Thanks for the advice Gio! I guess it's a combo of biting the flesh (going to get a guard) and just very dry lips from not drinking enough water. I started ordering only water when I go out to eat and the dryness inside my mouth and on my lips has really improved. My phlegm is still an annoying problem at the moment. I'm going to give nasal irrigation a try. The neti pot solution looks rather odd, but nothing ventured nothing gained right?

What would you recommend for acid reflux? I've had it pretty bad in the mornings and the meds don't agree with me. Especially after eating any kind of BBQ which is my latest obsession.

Once again I appreciate it

Last edited by chrisb (08-16-2011 08:37:27 PM)

I don't know if this is a nurse related question. I have no idea what territory this falls into. However, I'm overbooked, poor, and OH GOD WHYYY
It took me months to book a goddamn ENT and I had to cancel.


So like, I have really fucked up ears. I apparently went temporarily deaf as a kid, and noone can explain exactly what happened, but I had surgery and got betterish. (It was in the early 90's, and I know that alot of ear things have been discovered since.) I can hear my blood moving 24/7 (It took YEARS of confusion to figure that out.), often a horrible ringing noise, and sometimes, I hear myself... blink? (I need an MRI, it just... isn't feasible right now.) I have trouble understanding things people say, and on top of all the extra noise, I'm so confused. Also, if there's a noise, everyone turns one direction, and I usually look the other.  Right now, I know my mom is talking elsewhere, but I just kinda hear a monotone buzz and know its her. Real point being, they're insane.

Unfortunately, I am too. I'm also not sure what, and haven't been making a good effort on this, because, noone's really at danger. Also, my family is kinda really against it, and, again, no money or time right now. I'm apparently one of several things that starts with schi-, and didn't go far enough to figure out of its like, SPD or if I'm just batshit, I have no idea wtf the difference is really. (On the plus side, they removed the whole AS thing with me and decided it was a horrible mistake YAY.) Though really, that isn't important, just backstory.


Now... How do I know if I'm like, tripping the hell out, and having auditory hallucinations, or if my ears are just insane and making noises? Sometimes I SWEAR I heard a loud crashing or metal noise, but I have this feeling that, I don't think I really heard that. Like, you can't FEEL the noise, and noone else notices. Sometimes I THINK I hear someone in the next room talking, and its noone, but I don't know if I'm imagining it, or if its just a distortion and I think its talking. Is there a way to tell the difference? IS there a difference? I have no idea, but its really driving me crazy.

Okay so, random question. My fingernails are turning kid of purpleish. Is that bad, should I go see my doc about this

I'm pretty sure it's just the nail beds, it isn't constantly purple, it goes away and then comes back throughout the day, it actually looks more bluish the longer it's like that. It's all my fingernails and toenails, but my toenails aren't as bad as my fingernails

Yes. It is cold where I am right now, I'm in Canada so it's about time for winter to start. I do seem to get cold pretty easily lately now that you mention it

allegoriest wrote:

So like, I have really fucked up ears. I apparently went temporarily deaf as a kid, and noone can explain exactly what happened, but I had surgery and got betterish. (It was in the early 90's, and I know that alot of ear things have been discovered since.) I can hear my blood moving 24/7 (It took YEARS of confusion to figure that out.), often a horrible ringing noise, and sometimes, I hear myself... blink? (I need an MRI, it just... isn't feasible right now.) I have trouble understanding things people say, and on top of all the extra noise, I'm so confused. Also, if there's a noise, everyone turns one direction, and I usually look the other.  Right now, I know my mom is talking elsewhere, but I just kinda hear a monotone buzz and know its her. Real point being, they're insane.

