Datasets:

JayHyeon

/

SHP_test

like 0

tw6lks

askcarguys_test

Is it ok to hang a small country flag in my car? I'm a teenager swede who recently bought an old ass off-road pathfinder 1997, My dad, my friend and me, we are cleaning and fixing the car and man, it is looking AWESOME, new bumper, new carrier on top and this militarysh green color, and many other things. Since I like the U.S. and I have a couple American friends I wanted to hang a U.S. flag on the right side and a German flag on the left since I'm half german, but some friends told me that I may be looked as a Nazi or a dumbass for doing that, I don't really think it is a bad thing, what do you think? it won't be a giant flag and a long pole, won't cover my window and any of that.

i3e3tvq

i3djbka

As political as I may be personally, I never put any decals on a vehicle that might affiliate me in any direction.. If I park someone and someone disagrees with something and opts to vandalize my shit, or i get pulled over by a cop who has differing opinions... i don't need the any predisposition that comes with that shit in exchange for show of my support for burnie.

If I saw a German and American flag together on someone’s car I would also assume nazi lol you should probably listen to your friends. Just put one, not both

o0iex3

askcarguys_test

Can anyone identify this engine rattling sound? Skoda Octavia Mk3, 2016, 1,2L 110hp petrol. Manual Transmission https://youtu.be/3hTzkB1YV3g VOLUME WARNING: I recorded the sound by taping my cellphone to the engine bay, so the microphone is directly next to the engine and thus is a bit loud. Please see a description of the video below Car: Skoda Octavia Mk3 2016 1,2L 110hp petrol, manual transmission. I've noticed a distinct rattling sound coming from the engine when at low RPM. When the car is in gear and not exerting itself by accelerating or going up a hill it emits a rattling sound. Example: in the start of the video i accelerate to around 40km/h and place the gear in 4th gear. I cruise at this speed for around 10 seconds and the car is driving at around 1200 RPM. The rattling sound is very distinct here. In the rest of the video I do a 3-point turn and keep driving in 2nd and 3rd gear for a while, where the rattling sound is also hearable when I shift gears. Does anyone know what this rattling stems from? I've noticed other Skoda Octavias not having this sound at all - they all sound very quiet and refined, and do not emit this rattling sound. The sound is VERY hearable when my windows are rolled down and when driving past a wall, for instance, where the sound bounces off of the wall. Thanks a lot in advance!

h1vfjfb

h1vtv5k

I had a similar sound and later realized the car was burning oil and I was driving around two days without the bare minimum level of oil needed. Ended up hurting my engine lifters.

The TSI engines have a history of failing piston rings, which can lead to them burning oil and, eventually, failing altogether. I'd have it checked by a pro sooner rather than later.

j4wq66

askcarguys_test

Why do people go through the trouble of converting Automatic to Manual? And Vice Versa? Couldn’t you buy the car in the original format, unless there was something in the car you desired, I completely understand but isn’t it much more expensive to convert the said transmission than to buy the original transmission, and also expensive because it was automatic (meaning automatics are priced higher than a manual due to the easy usage). Please note I’m not hating on anyone for changing their car the way they want, I’m just not understanding why you would want to convert a transmission that’s all.

g7o3opf

g7o3a9b

i've only ever seen it done to older cars and there it was always a matter of availability. some cars were sold as AT in much higher numbers, or exclusively, think the E46 M3 CSL. Also auto transmissions have come a long, long way in the past 20-30 years, most modern ones you can kind of live with but the older ones are just rubbish. For some people (including myself), an automatic transmission is simply a dealbreaker for a driver's car and when they have their mind set on a certain type and they can't find it as a MT, then the effort may be worth it for them.

There are a couple of reasons for the trans swap. Sometimes this occurs because the vehicle was not offered in the current configuration with a manual transmission, other times it may be a better/easier solution than finding the vehicle with a manual transmission. For instance, I love C5 Audi Allroads. The engine choices were a 4.2l v8 or a 2.7TT v6. The v8 only came in automatic. The v6 was offered with a manual transmission, but they were relatively uncommon. Therefore, you will see people with the v8 swap the auto trans for manual because there was no option. You will also see the v6 with auto transmissions be swapped to manual ones, just because it is so hard to find a low mile, quality one from the factory. It is cheaper and easier to just swap the trans that wait for the right manual transmission car to become available. Does that make sense?

lmn5ku

askcarguys_test

What is everyone’s opinion on the Pontiac Fiero? This may not be the right place for this, and if it’s not please let me know what would be. I really do love the looks of the car, specifically the earlier years SE and not the GT fastback, but everywhere I look it seems to be nothing but a forgotten car. I get that it underperformed in terms of its potential (partially due to the Toyota MR2) and had some flaws in its design. However, surely those flaws have most likely been solved or can be solved on any surviving vehicle.

gnvx34u

gnw0xow

Girlfriend had 2 back in the day, one was a GT. Loved those cars, would like to have one now as a toy. Not great handling, but not bad for the era. They look a lot sportier than they are. Never had any mechanical trouble with them.

Watch this series. lots of information,weak points, strong points. Worth the watch even if a person doesn't like Fiero's.

mvtb05

askcarguys_test

What are first cars recommended for new drivers with zero driving history just after passing road test? Why? This is just a general question, I'm genuinely curious to see what car guys would recommend. Let first cars be new or used, there are too many youtubers in their new driver category showing off their luxury cars as their first car. I thought this might be car-related, please delete it if it is not. Thanks guys

gve39qi

gve2wbb

A toyota corolla or a honda civic. Affordable and reliable, hondas have a little more peppy kick and turn better and toyotas are comfortable tanks. There is also mazda, i have one and it is a very good ride. Not sure about older mazdas as they seem to rust quickly here in the canadian rust belt so if you live in an area where rust Doesnt develop then id take a look at mazda. Honda and toyota is like a standard reliable car, mazda too but depends on weather conditions. If i were you i would buy a used car, when you learn you make mistakes so keep that in mind, also, insurance is cheaper and so are parts. Get a used car of an old lady that kept it in the garage in good condition or just get any used car and bring it in a garage for a full on inspection. Save some money while you learn how to drive so you can save up for a a more recent (but used) car or a brand new car.

There is no 1 car. I can recommend a few based on a couple things. You want a small car, because it's cheaper to make small things. So when you fuck up. The cost to fix it is less. You want an old car, because they are cheap, so parts can be cheap. Lastly, and most importantly is market share. The cars sold, the more spare parts, the more parts manufacturers can prorate tooling and warehousing fees. Now the car AND cost. Cars cost a lot. Even shitty ones. Where I am it's $500.00/month to drive. That's insurance, fuel, maintenance and cost of vehicle over life span. Think it's hard to save money now? It's harder spending 500.00 more a month Take a year or 2. Save up 3-6k. That car will have more things. Be safer. And cost less because it's not constantly failing. Before you buy, have a mechanic inspect it. They know what to look for. It's well worth it. In fact. Look around at local shops. Some will make cheap cars project vehicles in thier down time. Getting a decent 500.00 car and replacing the suspension components. Replacing the tires. Etc.

wur1zb

askcarguys_test

Hey guys is it a smart idea to buy a cabriolet in a winter mostly nation(netherland)? it doesn't really snow here.

ilbdma6

ilbkhfa

Why not? Just leave the top up when you need to.

I don’t know that a convertible is ever a “smart” purchase. The top requires constant maintenance, the wind noise is louder than a hardtop, and you’re less protected from the cold and heat. But it is so worth it to drop that top and enjoy open motoring. One point though: it totally depends on how often the weather permits you to open the top/how much of the weather you’re willing to put up with. Where I live, it’s the opposite issue that you have; it’s always summer except for maybe January and February. There’s about 3 months where the sun just bakes you way too much to have the top down. And the two months of wintry weather are a bit too chilling for me to keep it open. So I got to keep the top down for about 7 months out of the year which was definitely worth it for me. You’ll need to make that determination for yourself though.

wc6yio

askcarguys_test

Tips/ recommendations on how to find a nice car under 15k for a first car? Im a junior in highschool. Corollas/civics are nice, but i dont want to copy everyone in my family, so i wanted something different. just been looking at similar options My main concerns are price and safety, so the cheaper the better, but i want modern features like a backup camera and lane keeping assist. Ive been thinking about cars like the elantra or forte, but im a little concerned about the "dual clutch transmission" of a kia. What does that change from the usual automatic transmission? Im trying to learn about cars since it seems pretty interesting, but im afraid they dont explain everything unless i take a whole automotive course. And no, im not getting a tiny block car like a chevy spark lol

iibf17b

iiavgje

Mazda3. All the reliability of Honda/Toyota w/o paying the Honda/Toyota tax while also more fun.

What about a scion tc? I have one right now! It's been great to me.

ora1je

askcarguys_test

How much has my 16 year old 1.2 Fiat Panda actually degraded? I own a 2004 Fiat Panda 1.2 dynamic. 115K miles on the odometer. I love this car dearly, despite it getting 55mpg (5 more than advertised) I recently got a shock of how it’s days are numbered despite it passing it’s MOT last month. Last week I rented a 2021 Skoda Fabia with a 0.9L engine. I couldn’t believe how quick it was accelerating in comparison to my Fiat. I didn’t feel like a potato on the motorway or feel like I had to smash the gas pedal to stay up with everyone else. My question is, was my Fiat always this slow and that modern innovation has allowed us to go faster with less, or that over a decade and a half of use has meant the car has not as much power as it once was. Thanks!

h6h1jpc

h6h10v9

The 2004 panda was always a low powered, economic, charming little car, rev happy and enthusiastic but with very little "grunt" at the low end. It might be time for a tuneup, but don't compare it to a turbo engine, compare to a 2007 fabia 1.2 HTP for instance, and you have a more fair comparison. ...or slap a turbo kit on it and go redlight racing other ecoboxes :)

Is the 0.9 not a turbo engine? Some is probably down to power loss (cars do lose power as they age) and technical limitations as you say. Engines are continually developing more power from smaller displacement, and are constantly being refined. For example: Mercedes with 450bhp out of a 2.0.

l4oxn3

askcarguys_test

Can you put an engine from one vehicle into another? Dumb question. Can you stick an engine from one car into another car of a different type? Like a truck motor in an SUV, or the other way around?

gkpkv09

gkpl33f

You can do pretty much anything if you’re a good fabricater, but yes, sometimes they drop right in, sometimes you have to pay to get it to fit

Short answer: yes. This is typically known as an "engine swap". There's a much longer answer about how complicated it can be, which cars are most suited for which kinds of engines, how special parts may need to be custom made from scratch, ECU flashing and tuning required, how it can adversely affect handling and reliability, and on and on and on. But yes, it's possible. Go check YouTube for engine swap videos to get a sense of the process.

l6evu0

askcarguys_test

Why can you turn on and off cruise control and not just use the buttons when you want to? Does it drain battery or affect miles per gallon or something when it's on? Always been curious about this.

gl0bql7

gl0dmr8

3 out of the 5 cars I own have no on/off for cruise, it's always ready. Much better setup. I assume the on/off switch is for liability reasons.

The master switch always will shut off CC regardless of conditions. Helpful when the switch on the brake pedal fails, or when the accelerate button shorts.

iq579e

askcarguys_test

Supercharger Daily Driving? I’ve wanted to install a supercharger in my car for a long time. I don’t want to make a race car, my goal is a fun car, I’ve currently got a full NA build and I got my car from 124 whp to 150whp. I know it’s not much, but this is my daily driver. I’d like to continue driving this car daily, even with a supercharger, but I’ve been seriously warned about daily driving a heavily modified car. I own a Saturn Sky 2.4L and I’ve been pricing the parts and making blueprints for a supercharger build. I’m currently wanting to get an Eaton m62 and I believe I’ve found a way to fit it within the firewall. I really think I’d be happy with 180 whp. I also hope to work on this project and actually have it installed by the end of next year. I’m taking my time to not only learn more but to save up for the right quality pieces. Knowing what I just wrote, here’s where I really need advice. Currently, because of COVID, my job won’t require me to go to work (even after covid) as much, so I don’t need to drive as much. I still want my car to be reliable enough to get me from point A to point B. I know mods will not make this a Toyota Corolla, but is it realistic to do small gains on a supercharger and still expect your car to be daily usable? Or should I really get a 2nd car as a daily before doing this? I more am not knowing if I should get a 2nd car before modifying my Saturn further or if this supercharger at a lower whp increase would be fine. As, I’d prefer to drive my stupid car daily because my inner child would scream every time. Lastly, when I say I want my car to be, “reliable enough”, I mean that I don’t care if it is not drivable for like a month every year. Thank you for any advice given and taking the time to read this!

g4pjjuh

g4pmyxn

Great points by those here before me, but also consider resale. A base Sky with a s/c and a ton of mods still won't be worth as much when you're ready to sell as a stock Redline model. You'll be throwing away thousands and thousands of dollars. Part it out and buy the proper model.

I've seen a Subaru BRZ with \~300hp get absolutely spanked for 15000 net(!) track miles and still run beautifully. If you do it right and you drive it right (warm up, cool down) you'll be fine. It is however very likely that getting the faster model will be both cheapter AND getting you better resale value. So, is it possible? Yes. Does it make sense? Not if what you want is simply a quicker car. Some people want their stuff to be bespoke, which is just as fine. It does cost more money though.

wa4pk5

askcarguys_test

How to correct my steering that is off-center after a collision? Hi all, not long ago I had a small collision (shared responsibility) and ever since then my steering has been off-center. I'm from the UK and I have asked around at a couple of local garages and they have said that they can fix body damage but not the steering. I really know nothing about this, what sort of business should I approach who could hopefully fix both the steering issue and the body damage? Many thanks in advance.

ihz1qsp

ihzfenb

You need alignment most tire shops can do them.

If the collision changed your steering angle, you likely have damaged suspension components which need to be replaced. Any proper mechanic should be able to do this.

s30hgf

askcarguys_test

People who got an V12 after having an V8, How does it feel? Worth the spend?

hsj4zc1

hsj2d4r

I don’t recall where I heard it, but someone said V12’s come in 2 flavors. One is all out racing and the other is built for luxury. There seems to be nothing in between. I’ve never been in one, but that’s all I can contribute to this post.

No

4wx39b

askcarguys_test

What are the practical effects of common suspension mods? Looking for an enthusiast's/mechanic's/car guy's summary of why one would want to do some of these oft talked about mods, in no particular order: * Sway/anti-roll bars * Endlinks * Control arms * Springs * Shocks * Coilovers (as opposed to springs and shocks) * Lowering * And any others I might've missed

d6am83b

d6anjum

Most of these mods improve handling in some way. Basically if you set them up right you can go around a corner faster before the car reaches its limit. These mods can can also change the handling of the car at the limit of grip. While a car may have under steered (front tires lose grip first and the car essentially plows into the corner), suspension mods could allow the car to oversteer (back tires lose grip first and the back end of the car rotates) instead.

