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PaperclipPerfector  9mo ago (text post)   3204 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 16, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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What strange, unique, personal, harmless design flaws does your body carry? On balance, looking around, I'm extremely satisfied with my body, but over time I've noticed...some minor problems.

-- My ears clog up with wax, any time I get a cold or my seasonal allergies act up. No method of removal solves it reliably other than using those drops from the drugstore several times.

-- I feel like I can't really spit with any velocity. Seriously, I don't get how people spit on other people to start a fight, any time I spit it just kinda...falls? I can't get much forward momentum on it. I guess I could spit on somebody's shoes if I leaned over, but that seems like a bad idea before a bar fight?

-- I have seriously flat feat, the "barefoot" shoe trend is great for me. I'm still frustrated that it's gone away, I basically buy Amazon knock-offs of shoes that Merrill and New Balance used to make. I see a shoe that promises arch support and I groan. Supposedly flat footed soldiers were once frowned upon or something? But idk why, other than shoe limitations I've never had a problem.

How about you?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

harmless

Either way, you have my condolences, nasty little disease

I don't actually know if I have IBS, afaik it's an exclusionary diagnosis.

But my symptoms are mild enough and varied enough that I think pinpointing a problem is going to be hard. Symptoms are;

  • Alternating constipation and diarrhea (psyllium fixes the constipation)
  • Very mild abdominal pain before bowel movement.
  • Inconsistent stools. Sometimes narrow, sometimes thick/regular. Sometimes flat, sometimes round.
  • Gas
  • No blood or weight loss. I did have a few drops of blood a few months ago but that was after severe straining (probably a fissure or hemmoroid) and dissipated within 2 days.

I'm meeting a gastroenterologist soon nevertheless, because WebMD keeps on telling me I have colon cancer and the resulting panic (which I should be able to but can't avoid) is probably causing a negative feedback loop.

Given that you don't have weight loss, and that you're not middle-aged, I highly doubt it's colorectal cancer. Still, you're doing the right thing in seeing a GE, since you might need an colonoscopy to really rule things out, including more benign conditions.

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