I have issues with my hearing as well. I consistently and regularly test obscenely high for reflexes and higher pitched noises, to the point where I'm hearing notes that are slightly higher than what the conventional scientific wisdom says I should be hearing. I flinch when there are loud noises because it physically hurts, and when there's a loud, unexpected high pitched noise I freeze and shut down. If it goes on for any length of time I basically loose those seconds of my life; I can't remember the time that passed, only that it did pass. Apparently it's rather creepy and upsetting for other people to watch, particularly if they're my family and are really concerned about me and don't get teh ass burger's as well. My mother and my sister in law understand what and why and they still get upset. Others, like my father and brother, don't understand and get extremely upset because they don't know what's going on and feel, deep down, that it's something I should be able to control.

There have been times where I've had to listen to my own pulse. When I was a kid I used to hear the electricity hissing in the sockets at night. Drove me fucking bonkers. I'd have to get up and turn off every damn switch in the room except for my alarm clock. My alarm clock was/is agony; I don't care what people tell me, that they're designed to be quiet and all that, because they're not. They hiss, they hum, there's the vibration of them across the surface of whatever they're sitting on, and worst of all, they have to be close to your head. It's torture.

I sometimes have a lot of trouble with my balance, although it's possible that has more to do with the whole lack of co-ordination I have, particularly down my left side.

I also have tinitus. Constantly. Forever. It's permanent. I used to get it on and off when I was a kid, but when I was seventeen it came to visit and never left. (It seems to be a genetic thing; my father's started when he was thirteen.) When I'm off my medication, I can hear five to six different notes; there's the circada whine, which is at least smooth and constant. I also hear bells, whistles, sirens and occasionally engines. If I stop taking my meds for longer than three days the noise becomes overwhelming; I can't hear what people are saying to me because the noise in my ears is so loud. I start losing my grip on the world. I can't sleep. I can be standing one metre away from a reving truck engine and still having the ringing louder than the engine. At this point my balance starts to go, and I'll startle innocent passers-by by screaming randomly at thin air. I tend to sway and fall over a lot.

Sometimes I can't hear what people are saying to me if there is background noise. Some days are worse than others.

I used to hear my pulse, but not very often these days.


My point to all of this? I am no doctor, but what you're describing sounds like genuine problems with your hearing; NOT your sanity. You symptoms match a lot of industrial deafness symptoms that older gentlemen from various places that I've worked have described. The fact that you've already had one operation on your hearing is a good sign that you might have further issues that were missed at the time, or even that the operation itself caused damage. The fact you're hearing your own pulse all the time (even I've only done that one infrequently) is a pretty good sign of that, IMHO.

If you tried to arrange the MRI by yourself or even with your GP, then perhaps that's not the way you need to go about it. I know that the amerikan health system is fucked up and weird, but you really need to scare up the money to go see an auiditory specialist. They'll be a hell of a lot more use to you than a shrink. And if you're having this much problems and are in this much distress, you need to jump up and down and scream that this is a problem witho your HEARING. Not with your brain. There are four things you should never, ever fuck with: your eyes, your knees, your back and your hearing. If nothing else you NEED to know if your condition is degenerative, and if anything can be done to stop it. You family needs to fucking understand that sticking their fingers in their ears and screaming, 'LA LA LA!' will NOT help you if it does turn out to be degenerative. Because by the time it's obvious that it is, then you'll be fucking deaf and permanently screwed and they'll say, 'oh...um, sorry?' and go merrily on their way.

Mine certainly did, on several different things. And now guess what? I'm turning thirty next year, and I'm still trying to straighten out various health problems left over from their brainless denial of REALITY.

More likely than not, yes. Muscle injuries like that rarely get treated any other way. THAT said, if there are two things no one should fuck with, it's shoulders and knees. I would say try as best as you can to rest it a little for another week. Also, get a bottle of ibuprofen, the cheap store stuff is fine, and take large doses, 400-600mg, every six hours or so. The bottle will say 200, as that's the dose for use as a painkiller, but you also want the anti-inflammatory benefits, which take more. Try to eat it with food, as that's a big dose and it might upset your stomach otherwise. If there's no change or it worsens in the next seven days, definitely do something about it. And go through worker's comp--this is almost definitely a work-related injury.