Better start reading: http://www.carbibles.com/suspension_bible.html

570dps

askcarguys_test

(2010 Ford F-150) This is kind of urgent, how the heck do I get this off? Need to remove this plastic cover on the rear power sliding glass window. http://i.imgur.com/48J4k03.jpg Anybody have any experience with this?

d8oiatr

d8ocavi

The glass is bolted in, there *is* a glue but it's just a sealant to keep air in/out, it's not structural. I am like 80% sure what we're looking at in the pic is a cosmetic cover over where the bolts are. **However** you're never gonna get that glass out until you take out the seats and all the interior panels on the rear of the cab. Prepare yourself, it's going to suck. Now tell the curious folks playing from home why you need to remove it?

Why is this urgent?

hsjc5v

askcarguys_test

Am I liable for the damage an auto body shop caused? I recently got my car fixed as I hit a deer coming back from a friends house and decided to take it to an auto body shop as there was a significant amount of damage done to the front of the car. Today, when I got it back, there was scratches on the front hood and the doors of the car. I also have a sub in my car and for some reason now that won't work either. Both my sub was working fine and there was no scratches on the doors and the front hood of the car before I took it into the auto body. I don't believe I would be liable for paying for that, but who knows.

fyaw5gt

fybvssr

If you have any recent photos of the car, that would help. Do you have collision/comprehensive coverage? Contact your insurance company regardless and document your findings, especially with images. Ask for the insurance information of the business owner before things get heated.

well you shouldn’t be liable for it, it’s the shop’s fault that the damage occurred

q3xr3f

askcarguys_test

Is the parking brake supposed to hold the vehicle on a slope? My 2021 Tundra (automatic transmission ofc) is in the shop today for it's 5k mile service and I told them the parking brake doesn't hold the truck in my driveway. The service manager told me the mechanic will tell him it's not supposed to. He's writing it up anyway, but said don't hold my breath. It was my rudimentary understanding of vehicles, that the reason you use the parking brake is to keep pressure off of the transmission parking pin. Every vehicle I've ever driven had a parking brake that would hold the vehicle, including my 2014 tundra before this one. Is this guy blowing smoke, or is there some truth about what he's saying?

hfupwnb

hfupuw6

Holding the vehicle on a slope is pretty much the whole purpose of the parking brake. You are correct.

That's how I've always used it in automatics. Is your e-brake electric or manual? If manual it may need to be tightened. I had to do that on an old Mazda but I'd expect more from a brand new Toyota. If you're not having luck I'd try to test drive another to see if it has the same issue.

end6n5

askcarguys_test

Can I get some advice on negotiating prices for a used car? Any advice would be appreciated but Im specifcally wondering on how to research prices for similar vehicles that could be used in negotiations. E.g. Does the car have to be the same year, how close should the mileage be?

fdzt79i

fe02j2o

How used? Newer used cars they barely budge on. Like $500-1000 on a good day.

Check out websites like Edmunds, Kellys Blue Book, Nada, truecar. They will all give values of new and used cars. For newer cars they will even give you the average purchase price people paid in your area if it’s available. As far as negotiating with the dealer, go in with as much knowledge as you can find about the vehicle you are looking to buy. The biggest thing to understand is they will try to sell you on the payment amount and not the final purchase price. You want to agree on a final purchase price you are happy with and then work out the monthly payment amount. So if you know the vehicle you are looking at has an average sale price of 25k and they have it listed for 28k you want to negotiate that down to 25k before working out the payment. Use a site like this to help you figure out what you should expect for payment in the price you are looking at. https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/loans/car-loan-calculator/ Other things to look out for when buying used is warranty info. Don’t just take the word of the salesmen that they factory warranty is still good and will transfer to you, ask for proof and get it in writing. Also don’t be afraid to bargain for things like free oil changes for a while, or undercoating, extended warranties price reduction. It’s all negotiable. Biggest thing of all is don’t be afraid to walk away from the deal if you are being responsible and with in market price of the vehicle.

pl7fkf

askcarguys_test

A group of friends and I saw an Aston Martin Cygnet, any idea on its rarity and value? We are in Sardinia, Italy's second biggest island, and, as the title says, we saw an Aston Martin Cygnet just strolling about the city, we sadly weren't able to take a picture. Now, after some research, i'm left wondering, as i have seen numerous articles saying that only 150 cars had been sold in 2 years before it ended production, about how rare it actually is, and if it's anymore valuable than the original 35k price tag. On a sidenote, i have no idea if this is the right subreddit to ask, i hope it is

hc8tdlo

hca94im

It's substantially more valuable than the original 35K price tag but it's still not worth as much as any other Aston lol. I saw one go at auction with under 1000 k on the odometer that sold for 80k in early 2020. The value has probably dropped a little bit but you could expect a low mileage example to go for 75% over MSRP if not more.

There are 8 for sale in the UK (on autotrader) right now. Cheapest at £30k and most expensive at £40k

d01hdu

askcarguys_test

How does a car battery ''recharge itself''? Hello, To be a little more specific, let's say i have the car off, only the radio is on aux and charging my phone for about 4/5 hours. I remember as a kid that after a car had a jump start, people would drive the car to ''recharge the battery''. Now my question is, does that actually work. If not, can you explain it in a simplified manner? And i guess how long would the drive need to be or how long/what it would take to be ''fully'' charged again. Thank you for your time.

ez731bv

ez4ybk3

This is a wonderful thread :)

The alternator, via a belt driven pulley, generates an AC current that powers the car and tops up the battery. It essentially converts rotational energy from the crank shaft into electricity. How long it talkes to charge up the battery depends on a lot of different things, but with a healthy battery, usually 15-20 minutes of driving around is fine. The main purpose of the battery is to provide the energy needed to start the engine, running accessories off of it isn't ideal. IF it's a habit that you have you may want to consider keeping a power bank in your car. You can even get ones that charge off of the car's AC adapter/lighter socket. The one I have can even jump start a car in a pinch.

k16cwi

askculinary_test

How do I use smaller amounts of a variety of fresh herbs? I got a mini herb garden for my birthday a while back and now have a single plant of dill, curly parsley, basil, Thai basil, thyme and mint. This thing is kind of growing out of control and I desperately need to keep pruning it to keep it from going any crazier. What do I do with the cut herbs? I'm used to using larger quantities of a lot of these when I'm making stuff but I don't know what to do with like...2 stalks of dill, a dozen or two basil leaves, ten mint leaves and a couple sprigs of thyme every few days. Any suggestions?

gdm9od1

gdm9108

Dice and add to omelette, toss in salad or use in dressing, add to quiche

Dry them

9xw54f

askculinary_test

Annual AskCulinary Thanksgiving Preparation Discussion Alright folks, warm up the fryers, sharpen those blades, and get your blenders whirring. It's time to discuss Thanksgiving preparation. Use this thread to ask any and all questions regarding the big day.

e9vs0r5

e9wyfc8

Can anyone recommend a good recipe or at least method for cooking a brisket? My bf and I don't like turkey but I have a nice brisket I can cook instead. I don't have access to a smoker or grill, but do have a dutch oven and an oven. Most of the recipes online are slow cooked in the Dutch oven with wine and veggies - anyone know a good thanksgiving twist? Thanks!

I'm trying to come up with *easy* ideas for some kind of veggie side that is bright/fresh/acidic in profile, to balance out how heavy and fatty everything else that is planned. Perhaps some kind of salad, but not so....forgettable? Does anyone have any ideas?

qyfbfc

askculinary_test

Sesame Oil Spill Hello. I just spilled sesame oil on a bunch of things. I washed them, but they still smell of sesame oil. How do I get rid of the sesame oil smell, please? Too much sesame oil.

hlfl8p6

hlfl1xo

If it just happened it might still smell for a bit till the area airs out. Other than that try cleaning up with some vinegar.

Fire. Seriously, though, what kind of things specifically? How did you wash them?

x4331w

askculinary_test

Why does my swiss meringue buttercream look shiny? I recently made my first wedding cake for some friends, and used Stella Park's SMBC recipe from Serious Eats. I always follow the recipe to a tee, weighing out my ingredients by gram and following the steps, but it always seems to look shiny or greasy. It still tastes great, but I think it takes away from the look of the cake. Anyone know why this happens? Thanks in advance!! https://www.seriouseats.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-frosting-recipe

imt4y3e

imsvnh9

There's a chance you added the butter when it was still too hot causing the butter to break.

What kind of butter? (I don’t know the answer to your problem, just curious.) I also follow Stella’s SMBC recipes, usually chocolate. It’s definitely rich and smooth, but not shiny or greasy. (IMO)

yzuj1k

askculinary_test

Can I keep french bread from getting too crispy? I made a bruschetta variation by slicing a loaf of French bread and adding butter, garlic salt, pesto, feta, and sliced Roma tomatoes. I baked it at 350F for about 20 minutes, then topped it with a balsamic reduction. The middle was perfect: warm and soft. The outside was way too crispy though. Any way to keep the outside from crisping up so much? I don't want to cook for less time because the tomatoes came out perfect. I'd also be ok with a different bread type.

ix2bxhp

ix2p888

This video may be relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej62TV6M52M&t=6s&ab\_channel=AdamRagusea Maybe wet the bottom too if you don't want it so crispy

Spray it with water just before the end of baking or wrap the edges in foil

r4xxh5

askculinary_test

Is table salt in restaurants, generally, iodized? Im curious if restaurant table salt is of the iodized variety. I know real chefs use diamond and its not, but at the table it could be different. What say y’all?

hmjneks

hmjgch1

Restaurant salt usually comes in 4 lb boxes. And Yes, it is iodized

Kosher salt is generally sold too coarse for shakers. In the US, you can assume that if the salt is in a shaker, it's iodized.

kn6skz

askculinary_test

Can I use white wine instead of cooking wine? What's the difference between the two?

ghivolm

ghirzxz

You shouldn't be using the stuff labeled "cooking wine". You should use a real bottle of wine. With that said, the adage of using a bottle you would drink isn't necessary either. Once you cook the wine down you're not going to be able to tell the difference between a bottle of 2 buck chuck and a $20 cabernet. I'd buy a sub 5 dollar bottle of wine and freeze in ice cube trays what you don't use for the recipe. If you're not a big wine drinker but you plan on cooking with it more often in the future, look for the little bottles that come in a four pack or little boxes.

Cooking wine has a bunch of salt added to it so that it's not drinkable then they can sell it in grocery stores and to minors. I realize in some states grocery stores can sell wine but not in all. Anyhow it's always preferable to use regular wine over cooking wine. Cooking wine has a long shelf life due to all of the salt so that is why some people buy it.

wv53dj

askculinary_test

What would happen if you baked dehydrated rose petals on the top of a cake? Going to bake a cake for my Syrian friend and I found a neat recipe that I'd like to try. After resting the batter in the fridge, you top it with nuts, then bake. I was thinking about adding some dehydrated rose petals with the nuts before the baking. I am just unsure as to how that would turn out with the heat of the oven. Alternatively, I can place some in the batter, but I'd ideally like the aesthetic on the top. There is no icing on the cake so there would really be nothing to adhere to the petals once the cake is finished baking. I am probably overthinking this haha. Advice would be appreciated.

ildkkhy

ildvrqm

If you're after the rose flavor, I'd add some rosewater to the batter and top with candied rose petals after baking.

They would burn and taste bitter. Thick syrup with rosewater, prick top of cake so it will absorb the syrup, pour over and add petals. Or just leave the nuts on top, but make a rosewater cream to serve alongside and decorate with petals.

e0f2yp

askculinary_test

Have been effortlessly cooking yogurt based chicken and lamb dishes on my cast iron pan from day one. It's never lost its seasoning. In fact it has actually become non stick now. But why do people ask not to cook acidic stuff in cast iron pans? I mean by the time I found out yogurt and any acidic based sauce is a strict no no with cast iron pans I was already a year into cooking acidic curry sauces in my cast iron pan. Tomato based, yogurt based, anything you name. It's gone in. The cast iron pan wasn't really well seasoned when I bought it. But now after a year of usage it is like a non stick pan. I cook scrambled eggs to sunny side eggs effortlessly on it. So is the no acidic thing with cast iron pans a myth? I have stopped using anything acidic on my cast iron pan now in the fear of degrading it. What's the actual truth? Experiences would be really insightful to read.

f8dtsyn

f8dybek

I have no kind of food science/professional cooking background but I’ve only ever had problems when leaving acidic food (tomato sauce) in a cast iron pan for a while (overnight, oops) but I’ve never had any issue when cleaning it up in a reasonable amount of time.

In my youth I made a vodka cream sauce in one. It was terrible. The sauce was inedible, it tasted so strongly of iron. It was the tomato.

zgmdtq

askculinary_test

Can you add a roux at the end instead of the beginning? When you are making something like a soup or stew, can you add the roux at the end instead of the beginning? Like just cook the flour off in melted butter in a separate pot and then just add it as if you were using a corn starch slurry? Just wondering because sometimes if I'm making a really large batch of something it is kind of hard to tell exactly how much flour/butter to use and it could come out to thin, thanks.

izhmpu4

izhn02f

Yes, but also no. roux needs to be cooked out within the dish. So you brown the roux to it’s desired point, but then after it needs to simmer for some amount of time to cook off the rest of the raw flour taste. Like, if you’ve ever made a gumbo and tasted it right after adding stock you’ll think it’s ruined, then after an hour or so of simmering you’ve got a totally different flavor. Also, the consistency changes over time, so you need that simmering time for it to settle in to the final consistency. That said, if you’re asking can you add more roux to a liquid dish, or can you add roux bit by bit to achieve a certain consistency then sure, so long as it’s towards the beginning of the process and you’re gonna simmer it for at least 45 mins to an hour after.

You can make beurre maniè which is equal parts butter and flour mixed together which you can add at the end. You can also make this with equal parts oil and flour colloquially known, in uk kitchens, as scouse roux

1skimq

askculinary_test

Weekly Discussion - Holiday cooking help and traditions Share with us your favorite holiday recipes, be they for cookies, roast beast, or anything else. If you'd like any help with regard to holiday cooking, feel free to ask it here.

cdyhdnk

cdyxavd

Does anyone have a good recipe/ good tips for those cookie press machines? I found an old style pampered chef one at a yard sale for a buck, but every time I try to use the thing I end up swearing. They aren't sticking to my cookie sheet.

