seven_swans

I’ve been chugging water to no avail. Bleh.

While at work around 2PM I noticed my throat kind of felt dry. The more I focused on it, the more aggravating it became. Now my mouth and throat feel very dry. I can still salivate and such, but it just feels like I’ve been standing with my mouth open in front of an AC. I don’t have any medications I’m taking (I stopped omeprazole last week). Is it “just anxiety”? It’s been lasting for hours at this point.

Hi all, A few times in the past few years (2 times giving blood, 1 time at an urgent care while I was waiting for flu swab results), I had a vasovagal reflex (near-fainting) reaction with the typical "preamble" - vision going white, feeling really hot, hearing going, etc. I'm now currently having issues in large groups, on the plane, etc. because I fear of having another episode in public. I know it's typically associated with giving blood/needles, but the urgent care episode has me really worried. The doctor seemed to think it was related to my feeling hot and probably dehydration (I had eaten two canned soups the night before which are high in sodium, and hadn't had much to drink the next day). I just don't know how to deal with these anxious thoughts that I'm going to pass out and inconvenience/worry everyone/have to hurry out of the room to lie down.

Hi Riles! Mine went so excellently. I was feeling very panicky, almost had a panic attack in the shower this morning. I took a Valium they prescribed, went in, and was still a little nervous. My heart rate was still high. I was chatting with the nurses, they put in the IV, put some versed+fentanyl in it, and also benedryl?, and I was OUT. I vaguely remember him asking me to swallow, but it is only the vaguest of memories. I remember having trouble keeping my arm from falling down off my hip (on my left side), and then I was being wheeled out. It's magic. I know you're going to do great.

Hey Riles! I am also having my first ever upper endoscopy this week (Tuesday) at 31 years old, and I got myself so worried I was crying in the car on the way to the supermarket. I'm happy to be your endoscopy buddy, though. We can be there for each other. It's a routine procedure that is done millions of times per year. My gastroenterologist gave me a prescription for a single Valium to take an hour before the procedure so I'll be calm. I told him I get nervous at things like this. Maybe something similar can be done for you? We got this!

I have an upper endoscopy next week to check for GERD-related things, and my doctor prescribed me a Valium to take beforehand, since I mentioned I would be nervous. I think that's a good idea in theory. I have a bottle of Ativan I carry with me but have only used 1-2 times. They're in the same family. Yet! I am super worried about having an allergic reaction. When I picked up the Rx, the pharmacist asked if I had any allergies to medication. I said penicillin/amoxicillin - when I was a baby apparently I broke out in a rash. She had a super worried look on her face and described in detail what I should do if I had an allergic reaction to Valium. I said I had had Ativan in the past, and she emphasized that it doesn't matter, your body could react in any way. I was already a little anxious about the procedure, but that interaction didn't help at all. I'm kinda worried about taking the Valium now. Especially with my worry about antibiotics reaction (see my earlier post), this has been preoccupying me for a long time this week. Thanks for listening.

I'm really worrying about my cut/zit... I just can't stop thinking about how it's going to get infected. I keep looking in the mirror and it seems to be a little redder further "down" my face, too.. I keep looking up "how to tell if a cut/zit is infected" and it inevitably leads to MRSA talk. (Gross talk ahead) When I took off the bandaid, there was some dried blood and also some yellowish stuff. I'm afraid it's infection...

Very sad. In fact, she lived in Nashville. Maybe I don't know that I'm allergic to a particular antibiotic until it's too late? Etc.

Hi all, Rachel Held Evans died today. She was only 37, and maybe she's not that famous, but I just saw it. Since then, I've been really having a hard time focusing; all of my thoughts are going to the series of events that led to her death: She got the flu (common enough thing) and a UTI (also common enough) and went to the hospital (not as common, but OK) and got antibiotics (very common) and had a severe allergic reaction (rare, but not that rare) and had seizures/brain swelling, ultimately they put her into an induced coma but it didn't help. I'm already nervous about antibiotics (allergic to penicillin as a child, I still say I am today because I don't want to risk it) and the flu, since they're both common. I had a zit that burst and I cleaned it as best I could, but now I'm afraid that it will get infected and I'll need antibiotics, contributing to the above issues that Rachel went through.

Definitely true. I have been worrying about my weight as well; I've dropped ~8 pounds since the end of February, but I've also had a cold and I've been eating healthier and drinking more water. Plus weight fluctuates anyway. I'm trying not to worry about it myself, especially when it's nowhere close to 10% of my body weight. I'm nowhere close to 80 lbs :)

I'm not sure if I'm the only one that gets this, or if it's even a symptom of anxiety: My right ear, usually in the evening, gets really red and feels hot and burning, like if I were blushing or embarrassed. Sometimes it travels a little bit to my temple/the top of my cheek. I'm guessing this could be TMJ too, but it has been concerning me recently so I was hoping it was just Yet Another Anxiety symptom or something benign like TMJ. Apparently online they talk about "Red Ear Syndrome" which is apparently really rare - I wonder how many people get it and then just don't worry!

I've been checked for h. pylori (negative) - I've raised the head of my bed by 6 inches so that I sleep on an incline, I've tried over the counter PPIs, I take Tums when needed as well. I wake up a lot with burning pain :( Trying to cut out anything acidic (coffee, etc.) helped some as well, but not 100%. I basically cannot eat pizza.

I've been suffering on and off for months with a lot of stomach acid / GERD -- this is going on for probably a year and a half if not more. I take antacids and sometimes do 14-day proton pump inhibitors, but it never seems to fully go away. I read something about a 34-year old with stomach cancer (I'm 31) and of course started freaking out. :(

When I got weighed (in full clothes, including jeans and a hoodie), I was 234. I just weighed today (in just a t-shirt and undies) at 224. I'm kinda freaked out still. I know you can lose some water weight by getting better hydration, but I honestly don't know if it could be that much. At what point should I go into the doctor's for a check up?

I am overweight (BMI 29.6, just about obese), have a pretty mixed diet (some fast food, but salads for lunch), mom has a history of high blood pressure.