Do you have a history of night terrors? That was my first thought.

Otherwise, you might have gotten a viral infection or somesuch and managed to fight it off. Sometimes the body puts up such a fight doing that that while you don't ultimately get sick, for that one day your body doesn't know what the fuck.

Keep in mind also that if you put frequent and excessive strain on your body, yea it'll take it, but the effect is cumulative. Eventually it's going to start creeping up on you.

Giovanna wrote:

Do you have a history of night terrors? That was my first thought.

Otherwise, you might have gotten a viral infection or somesuch and managed to fight it off. Sometimes the body puts up such a fight doing that that while you don't ultimately get sick, for that one day your body doesn't know what the fuck.

Keep in mind also that if you put frequent and excessive strain on your body, yea it'll take it, but the effect is cumulative. Eventually it's going to start creeping up on you.

I believe that many forms of clinical depression, like Seasonal Affective Disorder, can also cause unexplained body aches and pains.  Just like when stress takes its toll on your body instead of your mind, its all a sign that something is wrong.   If you've been feeling extremely fatigued, had problems getting to sleep or waking up, weight loss or gain from sudden changes in eating habits, intense, noticeable cravings for carbohydrates and in general feelings of apathy or legarthy you may want to look into SAD. which is when depression episodes occur during certain times of the year, mostly during the winter and fall when there is less sunlight.  Medication and talk therapy help wonders, and even just making sure your getting enough sunlight can improve your mood and body.

icarus wrote:

Correct me if wrong, but doesn't vitamin D (from lack of skin exposure to sun) have something to do with SAD?

Love that acronym.

Close,  but it is melatonin you are thinking of.  Sun exposure affects secretion of melatonin in the brain, which while also being a powerful antioxidant (perhaps why you confused it with Vitamin D, which is also aided by sun exposure) regulates the body's circadian rhythm and is released by the pineal gland (in darkness) to cause sleepiness and lower your body temperature.  Messing with one's circadian rhythm is a really good way to cause a host of problems in the body.  I would go into more detail, but honestly a lot of aspects of SAD and how serotonin and other chemicals in the brain create or work with it is still being studied. 

Keep in mind that because of this, most people feel sleepy or tired during the winter.  SAD is marked in that this legarthy is emotional as well, lasts for long periods of time, and is severe enough to affect your eating and hygiene habits.  It is a specifier of major recurrent depression, and that is a title not to be taken lightly.  There is also delayed sleep cycle syndrome, which may be confused for it. 

For example,  I'm obsessively clean and organized, but when in a depressive state, will go over a week without showering, days without brushing my teeth (and when I do, it's just squirting toothpaste in my mouth and swishing it around), and stop cleaning up.  I will stay in bed all day and night, even if awake because I am too tired to get up and will only leave bed to use the bathroom or take a quick drink of something, and when hungry enough to finally feel like getting up and eating, will binge.  I'll make up excuses to not go to work or school, show up half and hour late when I do decide to go, and even a full 9-hour night's rest doesn't help.  It's a completely different me than who I am when not in a depressed mood.  In the spring and summer I am active (overtime ALL OF THE WEEKS), clean, organized, a dedicated student and according to many people I know quite charming and helpful when it comes to giving advice on, well, happiness. 

You always need to, if possible see a psychiatrist and get a clinical diagnosis for any suspected mental disorder, because knowledge of having one changes your self-outlook and your perspective on life in both positive and negative ways, and gives you better opportunities for successful treatment.  If you are curious is you have one yourself, always look to the four D's of a mental disorder diagnosis, which you need all four of to categorize something as a disorder.  Here is a short description of each, with my own case used as examples:

Distress:  A disorder distresses the individual in some way -often anxiety, fear, or a personal dissatisfaction with oneself or ones behavior.  Even with antisocial personality disorder, distress is present (impaired ability to feel arousal kinda sucks, and so does the prospect of legal punishment).