Well, holiday is clearly just christmas, but screw it. Chanukah recipe. Mixed Veggie Latkes: 1 large sweet potato 2 medium-sized carrots 1 large zucchini 1 small parsnip or ½ a big parsnip 4 cloves of garlic 1/2 medium onion 2 leaves of leek Salt and pepper to taste 2-3 eggs 3/4 C flour 1/8 tsp baking powder Shred the sweet potato, carrots, zucchini, parsnip, and onion, slice the leeks, mince the garlic. Add the eggs, flour, and baking powder, mix. Coat the bottom of a frying pan in oil, place the pan on medium-high heat. Portion out consistent(ish) sizes into the pan, cook on one side. Flip, cook on the other side. It should be a medium brown in color when cooked. Then, place on a sheetpan in the oven on 350 for 10 minutes to completely cook in the middle. Sauce: mix 1 avocado with 1/8 tsp of garlic powder, 1/8 tsp of onion powder, ¼ tsp of ground cumin, and ½ cup of sour cream (parve sour cream if serving meat).

kgmtw0

askculinary_test

Why did adding fresh mint leaves to orange soda make the orange soda taste less sweet? It was really strange. The orange soda was overly sweet and by adding fresh mint leaves it’s now overly bland. Now I’m curious if the amount of mint leaves in a mojito can influence how much sugar is needed.

ggfzlua

ggg0nk1

I've heard that you can use sugar to counteract bitter flavors, so I guess it stands to reason that the opposite holds.

Same reason why chewing minty gum or brushing your teeth makes sweet things taste bad. Mint has a compound that makes your tongue unable to taste sweet. On a side note, if you want to try something cool, look up miracle berry. It does a very similar thing but it leaves you unable to taste sour for a bit so you'd have no problem eating lemons straight up

c7j2hi

askculinary_test

Vegetarian fillings for steam buns without access to adzuki beans I really want to make bao in the next few days but there’s no way I’m going to be able to get adzuki beans locally or online in that time. Ideally I’d like to find a substitute for adzuki beans and do everything else the same as usual, but I’ve read they’re difficult to substitute (on a thread from half a year ago on this sub). The people I’m cooking for have never had the real thing but if I’m doing a bean substitute I’d like it to be similar. I’m also open to entirely different vegetarian fillings! I have a very extensive collection of central / southeast Asian ingredients. Thanks!

esg4lhc

esfr0ao

Do you have mung beans, cannellini beans, sweet potato, or winter squash (like butternut or kabocha)? Those should all work as alternative fillings (albeit with different flavors). It's a different flavor palette, but curried vegetables or lentils make delicious savory bun/pastry filling. You can go with Indian lentils or Thai coconut curried veggies for this.

azuki fillings are typically sweet. cant think of a good sweet filling to try instead, but there are numerous savory fillings you can make. ​ carrots, mushrooms, shredded cabbage that have been sweated with salt, chives, egg yolk as a binder, etc.

wyhk3y

askculinary_test

Denatured alcohol on fruit: game over? Hello, and thank you in advance. Long story short I have picked some fresh figs. Stupidly I gave them a splash with denatured alchohol (specifically "Alcohol denat" from Spain) rather than vinegar to clean them. At the moment they taste like bitter poison. Is there any way to get rid of the bitter taste? I've rinsed them thoroughly in water, water and vinegar, and they're currently being aerated overnight in the hope that whatever is causing that flavour evaporates off. Is there anything else worth trying? Would a bicarbonate of soda soak work? Thanks a lot

ilx1odm

ily4g29

Throw them out and don't look back!

Denatured alcohol is toxic and your figs are now also toxic. Throw them away. If you've eaten any, I would suggest getting medical advice immediately.

vu7nij

askculinary_test

Extra Virgin Olive Oil that smells and tastes a bit like freshly cut grass, can you use it as finisher or condiment? I used mine as a finisher for my carbonara but being on the other side of the world since birth, I didn't expect evoo to taste like that. Had other evoo local brands but they didn't smell or taste grassy like the one I bought from Italy. It didn't ruin the carbonara, but it did feel like I didn't prepare it well. Did I use it right?

ifbsnm2

ifbu20y

Finishing carbonara with a drizzle of olive oil is not normal or, imo, welcome. But for things where it actually belongs, sure

carbonara generally isnt finished like this, but other pastas can be, especially seafood or tomato sauces. also thick soups and such. and yes, thats how good olive oil is supposed to taste like.

v34m12

askculinary_test

Lemon bars taste like iron So I made lemon bars recently and baked them in a glass pyrex but they taste like iron to me. I didn't put any baking soda/powder nor did I put wax / parchment. Used a plastic bowl to make the lemon layer too. Idk what happened, can someone help?

iaw4vip

iaxod72

Did you use a metal spoon to mix/spread the mixture? That's all I can think of. I'm so sorry. I really love lemon bars!

Sometimes cheaper powdered sugar can have a metallic taste, especially as it ages. Using a higher quality powdered sugar should alleviate this problem. Source: I had the same issue years ago. Edit: a word

tjekb9

askculinary_test

What happens if you put too much baking soda into a pot of boiling potatoes? I might have accidentally put 5 times more than I sould have into a pot of 20kg potatoes and they are boiling now. Any tips, advices?

i1joktb

i1jl6nx

Can use vinegar to neutralize. The ~~low~~ high pH caused by excess baking soda may make them taste soapy or bitter.

I guess it's too late now but you could've drained them and started with new water. Or be really gentle with them before roasting them so as not to amplify the mush effect

qg3smz

askculinary_test

Explain like I'm five years old: Yeast differences. Active/Instant/Fast Action/Quick/Dry active...etc etc.. The list seemingly goes on, and I'm aware some are interchangeable, but this means that information i google seems...interchangeable as well. Some recipes call for a brand, which is labeled as one of the above, and thus leads me into more confusion. what if I don't have that brand? or that " label " on my own yeast, and it doesn't tell me if it's the same as the one named in the recipe? it's just...all a bit confusing, I understand it's probably simple, hence the Explain like I'm five years old here. Like, which do i feed? do they all need feeding? apparently they need proofing? i thought that was when you made the dough up?

hi5g7rp

hi4qtee

Okay so a lot of these are actually the same. I'll preface this with the fact I'm from the UK so some of this may be different elsewhere. Dried yeast comes in two types, granules which are pure dehydrated yeast (often referred to as 'active' or 'dry active') and fast acting (sometimes called 'instant'), which also contains ascorbic acid, a flour treatment agent. Fast acting yeast is made up of much smaller grains and therefore doesn't need to be dissolved in water first. The ascorbic acid basically mimics many of the positive effects on dough structure from longer fermentation, giving a stronger dough in a shorter time, both through kneading and proof. Dried yeast, contrary to what many may say, doesn't actually need to rehydrate for very long at all - just until it dissolves so it can mix evenly through the dough. Lots of traditional methods for breads made from commercial yeast are updates on sourdough or beer balm (essentially the yeast taken from beer fermentation tanks), which often use a batter-like first stage. This continued, essentially to check the yeast was still good but serves no real purpose otherwise. There is actually a lot more to it with many different strains of yeast for different purposes, even within baking but largely those aren't available for domestic use.

quick rise yeast is instant yeast that has been more finely milled and thus faster acting, but that's not always a good thing. from my googling it's recommended for things like banana bread where your not going through the whole two rise process. cake yeast is the least stable form and is no longer available at retail. I've only seen it in professional kitchens, and that one three stooges movie where they all put the yeast in. also discovered something called cream yeast, which is purely for large scale industrial baking. it's what they make cake yeast out of, but on an industrial scale it's easier just to leave it as a slurry. Yeast slap packs are brewing products. it's a plastic pouch containing water and sugars, with a smaller pouch inside containing yeast. you pop the smaller pouch by slapping the larger one and then the yeast proofs and the bag inflates. brewers yeast comes in more varieties and is very temperamental; this product is shipped refrigerated. nutritional yeast cures pellagra. it is not active and used for flavor and nutrition.

21oyf7

askculinary_test

How do I get a "deep" flavor to my food? I am new to non-paki cooking (that is all I grew up eating). I have found a new love for french food. When ever I go to a good french restaurant the dishes have a really deep flavor. I don't know how to explain it, it just feels like home. I have tried to make a few french dishes and I can't replicate it. For example, onion soup. I can taste the onions, and the thyme and bay leaf, but it isn't the same soup I love to get at a restaurant.

cgf591a

cgf4u95

Butter.

To clarify a little, there are two oustanding to give your food depth (alias body). 1. Mirepoix. For soups, stews, etc, start with 50% onion, 25% celery, 25% carrot. Cook them down. You'll be happy as a result. There a creole mirepoix (sub green bell pepper for the carrot) and it's not an accident that these foods will have real depth. 2. Stock. Both /u/Seven_deadly and /u/BlackMantecore mentioned stock. Chicken stock is about the easiest thing in the world to make. See Our New and Improved FAQ!!! for more information. Whenever you're making a soup or stew or braise or the like, between mirepoix and stock, you'll be sitting pretty.

3zwp5e

askculinary_test

What's the best kind of beef cut to use if you're grounding your own meat for burgers?

cypmvlt

cypqmuf

I like to use the random assemblage labeled as "stew meat" at the supermarket. It's butchery scraps so I'm getting a mix of cuts and can adjust the fattiness to my preference by choosing which to toss into the grinder.

Everything you wanted to know about grinding beef for burgers. Chuck is best if just using one cut. If you want to get fancy and make a blend, Kenji reccommends 6 parts sirloin, 5 parts brisket, 5 parts picked oxtail meat.

i06cqv

askculinary_test

Why are eggs so good at emulsifying, and is there a vegetarian alternative? This is more based on curiosity in food science rather than any practical use, but I just made some box brownies and the question popped into my head. Is there a certain chemical reason, and are both the yolks and whites important in emulsification or only one? I am sure that a good deal of bakers are vegan, so what do they use as an alternative?

fznj8ac

fzng8ag

Chick pea water

I think lecithin is the primary emulsifier in eggs, you can get soy lecithin. I've used it a bit for foams, I don't remember how it compares to Xanthan. Khymos.org has a lot of information about different emulsifiers.

m80iw4

askculinary_test

Pizza stone chipped on the edge, should I be concerned? I was putting my ~10 year old pizza stone away into the cabinet I keep it in and had a bit of a slip, causing the stone to hit the floor at an angle and chip a little bit off of the cooking surface-- if I had to guess, maybe a half inch in diameter, and very shallow. A bit of Googling left me not really all that well informed about whether or not this is going to be a problem in the long run. The manufacturer's site just provided a blanket "don't cook with cracked or chipped stonewear" with no further explanation; all the other stuff I could find was regarding big cracks, not small chips. Can I keep using it, and if so, should I just keep trucking on as usual or keep the crust off that area?

grernbx

grf0xsp

At some point in the future, which could be years, the stone will develop a crack radiating out from the chip. If this stoneware was a bowl holding hot liquid, then I’d be much more concerned as a crack could cause a mess and leak hot liquid. A crack on the pizza stone Is easy to deal with.

I baked pizza on a stone that was broken into two pieces for years. I just pushed the two pieces together and kept on baking. I'd expect that you'll be fine too. Eventually I replaced mine with six unglazed quarry tiles that I picked up at a Home Depot for less than a dollar each. I've been using them for about ten years now with nary a problem.

jy18bn

askculinary_test

People always say to buy puff pastry because it is cheap and readily available, but where do people find this stuff? I always made my own puff pastry because, well, I don't have another choice, but it would be nice to be able to buy some when I run out in a hurry or something. Making a batch takes a while. I live in a small town in suburban NYC, and my options for store brought puff pastry is pretty much only stuff made from margarine and frankly tastes awful. To add insult to injury, even this low-quality junk cost $5 a pound, which is pretty expensive. If I make the trek to whole foods, there are puff pastry made with butter, but at an eye-watering $15 per pound. Is it just NYC? Does the rest of the world have ready access to quality and affordable puff pastry?

gd00u5c

gd01zvt

I've noticed It's kind of seasonal at some stores around me If you have trader joe's near you they sell all butter puff pastry in the fall and winter

NYC should be the one place in the world where you can find anything. Usually if the store has a frozen fruit section that's where you'll find puff pastry. You can try your luck with a local bakery, see they will sell you dough that you can freeze.

te8ci7

askculinary_test

Is there a more specific name than soup dumpling for the kind of flour dumpling you could find in chicken soup? I just have a craving for chicken soup with dumplings in it, but I'm finding recipes incredibly hard to search for since nearly all results I'm getting are for the dim sum style soup dumplings, like xiaolongbao and such. Is there a word more specific than dumpling to describe the American flour dumplings that you might find in chicken soup?

i0ogq1e

i0o6vic

I just googled "stew dumplings" and a bunch of recipes came up. I think you're getting poor results because you're calling them soup dumplings and that's something completely different.

Maybe try searching southern chicken and dumplings?

3wjyjw

askculinary_test

What was your culinary school's go-to textbook?

cxx4n1t

cxxi4pc

Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine

The Professional Chef. I think we were using the 6th edition while I was there, but they're up to 8th edition now.

x0saig

askculinary_test

Is it true black pepper burns easily so you shouldn't season meat you intend to sear with it, and add it afterwards? I saw on a random TikTok someone say they don't use black pepper on steak before searing it because the black pepper just burns.

im9vbew

im9r8ce

Steak au Poivre without a seared black pepper crust? That’s just, steak with salt and pepper on the table.

Pepper does burn, yes. I do it anyways. Tastes great to me, though I do go for a coarser grind. If you don't like the flavor, do it after.

g2sf4y

askculinary_test

why does caramel/sugar not crystallize when stirred in hot oil? When cooking sugar water, it is commonly advised to not stir the sugar or else the sugar will crystallize. I'm watching Chinese Cooking Demystified's video on Chinese braised pork belly, and here he caramelized the sugar in oil instead of water. He stirred constantly and the sugar reached a deep brown without crystallizing. Why does this happen in oil but not in water?

fno3hsa

fnnuhb2

Sugar dissolves into water but it does not dissolve into oil. Crystallisation occurs when a saturated sugar water solution became super saturated by evaporating water past the solution's saturation point. At super saturation the solution is unstable and wants to crystallise but needs something to seed the crystallisation process (this is called nucleation) Nucleation can occur on utensils or any errant sugar crystals that form on the side of the pot. A sugar oil mixture is a mixture, not a solution. It does not condense over time lime sugar water so it will never reach super saturation. Source : I am an environmental scientist and I'm a science tutor who likes to hold experiments for students.

