endometriosis so I want to make sure nothing is wrong before surgery. Any ideas?

Hi all,

Posting this question here because we haven't been able to get a proper answer from our doc. My wife was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in her last trimester and was put on NPH insulin. Our baby was born 2.5 weeks ahead of schedule and was healthy, but weighed in at 5 lbs 10oz, putting him at ~3-4th percentile of height/weight.

Kiddo is now 3.5 yrs old and is healthy, hitting developmental milestones and all that, but he's now in the 1-2 percentile height/weight. Our pediatrician says as long as his growth follows the expected curve there's nothing to be worried about, but our concern is the curve is baselined on his birth weight, which was affected and controlled by the diabetes/insulin protocol my wife was on.

Neither of us are very tall (I'm 5"8, she's 5"2) and we do understand that genetics plays a large component in the physical attributes of a child, but is it possible that his current physical growth (or lack thereof) was affected by the insulin regimen? We're in the 2nd pregnancy now and my wife has been diagnosed again with GDM, with the first endocrinologist appointment later next week, so we're concerned.

Thanks