FE:  I hate SAD.  It makes me hate myself and my life, upsets progress I make with school, friends and work, makes my body ache and in general makes my whole life harder to live and enjoy.

Deviance:  A disorder involves thoughts or behavior unacceptable or differing from a social or cultural norm. 

FE: SAD has me sleeping during the day and awake for short periods of night, when the rest of society is awake during the day. Most people are happy and sociable and take care of themselves properly and can handle many problems and stress in positive ways.  When in a depressed mood, I can do none of these things.

Dysfunction:  A disorder impairs your life or ability to function in some significant way.   

FE:  My moods and fatigue affect my performance at work and attendance rate, personal hygiene and social life.  I get written up at work and lose money, leave my apartment unclean to the point that it smells and my body so unclean I break out in acne and gain cavities and I neglect friends and family, ignoring their calls, to the point that people in my life notice and either come over to get me or stop associating with me.

Danger:  The disorder puts yourself or others in danger of harm.

FE:  Suicidal thoughts and a suicide attempt put my life at risk when I was younger, which is how I ended up getting diagnosed.  Self-harm is something I risk doing when on the upswing from a down mood (more energy to act on thoughts and feel anger, frustration and sadness as opposed to nothing at all).  Not taking proper care of myself in eating and hygiene put me at greater risk for chronic illness and catching colds, flus and the like.

Last edited by OnlyInThisLight (12-28-2011 01:01:04 AM)

So, you guys think it's happening due to depression or stress? Stress I can see, but, I don't think I even know what depression feels like. I'm pretty happy most of the time, and if I do have an off day, it's just an off day. Or am I misinterpreting you guys' diagnosis?

Oooooh. Gotcha! I was just like 'whoa; so much stuff to consider... o.o'.

Sunlight does do wonders, absolutely, but the problem with SAD and other mood disorders is that its symptoms often cause you deny yourself treatment, either by making you feel helpless or unworthy or doubting your need for it, or simply by feeling too tired to get up and go for a walk.   I've been leaving my curtains open all month to help me get as much sunlight as I can, but there just isn't a lot of light here in MO at this time.  Springfield is a gray, cold city, and my neighborhood is not the kind of place to go walking around in by yourself. 

Lexapro may very well be a placebo for me, I feel like I'm doing something when I take it, and it doesn't require much energy to do.  I try to use it as my ladder when I find myself into deep, not my cure.  I still have to make the climb and continue to take care of myself.  I just know how I am when I have it, and how I am when I don't, and I would really much rather have some on hand.  I recommend therapy or counseling to anyone with any kind of life or mood problems, but when I say that I mean I recommend they go and speak to a knowledgeable person for some advice or just to vent, not to get a diagnosis and be psychoanalyzed. 

Drugs should be a last or near last resort, but they aren't and I can't imagine them ever becoming so until other means are made more available to people.   Its easier to take a prescribed medicine than it is to schedule a day out of every week to talk to a therapist, or to even do seemingly simple things like getting more sunlight when your job requires you to be awake at night.  Environmental factors are a lot harder to alter than most cognitive or biological factors when it comes to mood disorders, especially for people on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum. 

And it is difficult to find a good, dedicated psychiatrist.  I fear its because in this economy most students are going into psychology for the money and job stability rather than any personal interest in helping people.  All I hear in my classes are people discussing how much they desire to make, plans for doing so, etc, and not what they want to do or why.  I understand up to a point, but honestly.  Psychology is a lucrative field.  You will be making a healthy living with a Masters or Doctorates, calm down.  Or it may just be me, who hears a prospective 40,000 a year and is like, THATS ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD OMG. 

If a psychiatrist is in it solely for the money, then of course they are going to prescribe drugs to and be done with the person whose insurance isn't paying them as much per hour, and be likely to ask patients with better insurance or more money to come and see them twice a week.   

I don't want this fear to turn people away from psychiatry, but I would say that if at all possible, because of this risk, see more than one psychiatrist or therapist.  You have every right to.