I’ve stirred sugar into water my entire life an I’ve never had it crystallize. Am I just lucky or is not stirring a myth?

pb9md0

askculinary_test

Is there a name for the tomato sauce base used in ratatouille From https://tasty.co/recipe/ratatouille: > Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove from heat, then add the basil. Is this a sauce that is commonly used in other recipes as well? Like a pasta or pizza maybe. Or is this something specifically for this dish

haa5drz

haa6xxy

A basic Tomato Sauce is one of the Mother sauces. Where it goes from there is anyone's guess and other than that, its name varies by who is using it for what.

Piperade. It's mostly tomato and bell pepper as noted in your post. You'll want a really find dice - then you don't need to blend. If you're making the pretty confit byaldi version I recommend a thin layer of potato between the piperade and the eggplant/zucchini/squash/tomato. It adds some structure. A light vinaigrette over all with a restrained hand before baking. Don't tell Thomas Keller about the potatoes. \*grin\* Sshhhh.

12hsy3

askculinary_test

Why is "pork stock" uncommon in comparison to chicken and beef stock? Flavor-wise, I could see something like pork stock used often to give dishes amazing flavor. Have any of you made or used something similar?

c6v5aro

c6v50rg

A big part of it has to do with butchery methods. If you ever watch European seam butchery which is done with your hands and a knife, you will see the emphasis is on maximizing usable meat. In the US you see a emphasis on efficiency of cutting up as many animals as fast as possible. Band-saws galore! In charcuterie you want to take the maximized muscle option so you can get the Coppa. The neck muscle that Americans cut off in the middle when they create the Boston butt. In the US band-saw world you end up with ribs that still have meat on them. Actually a whole different way to ask the question is "Why are there no good rib bbq recipes coming out of Europe?". So in europe they remove the bones that have hardly any meat on them, and toss them into the stock pot. In the US you get bones with your pork butt, chops, and ribs.... Seam Butchery = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVJXIF8SiJI&feature=related Band Saw = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA7-KCBPvss

It's not uncommon, just that different geographic regions might prefer different tastes. In Asia, fish stock and pork stock are very very common, whereas in Europe and the US, beef stock is much more common. Chicken stock seems to be universal, though.

e5sfl1

askculinary_test

Why are Restaurant Supply Stores Business-only? Any way around this? There's certain ingredients in my area that can only be found at a local restaurant supply store. I don't have a business but I cook a lot for friends and give out tons of food for the holidays. Honestly this is just a hobby for me, my day job pays way more than cooking ever could, and I don't feel I'm good enough to charge for the food anyway. So I intend for it to stay a hobby. But... I really want access to that sweet sweet Callebaut coveture chocolate that the store sells, as well as a few other things I can't find anywhere else. Why do these places only sell to other businesses? My money is just as green as everyone else's. Do I really need to file for a business license for this? This seems like overkill.

f9lnqw6

f9lnyqp

if you know someone in the industry you can use their info (with their permission of course). there's also the Costco business center. regular Costco members have access and can get stuff that is usually only sold to restaurants.

>Why do these places only sell to other businesses? Try another one? I shop at the local restaurant supply all the time.

dhh2yb

askdocs_test

My wife has been sick for the past few months and doctor s don't have any answers for us (long post) Please help us. (Long post ahead but totally desperate) Hi, I'm writing this on behalf of my wife, partly because I'm at my wit's end with what happened to her, she doesn't have Reddit.  Background- My wife is 27, female, white and was relatively healthy. Only a few problems with her back pain and migraines since she was young. About seven months ago my wife started to complain about chest pain. She also started having much more intense headaches. She has always suffered from migraines but these became so much worse. She was seen for the pain in her chest in March, they did a breast exam and said she looked fine. They told her to take a new RX when she felt a headache coming on. The medicine did absolutely nothing. The headaches continued to escalate. And the chest's pain got worse over the next few months. In June, while I was at work, My wife lost consciousness fell and hit her head and remembered nothing of what happened. She lost control of her bladder and threw up on herself. We rushed to the Urgent Care. They told her her heart and blood work looked fine. And sent her home. It happened again within 24 hrs. And it got to the point her she was 'blacking out' every hour. Finally it got so bad we took her to the emergency room. They did and MRI of her head and an EKG. The results were normal with no signs of seizures. A doctor came in the room at the hospital and told my wife, it was all in her head. And (this is a real quote) 'if she thinks happy thoughts and makes herself happy the problem will go away'. She was so traumatized by this experience that she refused to go see more doctors for the next three months. Even though her symptoms got so much worse. She was unable to keep up at work and was forced to step down (her boss is like a father to her and he was understanding but insisted). She continued to black out at least 4 times a day. She became so fatigued that she could barely leave the house without blacking out. She developed more severe chest pain and with it shortness in breath. Her headaches became so severe that she started to punch things, banging her head against the wall, scream and yell and kick. They last for about three hours at a time. We tried oxygen and it did help! But doctors refuse to give her an oxygen tank to keep on hand. Finally in September it had gotten so bad that she got a new primary care doctor. The doctor tested for a blood clot and did a CT scan of her chest. These came back normal,except for an elevated de dimer (I think this is how you spell it). She also wore a holt monitor and they said there was nothing unusual about her heart. This doctor wouldn't help with the headaches and sent her to a neurologist. It was going to take 16 weeks to get in. She decided to see a new neurologist that she hasn't seen before because she was seen by one she didn't feel was helpful. We still have nearly 5 weeks to wait for this appointment. (It was made the first week in September) She has only gotten worse since September. She now sleeps 12-15 hrs a day and can hardly do the things she needs to do even when she tries. She blacks out every single day at least 4 times. Today for example she blacked out 6 times before noon. Sometimes she will now be unconscious but able to walk around. Leaving our apartment and wandering and waking up with no memory of how she got there. She can and does hit her head, face, legs, arms and back as she falls. She has intermittent fevers that last for about half a day at a time. She loses vision in her left eye for hours at a time. She becomes delusional and will forget where she is, who she is talking to, things that have been said/ that haven't been said. Every day now she is in pain on some or all of her joints. Knees and and forearm in particular. Keeping her awake at night and from exercising. Also shortness of breath doesn't help. Her hair is falling out in chunks. (You should see the shower, it's gross.) She gets weird rashes all over her body. Especially the face. She is getting sores in her mouth, and now barely eats. And of course headaches. We have tried different vitamins recommended by the doctor. We have tried to go see other specialist (Endocrinologists, rheumatologist... etc) but her PCP refuses without hard evidence. She is not on any medication, except birth control. And when she needs it an anxiety medication, but she doesn't take it very much. I give her Tylenol for headaches and pain but it hardly works. She does take edibles (marijuana) for the pain now because it's the only thing that seems to help. I should  also mention that my wife has gone to therapy every two weeks since May, since they told her it was all in her head. She has put in the work and does and listens to her therapist. I can't leave her alone during the day for fear she will fall and hit her head again, or worse wander out into the street. I'm at a loss. And apparently the doctors are too. No one seems to care because she is normal looking and young. Is there something they are missing? What else can we try? Is there something we should demand of the doctors? Anything will help, I'm seriously desperate.

f3o8vb0

f3nyqa9

Has she been checked for lupus and other autoimmune stuff ? Not a dr

This is so sad. Hope you two find an answer soon.

wfektr

askdocs_test

My mom has hundreds of tumors all over her body; she has stage IV melanoma cancer. Female, 60, 5'1, 100lbs, non-smoker, California, all over body She has Stage IV Melanoma, and none of the doctors or medical professionals she's seen has ever encountered anything of its kind. She has hundreds of tumors all over her body. When one googles "melanoma tumors", nothing like hers even pops up. It's the most bizarre thing, ever. It's very depressing. She even asked one doctor "are you sure it's melanoma?" and he sort of chuckled and said "you know what, we said the same thing" so they ran some tests and I guess yeah it is indeed melanoma. Could it be something else? I’ve never seen anything like this.

iitl28t

iitm8qs

More info would be helpful. When was she diagnosed with melanoma and were did they take the tissue from? Did hundreds of tumors develop all over her skin in recent months or did she already have hundreds of melanocytic naevi (benign) that now change? Did she have staging / imaging and what were the results? What else did her doctors do apart from chuckling - did they discuss any sort of treatment plan already, and if yes, what? Edit: Also, could you maybe provide a picture of said tumors?

Melanoma is quite aggressive when it becomes metastatic. Tumor needs to be tested for BRAF mutation which may allowed for targeted therapy. Other mutations should also be tested which may predict response to and allow for additional targeted therapy. Immunotherapy is being used all the time. I’ve seen melanoma melt away like butter when we first started using ipi/novo combination and therapies have only gotten better. Where are you located? Is your mom being treated at or near an academic center? Sorry that you’re going through this. Not sure I’ve seen hundreds of tumors like you’re describing but I’ve seen widely metastatic melanoma plenty.

zzmu2v

askdocs_test

Can anyone please help me get answers? my doctors arent helping me and ive been struggling since i was 15 I am female, 19, 5'6, 136 pounds (2019) One week when I was 15 In the fall I began having issues pooping, this was weird because id NEVER had issues pooping before and always had a big healthy poop every 1/2 days. I was being late to school because id spend so much time straining in the morning. I told my parents that week that i hadnt been able to poop all week and they made me a black coffee with coconut oil. it kind of helped, but the constipation continued despite no change in my life style. I was taken to the doctor around december and even though i was drinking plenty of water, i had a smoothie before the appointment so my pee was more yellow than usual, and the doctor just rubbed it off as me needing to drink more water. (2020) I continued for about a year only pooping once a week, and needing a laxative to do so. I started getting extremely bloated and not wanting to eat or even drink water because i felt so full and it hurt. I ended up waking up one day extremely nauceous and threw up, and i threw everything since my lunch from the previous day completely undigested. This cycle continued where id be constipated all week, get sick and throw up undigested food at the end and use a laxative as an emergency. I was taken to the doctor again and she told me I need to eat more (even though I was eating a normal amount, a pretty equal and balanced diet actually) I was at my massage therapist and told her about my issues and that it hurt to lay on my stomach, she started feeling my stomach and gut and told me that she felt some sort of mass in my gut and tried to gently massage it, but told me to go to the doctor and demand answers. (2021) I was taken to the doctor and this one actually listened, she had me do an x ray and they found that I was full of poop, pushing on my organs, making me llook bigger, and pushing on my lungs as well, all the way up to my lungs was poop build up. The doctor was extremely bothered that none of the doctors before me paid attention to my complaints and said this was extremely dangerous. They said it seemed like my digestive system wasnt working properly/failed They planned another visit for me to have testing done, but till then had me to a colonoscopy prep(for 7 days) to empty my bowls so that the medical risk went down. I was so excited to finally get relief Nothing happened About 3 days in of taking 7 laxatives a day i got a little but of diareah, but it was like it was leaking around it and not actually emptying it out. It was a normal amount. When i finally got the test done, they said that my bowel muscles seemed to be working fine and that they wernt sure what was wrong, they told me to not eat much and try to drink mainly liquids till they could figure out the problem, but they just never followed up?? So eventually i started eating normal again. Ive since moved and am not with my parents doctor anymore, but the constipation has only gotten worse. Everytime i poop i need to strain so hard and almost always bleed feel my anus tearing no matter how small it is. Sometimes 1 tiny circle poop comes out and abunch of blood and blood clots/clumps is a majority of whats in the toilet and it gets everywhere. Another thing i noticed is that the non tiny poops/normal ones are extremely too big for the hole, and almost flat, so the hole cant gradually expand to let it out, like a cone shape. If the hole is 1 inch open the base of the poop is 2 1/2 inches or more. pooping makes my body so sore and shakey and it covers the toilet and my hands in blood. I tried to get help with medicaid but they said because i was moving states soon they couldnt help me. Does anyone know what this might be?

j2dvgub

j2eix3a

You should follow up with the doctor that did your colonoscopy.

Get all your previous medical records and find a gastroenterologist.

ml8hsj

askdocs_test

Received 2nd Moderna shot. Weird side effect? 35 Female. 5'5, 135lbs. By 12 hours after I received it I spiked a fever of 102+, body aches so bad that I couldn't lay still because my bones hurt even, migraine, and chills. My arm is the size of my thigh and I can't move it. But all those are common side effects of the second shot. Now, here's the weird part that I have been freaked out about, when my fever was at its highest I began to involuntarily stretch. Over and over my body would just stretch. I couldn't control it. i can't find anything about it online. I can't imagine I'm the only one who has gone through this. Did it have something to do with my fever, dehydration, or what?

gtl8y3r

gtki97h

Nothing mentioned here sounds concerning. The involuntary need to stretch can happen from a fever directly or indirectly based on how the fever and your body responds to the vaccine, relating to extrapyramidal symptoms.

Rigors?

elcpn8

askdocs_test

My partner [27/F] has some serious issues with her back passage and we don't know what to do. (Attempt 2) I posted this 15 days ago and got no responses. I'm gonna try again because I really want some answers to this. Apologies if my explanation of what's going on goes a little all over the place, I'm not really sure what the best way to go about explaining everything is, but I did the best I could to get things as coherant and understandable as possible while explaining as much as I can about everything that's happening. Feel free to offer any feedback on how I can re-word this to explain things better or ask any clarification questions you may have. And please carefully read the whole thing before you comment any suggestions or anything. Thank you. ​ About three years ago now, my partner developed a health problem. It started out small but just kept getting worse and worse and causing other issues alongside it, and now everything's just gotten extremely bad. ​ Let's get the medical details out of the way first. We don't know my partner's current weight (though she is a bit on the chubby side), her height is about 6 foot, she doesn't smoke, doesn't drink any alcohol, doesn't take any drugs, not currently taking any medicine and has no known current medical issues (except maybe some undiagnosed anxiety issues) ​ Okay so let's start with the symptoms of my partner's health problem. They are as follows; **Symptom 1)** Yellow or brown (Or somewhere in between) liquid (Not watery, more mucus-y) discharge (Before you say it, it's not diarrhea or constipation) from the butthole that takes more than one roll of toilet paper to wipe off before it stops. Especially after going number 2. It just never seems to stop coming after a number 2. Every time she wipes, there's discharge. It's gotten to the point of where she doesn't bother to keep wiping until it finally decides to completely stop, but rather get it down to where it's only a little bit coming out and then move on to other things while she waits for it to eventually stop on its own. This discharge doesn't always appear when going number 1, I think. We are using wet wipes as a replacement for TP to clean things up but it still takes several packets a day. So it's either spend a few quid on a big packet of TP daily or spend a few quid on several packs of wet wipes daily. Works out to more or less the same amount of money spent over the same period of time either way. **Symptom 2)** Tiny specks of what we can only assume is fecal matter being deposited from her butthole into her buttcrack. Again, taking multiple rolls of paper to remove. And she fears if she doesn't remove them they'll just fall off into her clothes and onto everywhere she walks, sits and lays in bed. They appear every time she goes number 1 except for roughly a day-long period immediately following going number 2, which suggests they're from any amount of fecal matter that's formed in her intestines. These specks are so small that they are not visible to the naked eye unless you look really closely. ​ She spends about an hour in the bathroom every time she goes number 1, and at least 3 hours when she goes number 2, and 99% of both time periods is JUST so she can clean herself up after the actual deed. It drains all her time and energy every single day. She's too exhausted to do anything other than sit on the couch and do stuff on the laptop. This leaves me to have to keep on top of all the chores...and as you can imagine being one person dealing with chores generated from two people is not easy, especially when one of those people is generating way more than the normal amount of trash because of their health issues. She's been to a few different doctors a number of times about her issues. They've done blood tests, put a camera up her rear and tested a fecal matter sample. Every single test revealed nothing abnormal. The doctors are clueless. One even suggested it's all in her head and wanted to send her to a phsychiarist. No, it is NOT all in her head. These are real, physical symptoms she's having. I've seen the discharge myself on a number of occasions. They also keep asking if it's diarrhea or constipation for some reason, but it's neither of those. It's like they just don't understand what we're trying to tell them. We feel like we're not able to explain our issues to them properly so they can fully understand what's going on. It doesn't help that normal GP appointments only have a short period of allotted time to talk to the doctor in, so we can't get the full story out. We're also concerned they think she's making all this up just to get out of having to find a job. And because her issue takes up all her time and energy, we rarely have the chance to make regular appointments to talk to the doctor more and maybe try some other tests to see if they can finally determine what's going on. ​ We have a few theories as to what could be affecting her but they're just theories. We're obviously not medical experts or anything. I'll put them in order from most likely culprit to least; **Theory 1) Irratable Bowel Syndrome.** This was suggested to us by someone we confided with in real life who just so happened to have IBS themselves and recognised the symptoms. At the time, the symptoms did seem to match up. The discharge, at the time my partner was feeling like she didn't get rid of everything every time she went number 2, stomach cramps...I don't remember what else... Another thing that points towards IBS is that, before her health issues arose, my partner has actually had the discharge appear throughout her life on very rare occasions, only much smaller amounts which cleared away with normal toilet paper usage, which suggests some kind of genetic issue that we can put somewhere under the IBS umbrella. However, we scoured the internet and asked around a little bit regarding IBS but could not for the life of us find any mention of the tiny fecal specks. In fact, it's as if the tiny fecal specks symptom doesn't exist AT ALL in any known medical ailment. At least, not as far as we can find. **Theory 2) Toilet usage issues messed up her digestive tract.** When my partner and I first started living together, we spent over a year sharing a house and a single bathroom with two other people. And just about any time my partner used the bathroom during this time, one or both of the other two other people would come to the bathroom, find it occupied, tut, sigh, and then go back from whence they came while they wait for it to be unoccupied again. Hearing them tutting and sighing caused my partner to become self-concious about her toilet usage and it discouraged her from using the bathroom as often as she needed, especially for number 2s. She ended up holding number 2s way longer than she should, making them build up into huge toilet-clogging monsters which only worsened the issue. We think her holding her number 2s like this might have messed up her internal pipes somewhere somehow. When they had a look in there with the camera, they didn't really go very deep from what I saw on the diagram they provided afterwards. The damage could be further up where the camera didn't see. Either that or holding so much for so long reprogrammed her chute to behave in this abnormal way and re-educating it back to normal will be difficult. The only issue with this explanation is when we moved out of the living situation with those other two people into a place of our own, for the first couple of weeks there my partner's number 2s were actually perfectly normal. No issues whatsoever. Then one day, she found the discharge on her underwear. And that's where it all started about 3 years ago. **Theory 3) Fecal Impaction** We recently found this when looking up the question of if it's possible for your bowel movements to damage your bowels, and a lot of the symptoms seemed to line up with what my partner's been experiencing. It could very well explain the particles...a bit of number 2 constantly stuck at the end of the chute or something like that...it would make sense...right? I don't know if that's something they would spot when they went in with the camera that time though... **Theory 4) A drastic change in diet messed up her digestive tract.** My partner is originally from Romania, where she enjoyed healthy homemade food served to her by her family for every meal on a daily basis and she very rarely had any fast food. Before she came to England, she was warned by a friend of hers that had already visited a few times that we pretty much only had fast food in our supermarkets. I guess she wasn't prepared for just how true that statement is. In an instant she went from a healthy nutritious diet of daily homemade meals to having what amounts to something outta McDonalds every lunch and dinner. She has no idea where to even look for the healthier homemade stuff she used to have, and neither do I. Like jeez, England, get your culinary stuff together. I was having this stuff my whole life and never realised it wasn't normal until my partner told me when we got together. Nobody said anything to me until then, not even my parents. Heck, my parents even FED me that stuff when I was younger. What's more, anything healthier is pretty darn expensive for the amount you get. Healthier foods seriously need to be made more readily available for cheaper. No question about it. **Theory 5) Dehydration.** We reckon my partner is not getting enough liquid into her system. She has told me on multiple occasions she feels she needs to drink more than she is doing. This is confirmed by the fact her number 2s are often quite dark, which is a sign of lack of hydration. Unfortunately there's another issue preventing her from trying to drink more. As well as the fact that her main health issues are causing her to spend an hour in the toilet every time she goes number 1, she's also been getting an occasional occurrence of periods of time where she constantly feels the need to go number 1, even from literally the split second after she just finished going number 1. She does try to squeeze out whatever's in there, but nothing comes out, and she still feels the need to go. So she ends up finishing with the toilet while feeling the need to go number 1, and then going about her day until she's sure she has some liquid in there again, rinse, and repeat. This constant feeling of needing to go has lead her to...have accidents on multiple occasions, especially when she's trying to wake up in the morning. Like, as soon as she gets out of bed she has to rush to the toilet. But sometimes she's not fast enough to avoid drenching her garments. The cold seems to make it much, much worse as well. She's always had a cold sensitivity but once she got these health issues, her feeling cold causes her bladder to go crazy. And when she goes number 2, at the same time she finds herself going number 1 three or four times in a row, and then two or three more times while she's cleaning up after. We have no idea where her bladder is getting all this liquid from. We're pretty confident she's outputting way more liquid than she's drinking each day. In fact she seems to need to go as soon as she drinks something, like the drink is just going right through her. We do suspect a UTI is at play, possibly brought on by her main health issue somehow. So with her going number 1 or feeling the need to go number 1 all the time, and having to spend an hour every time, being motivated to drink more is pretty darn difficult. **Theory 6) Stress** The health problem may have been started by stress. And then she's stressing about the health problem. Aaaand hello vicious cycle. **Theory 7) She's doing something wrong with wiping herself.** This is a theory she has but one that I feel makes no sense. She has this idea that somehow she's doing something wrong with how she's wiping with the toilet paper and that's what's bringing out the discharge and the particles. I have no idea how you can even do something wrong. You wipe along your crack. That's pretty much it. How can you get that wrong? I dunno. I think those are all the theories we've come up with so far. So yeah, we think the problem could be any one of those theories, or even a combination of them. ​ Moving on, I should mention my partner is a bit of a cleanliness freak. So much so she absolutely refuses to sit on the porcelean throne without covering it in clean toilet paper first. She's convinced it's always dirty, no matter how much it's actually cleaned. But with her issue with number 1s she's always ending up needing to go really, really bad like she can't hold it another minute so she has no time to cover the seat with paper, So instead she goes number 1 just crouching over the toilet. So she's also standing the whole 1 hour it takes her to use the bathroom. She's not just cleaning her buttcrack and/or her peepee hole either, she also cleans her buttcheeks and all down her legs, because she's convinced she's got those particles I talked about earlier falling all over those areas every time she uses the bathroom. I don't know if that's actually happening, since I can't exactly watch what's happening to her in the bathroom. (It's way too small for two people to occupy) That's not to mention each time she goes number 1 the liquid trickles down her legs each time. Oh, and obviously if she has an accident she has to clean that off her legs. I have to help out as well by bringing packs of wet wipes and handing her the wet wipes for her to use. She always ends up using up a whole pack for number 1 and several packs (varying from 4 up to 8, sometimes more, depending on how bad the discharge decides to be) for number 2. Here's another thing, she has to use so much toilet paper that it doesn't even fit in the toilet bowl, she has to use trash bins. And we live in an apartment block with a trash chute that's only big enough to fit shopping carrier bag sized trash bags. So we have to have two small trash bins in the bathroom for all the toilet paper and wet wipes she uses, and every time she uses the bathroom she fills them to overflowing and it sometimes falls off onto the floor, and then she stresses about it blowing dirt from the floor and the fallen trash onto her, so she ends up cleaning herself even more from that, creating even more trash to put on the already overflowing trash bins! I have suggested a third bin to help alleviate things but she doesn't think there's enough space. Her feet sometimes accidentally kick the two that's there already as it is. And that's just from going number one. When she goes number two, about halfway through the whole ordeal we actually have to take the time for her to empty the bins of the full bags, give them to me to dispose of, and then have me give her fresh empty bags to put in the bins, and then she proceeds to fill and overflow those too before she's finished! And we have to use gloves for this. In fact we have to use gloves for pretty much everything when she goes number two, so I have to bring her gloves to use! Mostly gloves for the wet wipes to wipe her crack with. She doesn't want to get naked fingers covered in ass discharge while she's cleaning, obviously. Also when she goes number two, she HAS to change all her clothes to a clean set, no question. Again, with gloves. Also she has to put two period pads onto her underwear to be able to cover all three..."exits", hoping they'll catch anything that might otherwise fall onto her clothes. As you can imagine, all this toilet paper, wet wipes and period pads causes a serious drain on our already lacking funds...and obviously we can't get any jobs while we're dealing with these health issues. Also, all this standing around in the bathroom causes a lot of leg and back pain and she never really has time to recover before she needs the bathroom again so it's just steadily getting worse and worse and causing more and more pain. When she goes walking, she worries about when she walks normally, her period pads feel like they're moving side to side and uncovering her butt crack and letting particles got into her pants, so to keep them centered as much as possible she does this weird slow stiff walk that only causes even more pain. Lately she's been complaining about not having the physical strength to continue cleaning herself whenever she's in the toilet. She's not just talking about each partcular time, either, she means in general she feels like the time she spends in the toilet is draining her physical strength more and more. She says she feels like she's just going to collapse in the bathroom one day, a thing she really doesn't want to happen, especially during number 2, because the floor is not clean at all, it's likely got those particles all over it and more often than not there's a puddle in front of the toilet as well from her not being able to hold number 1, and she doesn't know how to clean herself up after that. Wet wipes won't be enough and she'll be at the point where just jumping in the shower will just not be physically possible. What's more she could get seriously injured from the collapse, possibly even to a fatal degree if she hits her head on something hard and unforgiving. In general she's in fear of her life, that something's just gonna give and she's just gonna die from all this strain her body's being put through, and we feel absolutely powerless to stop it from happening. I really can't stress enough just how bad it is. She keeps talking about how she's losing her mind and how she can't keep going on like this and she keeps yelling at the universe to just fluffing kill her already if that's what all this is leading to. She also gets upset that she feels she ruined my life by coming into it, and I have to reassure her that's not the case. (I ruined my life plenty already by being a lazy piece of whatever before I met her) Sometimes she gets so upset she wants to go kill herself somehow, and I have to try and help calm her down. But it's getting harder and harder each time. One time recently she got so upset she stormed off right out of our apartment and made it down four floors of stairs before I could get her to stop and calm down. So I guess my question is this; What the heck health issue is plaguing my partner, and how do we effectively communicate to a doctor in real life what's going on?

fdhfi4z

fdh8nsz

This sounds like an issue with being obsessed with cleanliness and not a gastrointestinal disorder.

So firstly, get a bidet. It will save you so much money and time, and will likely help with the specs too. Edit: you can get ones that attach to the toilet for like $50 on Amazon.

jzjtz9

askdocs_test

My body feels bruised but it isnt No injury. It's just tender to the touch basically everywhere. Getting dressed feels awful. This has been going on for months now. Theres no visible bruising. I dont have any diagnosed blood disorders, but I do occasionally wake up with unexplained bruises on my arms and legs and I used to bleed excessively (soaked through several towels and swallowed a LOT of blood when I got my lip pierced, cut while shaving and bled for 3 days, etc) 24f, 175 lbs, 5ft 4in I take methylphenidate, aimovig, Lamotrigine, vimpat I have migraines, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, adhd

gdc9y24

gdcdn2e

Not a doctor. I suggest a doctor. Sounds like some sort of inflammatory problem or fibromyalgia. Whatever it is I think you need to see an MD.

There are a few things here that raise the alarm. It could be a collagen disorder such as Ehlers-Danlos, but the bleeding is a priority and is quite concerning for me. Please see your primary doctor with some urgency and get it checked out - I would expect a good panel of blood tests to look for anything out of the ordinary

n2kys3

askdocs_test

My doctor has just diagnosed me with having two uteruses, two cervixes and two vaginas. Can I get an IUD, or will I need to get one in each uterus? I (25F) have just had a transvaginal scan which revealed I have either uterus didelphys or complete bicornate bicollis uterus (they don’t seem to be sure and I’m not quite sure what either term means). But essentially they’ve said I have double of my uterus, cervix and vagina, and they said it’s like having a shitty version of the septum in your nose. (Great, sounds lovely, thanks doc). But anyway, I’ve always wanted to get an IUD, because I heard they can be better for you than the pill and help with bad period pain, etc. I’ve always had longer periods (like 7 days long) with really bad pain - ‘taking full doses of ibuprofen and Panadol and still needing a heat pack’ type pain - and changing between pill brands didn’t help at all. (Oh, and I bled even with tampons in, so I thought I was just really bad at. . . Putting them in, I guess?? I had very bad self-confidence). So I wanted to get the pain under control and knew the doc could possibly give me pain meds, or even better an IUD, which is part of the reason I went to see the doc in the first place. And, because. . . Well I had always known I was a bit different (I just had like, an extra path. I thought it was a pocket, I think? A surprise, like in a really cool dress?). I told the doc and she said ‘look, it’s extremely unlikely, you probably have endo’ and sent me for an ultrasound. My mum said ‘you’re an idiot, I’ll buy you a bloody car if you have two vaginas’. I haven’t reminded her about that yet. So anyway, I’ve been referred to see if I have both my kidneys (apparently sometimes people like me lose them?) and see a gynaecologist who will maybe know how the hell I deal with pregnancy if that ever happens. Or two pregnancies in two uteruses at once, if you’ve really done something to offend some fertility deity. So in the short term, I’m still in pain, and is there any chance I could get an UID before I try to think about the horror of childbirth(s)? Or do I need two IUD’s? Or will that make me bleed out and kill me or something? (Oh, and please tell me if you know of anyone like me. I would appreciate knowing they exist because at the moment it seems like they’re only in medical journals.)

gwkv4rz

gwlfcs1

One of the important parts of successful IUD placement is that the uterus be uterus-shaped. A listed contraindication for IUDs, like the Mirena, is "Congenital or acquired uterine anomaly including fibroids if they distort the uterine cavity." There are plenty of times when it's appropriate to go off-label, as long as the practitioner has good reason, client consent, and really knows their stuff. It sounds like two IUDs have been placed successfully in the context of uterus didelphys, but it might make sense to consider other effective options for bleeding management that aren't dependent on uterus shape (like implant, ring, shot, pill, patch). Any combined hormonal contraceptive (pill, patch, ring) will likely help with cramping and bleeding, plus provide more predictability regarding bleeding, more options to find the right one for you, and more control regarding how you use it than an IUD. The nice thing is there are lots of options out there and a good provider will work with you until you find a method that helps you and makes your life better.

Not a doctor but I have the same condition (and only one kidney). There's a good private Facebook group called "abnormalities of the uterus - uterine didelphys" which is very active and has lots of helpful ladies willing to answer questions and share experiences. If Nexplanon implants are available in your area, I'd recommend discussing that with your healthcare provider rather than an IUD. Feel free to PM me if you like :)

x0un63

askdocs_test

Why was my wife's pain treated so inadequately after surgery? My (41M) wife (38F) recently had abdominal surgery. I arrived back at the hospital to find her basically overwhelmed with pain the morning after the surgery. She had had no pain relievers administered in almost 11 hours. She was sobbing, writhing, shaking, with blood pressure 50 points higher than normal. They hadn't given her any opioids overnight, nor had they given her tylenol or NSAIDS. My limited understanding of pain relief after surgery is that you stay ahead of the pain. You don't let it become overwhelming for the patient. We are trying to figure why this happened, particularly so we can prevent it from happening again. She was semi-traumatized from the experience. My wife has no history of opioid abuse and in fact has a history of using opioids briefly after other surgeries and then getting off of them quickly with no issue, so opioid abuse should not have been a concern preventing my wife from getting proper care. What we did figure out is that the process that was in place for pain relievers at this hospital was that my wife was supposed to be asking for them, or they were not going to be given. The nurses kept saying that pain relief was "PRN". However neither my wife nor I were ever informed that she would need to be doing the asking or would get nothing for pain and with major abdominal surgery, we had both assumed that the doctors and nurses would be providing for her pain relief so soon after surgery. She did not know to ask and did not realize that she would be absolutely slammed with pain so soon after waking the morning after surgery. Further, the process in the hospital even after asking for pain relief is that it takes about an hour for the medication to be approved and provided. Even after the oral medication was provided, it would take another hour to become active for her symptoms. So we're talking even after my wife is begging for pain medicine, not knowing she should have to, she would be in growing pain for another two hours. By the time an oral medication was approved the morning after, my wife was afraid she was gasping and sobbing so hard it would not even be safe for her to attempt swallowing anything and requested an IV pain reliever, but this was initially denied. The nurses told her that she was in this much pain because hadn't peed and she would feel better if she walked and got up to pee, but being up and attempting to walk only increased her pain. Eventually the doctor arrived to check in and was completely appalled at the state that my wife was in and ordered the IV opioid pain relief. He said that she had been undertreated for pain. In short order after IV opioids, my wife was okay, walking, conversing, peeing and sitting up. We are left with questions about why this happened. This is a hospital with a good reputation in a major metropolitan area. Do I need to just plan on being with my wife every second if she has any future surgeries so that I can protect her? Should we just avoid this hospital? Is the way that pain relief was provided related to systemic concerns about preventing opioid addiction that we might encounter in other hospitals as well? Why on earth would pain medication be PRN so soon after abdominal surgery and why would no one tell us? Why didn't they at least provide some ibuprofen on a schedule? How can we prevent this from happening in the future and is there any particular person at the hospital we can talk to communicate that how they handled this was highly problematic and is likely to be highly problematic for other patients as well?

imdtyfc

imdt2kt

I am sorry this happened to your wife. This is inexcusable. You should get the patient advocate involved.

What surgery did she have done? Her pain should've been assessed periodically throughout the night. If a patient is asleep, I try not to wake them however. One should not assume however that just bc a patient is sleeping, her or she isn't in pain. I don't want to sound insensitive but I do find it odd that during the night, when she was woken as you mentioned, that she didn't ask for any pain medicine? Did she tell them she was in pain? Does she remember being asked for a pain score? She shouldn't have "known" to ask for pain meds, but I would think she would've communicated her pain *somehow* throughout the night. If she *did* communicate the pain, at that point the nurse fell through for not asking if she would like her PRN pain meds at that time. The reason strong pain meds are rarely given regularly without a patient having to ask, or while a patient sleeps, is because this is dangerous and you risk over sedating the patient. I do find it odd that they had to *call and ask for oral pain meds* and then wait an hour for it to be approved? Why couldn't they go ahead and pull one of the PRN meds that were ordered? That's the part that doesn't make sense to me.

amggwz

askdocs_test

My son has a patch of light blonde hair on the back of his head. He is a full brunette otherwise. is it a birth mark or something to be concerned about? I’d never seen this before, but could be poliosis? Age: 4 weeks old Sex: Male Height: 20.5 inches Weight: not sure currently Race: Caucasian/White Duration of complaint: Since birth, 4 weeks Location: lower hairline on the back of his head Medical issues: none that we know of yet Current Medications: none Photo: https://imgur.com/a/A3IwnAH

efm4agy

efmbedb

My daughter is blonde and has a patch of white- it’s just a spot of missing melanin - nothing to worry about.

It’s a Mallen streak (poliosis)! OP, there’s a lot of romance and mythology about people who have a Mallen streak, if you want to do some searching online ;) Your baby is special! ❤️

ts8j90

askdocs_test

Parents are forcing me to get a virginity check My parents are basically forcing me to get a virginity check. Trying to make them understand that there is no such thing, is not working and my life is just miserable 24/7. I just need it done at this point. I'm in my 20s and my regular PCP is a male so for this where my mom will be there, I'll need a female doc. Broken/not broken, I need the answer to be not broken. My current plan is to find a female PCP, hop on a virtual visit, explain the situation and if she agrees, book a physical appointment. Wondering if any docs were in a similar situation where they had to lie in front of the patients parents? Or have a better approach that I should take? I'm in NYC and I do plan on leaving in about two years, so that all of this is in the past but until then I just need some peace. Thanks!

i2q8x6g

i2q4zcw

If a "family friend doctor" does this without your permission, it is sexual assault. I am not a lawyer, but your mother pressuring you to have this done is, in effect, being an accessory to sexual assault. That doesn't mean you want to or should try to turn it into a legal battle, but that's the status here. With your permission, a good lawyer could probably get that recognized as malpractice, because this is not a recognized medical examination, it is not being done for any sound reason, and any harm, including emotional, suffered as a consequence would be harm due to breach of standards of care—in other words, malpractice. Leaving aside the fact that this exam is meaningless, your mother has no right to demand this or any other exam or any results of any examination you have. You are not a minor and you are entitled to full medical privacy. If you need to do something to calm her down, that's a family issue and not a medical issue. You might find a doctor who is willing to lie for you; others probably would not. Many would be happy to chew out your mother for playing into disgusting moral-medical myths.

can you just have your pcp state there is no such thing? youre gonna have a hard time getting your doc to lie. there's also no reason your parents should be in the room during the pelvic, and you can ask your doc to state its policy to not have family in the room during a private exam

zwr6xt

askdocs_test

Im afraid I’m losing my 9 year old daughter. My daughter just turned 9 a couple weeks ago. Her life has taken a major turn. She’s been the funniest, happiest girl here whole life and now it’s like something took over her brain. She all of a sudden is stressed all the time, scared to go anywhere, even school. She cries all the time and says “What’s wrong with me!” “I wish this could be taken away.” “Why is my brain doing this to me!?” It’s absolutely heartbreaking seeing her, especially at such a young age, go through this. She did start going through puberty early. Starting when she was 7.5 she skyrocketed in height, developed breast and has pubic hair. Though hasnt started her period. If you look at photos of her the year before she doesn’t look like the same person. Could her issues be related to puberty? Would hormone blockers help her? Are they safe? I miss my happy girl and hate seeing her suffer.

j1x33zw

j1x5t6u

Im so sorry this is happening to her (and you!). 7.5 is by definition precocious (early) puberty. Did she see a doctor when this was happening? If not, she should to make sure there’s not any kind of physical problems that caused it that could cause other issues. Its very hard to say what's going on, but its clear that something has changed. It could be anything from physical/hormonal problems, bullying, anxiety, school stress, even abuse or harassment by somebody. Going through puberty as a young child is really difficult, especially as a girl who will unfortunately start receiving unwanted attention once they start physically maturing—because people are disgusting. See if you can talk to her and figure out what’s happening. Whether or not she wants to talk to you, I would suggest you try to get her to speak to a counselor or therapist who can help her work through whatever’s happening. I wish you the best.

Sounds like it may be time for therapy. Honestly, solid job paying attention to her and how she’s feeling. She’s going through a lot of changes and it sounds like you’re trying to be as attentive as possible. Research says girls that start puberty younger struggle with body image, self esteem, and anxiety more than their male counterparts and girls who have puberty later. “Why is my brain doing this to me” sounds like anxiety. There are many many coping skills that she can learn to help this. Therapy could be a huge help. It’s not just for “crazy people.” Sounds like she just needs a few skills to help her out. In terms of interacting with her, remind her that she’s safe, you have her covered, and that there is nothing wrong with her. Feelings are not facts. And she’s going to be ok.

ia1mdx

askdocs_test

My wife is depressed and can't lose weight Hello medical professionals. I have a question about my wife, she doesnt use reddit, so I wanted to ask for her. My wife (29F) is about 5'7" and 165lbs. She's had 3 kids, the youngest being 2 and the oldest being 7. She has an incrediblely difficult time losing weight. She is by no means what I consider overweight, but she wants to lose weight, and there is weight to lose. We have a Peloton bike and she uses it about an hour every day along with strength trainings 3-4 times a week. She has been doing the OMAD (One Meal a Day) diet for over a month and she has not been able to lose any weight. She has been on various workout regimes and diets for a couple of years with no noticeable effects. Its tough for me to watch since she tries so so hard, adheres to very strick diets, works out like nobody else I've ever seen and she still can't lose any weight. I feel like if anyone else was doing what she does they'd be losing tons of weight. Whenever I do her diets and workouts I end up losing weight so fast. She also suffers from depression. She takes a low dose of FLUoxetine (10mg a day), and her struggles with losing weight usually put her in a bout of depression a few times a week. She also gets depressed easily about other things, but most of the time it is from her not losing weight. When she is depressed she has a hard time being motivated to do anything and she talks about how much she hates herself. I do feel like it is depression rather than just being bummed. She is also very sensitive to foods and sugar. If she eats something sugary on an empty stomach, she gets sick to her stomache. She can't drink soda because it makes her sick, and just overall has a very sensitive stomach. She had a really hard time with the OMAD diet when she started because she would would feel sick to her stomach if she hadn't eaten, but she says it's not bad anymore. We were sure she had hyperthyroidism since the symptoms seemed to fall in line with that. We went to our pcp and they did the tests for hyperthyroidism and she also tested her for diabetes. We got the test results tonight and they all came back in the normal range, so she doesnt have hyperthyroidism or diabetes. This put her in a depressed mood because she feels like she just isn't doing enough to lose weight and she was so sure this was the issue. I have a hard time believing that there isnt something wrong with her body and I just feel like there is an underlying issue. My wife doesn't want to go back to the pcp since she is so embarrassed by this. I wanted to get all of your thoughts and see if you have seen anything similar. I really just want my wife back, her depression has taken a big toll on me and I struggle seeing her so down on herself all the time and there is nothing I do or say that helps. Thanks everyone!

g1jp2g0

g1kucms

Focus on treating the depression first and the weight loss will come much easier. As someone who lost 130 pounds I can tell you that weighing a certain number or looking a certain way can make you feel some better, but it by no means will make your problems go away, and it absolutely will not cure depression. For me, the answer was finding freedom in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. Your wife might not feel it, but she has immeasurable value.

Not a doctor - Mom here who was struggling to lose weight too, vegan diet, exercise, the whole nine. My PCP sent me to an endocrinologist to make sure my hormone levels were normal and my pituitary/thyroid/adrenals were working! Turns out they weren’t. Keep digging, keep trying, keep reminding her to be gentle with herself - she’s so strong! Sending you all the love.

nxj6o6

askdocs_test

Can anyone explain why once I see a GI doc, no other GI docs will see me? 36M My current GI isn't ideal for me. He made fun of me for being anxious. He dilated my esophagus so far (used maximum dilator) I couldn't eat for almost a month, they denied what they did had anything to do with it. I don't care for his ego. I hate that he won't explain anything to me and everything I ask is either "nope won't show anything" or "you need a colonoscopy". I've tried to go to other GI's but nobody will see me. Been to three different GP's and they all say the same thing, once one GI see's you others won't. WTF? Is there some kind of GI cult in the South Eastern US? I have no idea what to do.... I just want to know why this is even a thing.

h1g6arl

h1fu3dv

,

Our neurosurgery practice doesn't like to see patients as 'second opinions' or who have seen another neurosurgeon because the typical reason they're seeing another neurosurgeon is that they didn't get an answer they wanted to hear. When our answer is then the same they get upset all over again. Another reason might be they have chronic pain after another surgeon operated, and no one likes taking care of someone else's mess if they can avoid it. Not saying any of that applies to OP, but those are some reasons why practices don't like doc shoppers. Also bad for continuity of care and sometimes to abuse pain prescriptions. *Edit: prefer not to do second opinions doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It's not a hard stop. Also consulting another specialty is not a second opinion, that happens all the time

9yeg6h

askdocs_test

My saliva has smelled bad my entire life. Never kissed my wife at our wedding and rarely will. Help me, to embarrassed to confront her or doctors about it. **28** **Male** **159lbs** **6ft** **White** ​ My saliva has always smelled this way. I assume I was born this way and have been too embarrassed to confront doctors about this and especially my parents or siblings. No matter how much I brush my teeth, mouthwash or stay hydrated my saliva will always smell moldy or have a vinegar scent. I only kiss my wife with a peck on the lips and barely kissed her at our wedding. It is now starting to bother her that I dont kiss her, she is starting to believe I am either gay or dont love her. Please help me.

ea0u9x1

ea0taep

Please tell your wife why you don’t kiss. She will understand.

Could be a Zenker’s diverticulum or similar esophageal disorder where a an abnormal “pocket” forms, trapping food you have swallowed. The trapped food then can causes bad breath and other symptoms you described. Worth it to go see a gastroenterologist or a general surgeon where a swallow study or a scope can diagnose this.

eur94u

askdocs_test

What killed my(30M) nephew(19M)? Hey everyone! As the title said, my nephew died unexpectedly 16 days ago, and we have no idea how. We are still waiting for the autopsy report, but our family is obviously grieving and the uncertainty is killing us. Therefore im turning to you, in order order for, even if it's very little, information. I will do my best in explaining the whole situation. Im also an CRNA and therefore have some medical knowledge. My nephew was a typical teenager. Just finished high school, didn't have a job yet. Was up all night gaming and sleeping all day. Had alot of friends, was a very kind-hearted person. Had no known medical issues apart from being born pre-mature and having ADD. According to his little sister and some friends, after the incident, he occasionally took Lyrica as recreational drug use, but very certain that there was no other drugs. The night he died he hung out with two friends. The friend suspected that he had taken Lyrica before arriving at their place, but that he got more normal as the night progressed. All they did was playing video games and watching movies. At 5 in the morning my nephew texted his little sister that he was coming home at around 11-12 and then they all went to bed (all three slept in the same bed). At 11 the friend's father enters the room and finds my nephew on the floor stone-cold dead. Probably been dead for a few hours. Anyway they all freaked out and started CPR and called 911. When help arrived they worked on him for about 30 minutes before going to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. About a week later I called the pathology lab asking if there was any information. I didn't talk to a doctor but the person read from some report that there were no structural causes for the sudden death. Heart was normal, no ruptures etc. The lungs were abit enlarged and that the brain weighed too much (cerebral edema?). They have taken samples and biopsies that's been sent away for analyzing. We're at a loss here... I have two scenarios in my head. First, he just died. Sudden cardiac death without structural cause (cardiomyopathy etc), maybe caused by some recreational drug. Second, he OD'd on opiates and fell out of bed and stopped breathing. This however feels so out of character for him. It also seem strange to take something just before going to bed. What do you all think? Is there anything im missing or not seeing clearly? Or maybe someone with more expertise?

ffrhvww

ffrfjws

The toxicology report will eventually come out from the autopsy. If it’s positive for opioids, or less likely other substances, then that’s the probable explanation. If not, then most likely sudden cardiac death, as others have mentioned. Our guesswork isn’t going to outperform the autopsy.

People take opioids and nod off all the time, they make you tired, so it’s not uncommon for drug users to fall asleep when on opioids. I’m sorry for your loss. :( you’re in my prayers

c6yvb3

askdocs_test

23 average everyday male, cannot stop eating pus and anything else from my body Hi, throwaway obviously because this is really disgusting and embarrassing, but I have never been able to get answers and hoping someone can help. ​ I am your perfectly average male, very sporty and work out a lot, have a great social life/family/friends/girlfriend but what they all dont know is how much I have to eat anything from my body. Since I can every remember I have always picked and ate my own scabs, boogers, dandruff, fingernails (only when once cut), eye goop, blackheads (these are by far my favorite), eyelashes and even pubes. ​ I am puzzled because I do not like and have no interest in consuming piss, shit, hair from anywhere except pubes, or very thick hairs like nipple hairs, semen or large amount of blood. If I get a cut I do like to lick it though or eat the scabs. ​ This isn't something that is a treat for me, it is more like I have to eat it! I understand it is gross and I don't know why. I like the taste of all of them the texture of a chewy big blackhead it the best, but it is at a point where I don't want to have this issue. It hasn't impacted my life in anyway because I am always stealthy about it, but I know it can't be healthy. ​ I need to do it so bad that for instance if I have a big piece of dandruff fall that I am aware of, if I don't get to eat it I get anxious. I have eaten dandruff off of bathrooms floors (my own), desks, pretty much anywhere. Somethimes when I am studying I will shake my hair for ages until the whole desk is covered in flakes and then pick the big pieces out or like the whole desk. ​ Sorry if this is gross but please I just want answers

escwjlp

esc547y

I’m a psychiatrist. What you describe can be treated with medications (such as SSRIs and NAC) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. It’s actually quite common.

I work more on the mental health side, it could be dermophagia, pica, an iron deficiency causing weird cravings.

g1eaxq

askdocs_test

UPDATE 2: Told that the reason I pass out when I turn my head to the side is because I’m a girl Age: 20 Sex: Female Height: 5'7" Weight: about 125 lbs Race: Caucasian Duration of complaint: about 3 years Location: Neck/Vascular Any existing relevant medical issues: Raynauds Current medications: Zoloft, Vyvanse **Previous Posts**: First post: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/ai45qn/told_that_the_reason_i_pass_out_when_i_turn_my/ Second post: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/cyqhyh/update_told_that_the_reason_i_pass_out_when_i/ **Recap/Short Summary**: When I turn my head laterally I experience symptoms such as lapses of consciousness and blindness in one or both eyes. It seems like episodes are less likely to happen in situations where I am anxious. I'm thinking that has something to do with raised blood pressure. There are more symptoms which I listed out in my second post. **Since my last post**: * I had a neurologist that decided I have conversion disorder after he couldn't find anything else wrong * I decided it was worth it to wait for a top neurologist to see me. That neuro did not think it was psychiatric. * That neuro decided to send me to a Thoracic Surgeon to test for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome for the 4th time because he said that he knew one person who would perform the test and would produce reliable results since most people don't properly test for it. These were his thoughts: > It sounds like a vascular issue to me. Thoracic outlet is certainly in the nix and we will test it by ultrasound 01:12 . If negative, we will do a tilt-table to look for dysautonomia and then finally may look at the cervical occipital instability. She had a flexion and extension MRI that showed some findings, but we may need to get her to see a local neurosurgeon who has an expertise on that. I doubt she is having epilepsy. * Test for TOS came back positive, meaning 2/4 prelim. tests I have done for TOS have come back positive * Did more tests **Diagnosis**: Suggestive of mild-moderate venous thoracic outlet syndrome on the right and equivocal mild venous thoracic outlet syndrome on the left. They also found a small hyper enhancing lesion on my liver which they are going to do an MRI of later, but it is most likely just a benign flash-filling hemangioma so I'm not worried about it. So now that **I have a diagnosis** you may be wondering, **what is the problem?** #**My diagnosis doesn't fit all my symptoms** Specifically, my problems with lapses in consciousness. I wanted to hear your thoughts on what underlying 2nd condition there may be if there is one. I recorded some videos where I induce episodes. I accidentally hit my head in two of the videos, but I didn't know that I did until I watched the videos. I also had some memory loss of immediately before and after each episode. Note that these episodes are what I was classify as mild-moderate. I frequently have more severe ones but they only really get severe when they catch me off guard. In each video you will note there is a lag between when I turn my head and the visible symptoms occur. During this time frame one or both eyes are going blind, either partially or fully. #**Videos:** Where I hit my head: https://youtu.be/Uhh8IfT9qb8 https://youtu.be/ZBv9uVBed3w Where I don't hit my head: https://youtu.be/WwwnYFYrfhU https://youtu.be/Hcp6u9ciX3c https://youtu.be/sXGE847b9QI https://youtu.be/H87RnuA4rqk If you want to know about what tests I have taken or if you would like clarification on anything just ask! Thanks to everyone on here for helping me through this nightmare since my first post ~1 or 2 years ago.

fnf364b

fnfek6u

Have they done any carotid testing?

Some people, usually older people, but much more rarely thin young people, develop bradycardia and pass out with even light pressure to the carotid sinus. At least that’s my best guess. I have a few patients with other neurovascular problems, like migraines or vasovagal disorders, who describe something similar. Although, admittedly, not to the degree that you describe. I’m not aware of any reliable or safe treatment for this phenomenon.

lajmq5

askdocs_test

My dying mother’s neck is rock hard around where her thyroid is. Hospice nurses aren’t sure why. I was just cleaning my mom’s mouth and checking her over when I noticed that her neck under her chin is really puffed up. I touched it and it’s rock hard. She is in her final days of life and is no longer eating or drinking anything (except for about a teaspoon of water I’m able to get her to swallow every now and then). I called hospice and they aren’t sure what could be causing it. Hospice started her on liquid lorazepam (2.5ml every 8 hours) and took her off of all of her other meds days ago, one being her thyroid medication. It doesn’t seem to be impacting her breathing any, but it still has me concerned. Does anyone know what could be causing this? Additional info: My mom is 64F, 5’4”, approx 140 lbs. She was diagnosed with a severe brain tumor 5 months ago. Even with radiation it continued growing.

glosjia

gloqrcz

Sialadenitis (infection or inflammation of a salivary gland) can be seen at end of life, due to dehydration causing salivary stones to form and/or a weakened immune system as part of the dying process. People with a history of head or neck radiation are probably more at risk also. I can't say for sure that's the issue but it seems likely based on your description. The only concern is whether or not it's causing pain, if it is, it could be appropriate to start stronger pain medication. Oral care to gently moisten the mouth and a warm compress to the area may also help. You can ask hospice if they think this is likely and if they have any additional recommendations.

I’m sorry that you are going through the process of losing your mom. Different things can happen when our loved ones are in their final days. If hospice doesn’t know, it may be hard for us to tell you when we are not present. The most important thing is that she is not pain and is as comfortable as possible during this process. Talk to her, caress her and love on her while you can. I’ve been there. Again, so sorry for what you are experiencing.

s5tt2v

askdocs_test

Nurse at pediatrician office scolded us for an ER visit. Were we wrong? This summer, we were traveling. Our daughter (age 2F), tripped and hit her head. A few hours later, she became lethargic and vomited 8 times in an hour. We were in an extremely rural area, and the only thing nearby was a critical access hospital. Concerned about concussion, we took her there to their emergency department. They confirmed concussion, did a CT scan (since the nearest children's hospital was 8 hours away, they wanted to scan for a bleed rather than watching and waiting), found no bleed and we were out of there in a few hours. The other day, they finally got around to sending the records to our pediatrician. The nurse that called to follow up gave us a lecture about misuse of emergency services and that we should have called them before taking her to an ER. They were over 1000 miles away? I don't want to misuse emergency services. I myself am a healthcare professional. But I'm confused on what I should have done. Was this not the right move?

hszvpnw

hszt0yu

The nurse that called you is out of his/her mind lol. You absolutely did the right thing.

You did the right move , don’t worry

lf5e36

askdocs_test

I (25F) have been vomiting for months post-surgery. I'm at my wits' end. I had my gallbladder removed in June due to frequent vomiting and fatigue, it was full of sludge but no stones. The first week and a half I ate maybe four times, and just about a cup of soup. Otherwise I only ingested pedialyte. After that first week and a half, the vomiting reappeared. Since then, I usually vomit at least once a day, no matter what I eat. I've always been pretty health conscious and eat well. I restricted my diet more, still vomiting. Sometimes I don't eat, and once again, vomiting. It's almost always bright yellow/orange bile, food, or blood. I assume the blood is the stomach acid tearing up my throat. I get dizzy, see what look like shooting stars, and have passed out once. I have terrible insurance. I'm poor. But I've been able to splurge and see a doctor a couple times. It's always the same answer, "here's some antinausea". They don't work. I vomit them back up with bitter bile. I have endometriosis as well, and pediatric onset glaucoma (inherited). I feel like I'm getting weaker, I've lost several pounds recently. I'm losing it, I don't know what to do. I've figured out I can have certain 2oz P3s (diced meat, cheese and nuts) or about half a ham sandwich (no cheese, no condiments) if I rest afterwards. I work 10 hours a day, usually 50 hours a week, and usually this has to be an after work dinner thing (if I move around afterwards I will vomit). What can I personally do to combat this? I can't afford to keep seeing doctors for no treatment. I definitely can't afford a specialist. This is destroying my life.

gmk05f7

gmkmb5f

Have you heard of cyclical vomiting syndrome?

Not a doctor, but was the reason that you had your gallbladder removed vomiting? I would gamble that potentially the cause of your vomiting wasn’t your gallbladder and the root cause still remains. Going back to square one with your doctor would be my best recommendation. I know this isn’t answering your question, but hopefully you have answers soon and I wish you all the best!

eizn3z

askdocs_test

i'm 26. A female and the world is on fire. Just Australia really, but in all seriousness, respiration is hard for me rn So, I had a really bad flu in like october and since then it's been like downhill. I got another flu in december, which turned into a chest infection. I got antibiotics and like went back because it still feels like someone is squeezing the center of my chest. Doc said I'm fine. Wondering if it's just anxiety or some shit. ​ Sidenote - I also have anxiety and hashimotos. I am overweight.

fcuk101

fcukgyw

I'm in so cal and can relate to living with the smoke..... during the fires and for like a month after, I was hitting my inhaler like it was a crack pipe and on anti-biotics....wear a mask, t will be uncomfortable but wear it as much as you can, even indoors.

If smoke/smog is bothering you mention it to your doc, you may have asthma exacerbated by irritants. Respiratory infections can last longer with underlying untreated asthma, but albuterol or another inhaled bronchodilator can help open up your lungs and clear the infection faster.

xnshgx

askdocs_test

Why does somebody like me who is fit and lean have elevated cholesterol? Male. 39. 6'1" 184 pounds. No medications. No drugs. No alcohol. Diagnosed with a mild fatty liver in 2020. I had a lipid profile done on 9/2022 - LDL was 152. In 7/2021, my LDL was 138. I workout 5 days a week - biking or running 30-40 mins each day. I also lift weights. I can't figure out why my LDL is elevated? I do many of the right things. My wife eats junk food and her's is perfect.

ipuxf63

ipuxms5

Genetics/bad luck. I'd consider a medical treatment for it.

Unfortunately probably genetics, likely in combination with diet. Some people have a history of high cholesterol in their family (even if they don't have one of the specific diseases that do that) and will be extremely sensitive to stuff that other folks can tolerate well. For a similar example, I had a friend in med school that gained five pounds at age 25 and went from "very skinny" to "normal skinny"--and she got told by her doctor that was enough to make her prediabetic. In your case I would talk to your doctor about it, it may be worth it in your case starting medication.

tl38b7

askdocs_test

Is my dr annoyed at me? Extremely embarrassed Hello F30, antidepressants and Lexapro, no alcohol or smoking. Duration - 2 years, 5'5 145lbs, caucasian I recently was at the ER with a migraine, and after being discharged once it was under control (used 4 different medications and a steroid) the Dr said to follow up with my neurologist, sooner than my already scheduled July appt. The neuro office called and got me in the following week with my neurologist. I was just reading my notes and it reads, " Overall she requires a lot of support, with frequent messaging and urgent visits. She requires a lot of involvement from her multidisciplinary team, including mental health and primary care. At this point there remains no neurologic explanation for her symptoms." They are leaning towards it being a Functional Neuro Disorder, but had said to message them with any symptoms lasting longer than 24 hours, so when my unsteadiness led to multiple falls, I reached out this spring. I am absolutely devastated and ashamed that they seem to think that I'm a needy patient, or exaggerating. I am just trying to function and do what they asked... Is that the right interpretation? How can I keep my doctor's respect?

i1uesw2

i1u684w

I am not reading it as needy. More a message to your already established mdt and primary care physician that this is something that can be handled calmly, and outside of the ER, if they follow you tightly. Some patients require tighter follow up than other. This is the beautifull and challenging thing with medicine; every case is uniqe. You are not a bother or a nuicance. Especially when things are, in the end, found to be functional a lot of the treatment lays in the patients trust in their closest providers. Making you feel safe.

I can understand how you can take the wording of the notes to sound like you’re a needy patient. But I want you to know that it’s just the way to convey information to anyone else whose care you may be in and what is considered your normal. For example, if you were to start with a new doctor who didn’t get these notes and started to call for a problem often, they might take it as more emergent than it actually is and tell you to go to the ER instead of the office, wasting your money and time for something that is potentially already known (not to mention any mental anguish it may cause you to think that this is more serious than your usual cases). This, of course, is just an example and probably slightly exaggerated since I don’t know your case, but not uncommon. I wouldn’t worry too much about what the wording is. I can tell you, I’ve seen more than enough patients to not care enough to judge someone who may think they’re “needy”. The only patients I judge are the rude ones and I’ve had a wide variety of patients. I’m sure that’s true for most of us. Don’t take it to heart.

u18x4w

askdocs_test

Was hospice the right decision? I’m (27 f) emotionally going through the ringer here. My mom (61 f) who has been battling stage 4 breast cancer since 2015, was told 4 weeks ago her liver wasn’t responding to the chemo and the tumors were increasingly growing. They quickly changed to a new chemo in hopes that it responds well to the liver tumors- but no luck. The bilirubin numbers were high, starting at 2.1, then 4.9 a a week later, and a 11.2 the following week. I was told there is nothing else we can do. No more chemo, no radiation. Her liver is failing. I asked about clinical trials, liver transplant, and immunotherapy- all which I was told she doesn’t qualify for due to the Mets spread to her bones, lungs and brain as well. She had brain surgery a year ago to remove a tumor and was told she had leptomeningeal disease. But that improved with intrathecal injections + cyber knife radiation. Hospice was the only option other than taking her home regularly with a home health aide. Which was not enough support in my opinion with her current state. I chose hospice after hearing the recommendation of two oncologists (including her regular oncologist) and 3 ER doctors. I feel guilty for choosing this option. She’s at home and for the past 3 days now she’s been mostly asleep. Barely speaking. I’m so scared. Every time I give her morphine I feel immense guilt. I’m only 27, this is a a lot. Medically, what is your advice?

i4bugq8

i4breqt

I am so very sorry for what you’re going through. I don’t have much to add. The other physicians have covered most bases. I do treat cancers. I must be honest and say having a year after leptomeningeal spread is quite astonishing. You should know that her physicians have maximized her time as much as possible. Don’t ever feel guilty. Give yourself grace and find support for yourself as well. There is a whole community dedicated to cancer caregivers and it’s nice to know that someone might know how you feel during this devastating time. I hope you also have a good support network. Again, sorry for your predicament. Hoping your mother finds peace and comfort soon enough.

I treat cancer all the time. You are *absolutely* doing the right thing. The shitty thing about cancer is that sometimes you do everything right, try all the right medicines etc, and it still keeps growing relentlessly. You mom has cancer throughout her body and there are no more hopes for survival. In that case, the very best thing we can do is make our loves one’s time on earth easier by focusing on pain and symptom control rather than extending life at all costs. That is exactly what hospice does.

k84ryu

askdocs_test

Blue Whale plushie update. RIP Robert. ❤️ Link to the plushie I made for Robert! Robert’s original post on r/AskDocs. Hi everyone! A few weeks ago, Robert made a post on r/AskDocs looking for answers about palliative care in a hospice setting. I was moved by his resignation, the hopelessness of the situation, and the fact that he was going to die alone. I felt, and still feel, like nobody should have to depart this world feeling so alone and unloved. I’m sure many of you were touched similarly by his posts. I had started sewing plushies to keep my hands and mind busy whilst recovering from a mental health relapse. I offered to make Robert a plushie to remind him that he is loved, and also to give him a little comfort as he passed. Unfortunately, Robert’s condition took a turn for the worse, and he was unable to accept my plushie. He told me his favorite animal, and instructed me to make it anyway and treasure it. So, here it is, Robert’s blue whale. His legacy will live on at least in this plushie. ❤️ Sorry if this post breaks the rules. So many of you wanted to see the plushie when it was finished and I didn’t know another way to reach out to all of you. RIP.

gf5mqd5

gf3uyy8

Beautiful plushie. Stay awesome, OP. Rest in peace, Robert.

It's absolutely lovely. I remember reading his posts, and how even at the end of his life he cared for others and gave good advice. Hugs to all who want them.

rd0f8w

askdocs_test

Tested Positive for Cocaine, but I've never done Coke or any derivatives of it 29M, 6'3 210lbs, no relevant location/duration of complaint, straight edge lifestyle, not on any meds. So I took an oral drug test for work, and the test results came back saying that I was positive for cocaine. The trouble is that I've never done coke or any derivatives of it. I asked about retesting the sample, and the testing company told me I need to pay $150 in order to retest. So my question is: What do I do? I need to fight this result but I don't know how. Should I just fork over the $150 to get it retested or is there something else I can do? Also are oral drug tests known to show a false positive result? And if I can't get rid of this result, is it going to make future employment opportunities difficult? If anyone here has any advice I'd really appreciate it. Other Info: I don't do any drugs, the only time I ever have was when I would occasionally smoke weed in college 10 years ago, but I haven't smoked in years, and I haven't ever tried anything else either. I'm also not on any medications and have not been to a doctor or dentist in years. I also don't live with people who do drugs either. Also I'm in California, if location matters.

hnyp9md

hnyojcm

This could be a genius business plan, offer company drug tests with every few being positive. Oh, you don't like it? $150 to retest

It is definitely possible that this is a false positive. To prove you are not a cocaine user, you could ask for a blood test or a hair test, since this would undoubtedly more accurately show metabolites. An oral test is only a screening test. I don't , however , know the specifics of your situation and how to rectify this without any financial costs. Maybe you can talk to your boss and figure out a solution?

zq0gte

askdocs_test

Should I be worried about my nurse practitioner's competence? Female, 29, 5'8" 160lbs, Anxiety and PMDD, on Jenel and some anxiety meds I recently moved to a small town and the only appointment I could get was with a nurse practitioner. My appointment came around last week and when I was telling her about my medical history she needed me to stop and explain PMDD to her. She had never heard of it. I thought this was strange and I've never had this issue with a medical professional before, but if that was the only problem I wouldn't be posting here. I'm on Jenel to manage my PMDD. Without it, my periods cause truly severe pain that make me unable to move or sleep for several days every month. When the pharmacy mailed me my prescription on Saturday all of my medications were there except the Jenel. She hadn't ordered them for me. She knew I'm leaving the country for vacation tomorrow and there's an entire prescription she didn't order for me and I ended up having to jump through hoops to get them this morning. She also made an off-hand comment that made me think she might be anti-vaccine. When I mentioned I was travelling she said "I wish I could go, but they want me to be vaccinated." Should I be concerned about this?

j0wigwl

j0x4qto

I don't see midlevels for my care. I tell my friends and family not to either. It's shockingly controversial, but I think our years of education and training as physicians are valuable and important. Some NPs are competent to manage whatever issue you might have. But this extremely hit or miss, and minimum training requirements are frightening. Your NP may have worked in an ortho clinic for several years, and have no relevant experience in primary care. There's nothing that really dictates they have to have expertise in whatever field they choose to work in, and they can change that field on a whim. You have no idea what you're dealing with unless you do a bunch of sleuthing or have inside knowledge of who this person is and what their level of competence is.

If you are explaining the disease to the person who's supposed to treat it, something is very wrong

yfunc4

askdocs_test

(38M)Maybe tested positive for Factor V Leidan but have to wait a year My mom died from a series of strokes and tested positive for Leidan about 2009. I just now took the initiative to get tested finally and I can see online where they have the test results back and I'm identified as a "carrier" and they've scheduled a follow up with a hematologist for November 2023. I tried to call and see if they had any times sooner than that and was told in no uncertain terms that there wasn't any additional time. My first question is whether or not waiting over a year is normal for seeing a hematologist? Should I try a different hospital? I feel like just reading the test results back to me shouldn't take that long. My second question is whether or not I should be doing anything different in response to the "carrier" status. I'm not sure what that means.

iu6fvmq

iu6n5sf

I have no idea about the wait time thing. Generally folks with FVL who’ve never had blood clots don’t need to do anything in particular. Probably best to avoid taking birth control pills with estrogen (which I assume you’re not doing anyways), and if you’re having any surgeries good to let them know. Otherwise no treatment is usually needed.

As a carrier (heterozygote -- you have one normal gene and one mutated gene), you are at somewhat increased risk for blood clots, and you also have a 50/50 chance at passing your mutated factor V gene to your kids. Your risk of having a clot is about 3-8x higher than the general population, but still low overall -- about 1 in 200 people who are Factor V Leiden carriers will have a clotting event in any given year. You're male (I assume cis male?) so I don't need to tell you about pregnancy and contraceptive risks. However, if you have daughters or sisters who've also inherited factor V Leiden, they may want to speak with their HCPs about this. You shouldn't smoke tobacco period, but smoking is also an independent clotting risk factor that won't mix well with your factor V Leiden status. I'm not aware of any medication you need to be on for your factor V Leiden status if you've never clotted. The risk of taking anticoagualant medications outweighs the benefits to you right now. More info: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1368/

j615kx

askdocs_test

Girlfriend had 2 seizures after 1 glass of alcohol Girlfriend is early 30’s and female. She can usually drink 2-3 units without getting drunk. On average, she has 1 drink (beer or glass of wine) with dinner with me, once a week. That’s it. She is definitely not addicted to alcohol or going through any withdrawal. No medication either. No family history of seizures or alcohol abuse, or any other medical condition. She recently had 2 seizures, both times with me. The first time, she drank 1 glass of wine on an empty stomach. Then after 10 minutes of finishing her drink, she suddenly froze and looked confused for about 2 minutes. She started to pee her pants and didn’t know what happened after she “came back”. We didn’t think it was a seizure because she wasn’t shaking or anything, but now I know that was a seizure because it happened again. About 2 weeks after that incident, we were having a beer together with sushi. She had drunk about 1/6 a bottle of beer (literally like 3 sips). Then, she started actually shaking and making weird noises while her eyes rolled back— what you’d expect a seizure to look like. I tried to hold her up but she was shaking so violently that we both fell to the ground. It lasted about 45 seconds. She did not pee her pants, but she again didn’t know what happened after. We went to the doctor but because of COVID-19, we need to wait a couple weeks to run tests. I am wondering if I can get any help or ideas on reddit. Please help, I am very scared. She is not as scared as me because she doesn’t even remember the experience. But I saw and witnessed everything both times and am traumatized. Please help what this could be, and what we should do. Thank you. More background: -she was on her period the first time, but not the 2nd time -this was the first time seizures ever happened -we haven’t had a single drop of alcohol after the 2nd incident -the only common factor in both seizure incidents was alcohol -she is 165cm (5’5) and 51kg(112lbs) not under or overweight -no mental illness, no medication, no family history -she is not an alcoholic, nor does she smoke or do any drugs

g7wa8e8

g7w3nnt

I had my first seizure after half a glass of wine. It turned out that my alcohol consumption was completely inconsequential (as I continued to have seizures regardless of whether I was drinking). My trigger is the relaxation/let down after prolonged periods of stress. For many, alcohol can lower the threshold and cause or contribute to seizures. I would recommend seeing a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy. I’ve seen both regular neurologists and epilepsy-focused neurologists and much preferred my care under the epilepsy specialist. It is worth noting that seizures don’t always mean epilepsy, but it does mean it’s time for a neuro consult. We welcome both you and your girlfriend at r/epilepsy. — it is a great community for those experiencing seizures, even if it turns out it’s not epilepsy. BIG IMPORTANT EDIT: your partner should not be driving until the cause of the seizures is determined. It’s been too short of time to actually know if alcohol and hormones are her triggers.

INAD, but my partner has epilepsy, and all of what I've read here suggest epilepsy. you still need to get this accurately diagnosed by a doctor, as there are many other causes for seizures than epilepsy, and some of them require urgent diagnosis and care. ​ Why I think it could be epilepsy: Seizures can be triggered by alcohol intake Seizures can be triggered by hormonal changes (period) ​ Epilepsy is very individual, and everyone has different triggers, but these are common ones. ​ If its epilepsy, it's not the end of the world, its a condition, that while having a definite effect on your life, generally can be managed except in the more extreme cases. If this is not epilepsy it could be something more serious. Not sure where you are located, but ER is free here, so I would immediately go to ER, say she had another seizure so that you get immediate treatment and can push to get the tests done sooner.

fh490h

askdocs_test

Coronavirus (COVID-19) questions? Start here! If you have general questions or are looking for information, coronavirus.gov is the CDC's website for information, and the WHO also has a site. We can't answer every question, especially those about whether you might or do have a case yourself. For general questions that we might be able to answer and that aren't explained in government and international websites, please ask here.

fk8wj8w

fk8wmui

If one has only one symptom, I for example am having a sore throat but so far nothing else, should one be wary or is it only when you have several symptoms? I've heard some people barely have any symptoms at all. I'm a little worried, since I live with several others.

I am honestly really surprised r/AskDocs is going to try and address covid-19. I have two questions. The first is your thoughts on reports coming out that covid-19 has been found in in cerebral/spinal fluid of diagnosed patients, entering the central nervous system, similar to HSV and EBV viruses. What are the real life implications of this? Does it make it likely that the infected could suffer lifelong nervous system consequences? Second question: if the emergency medical systems become overwhelmed and there is not enough medical equipment to keep people alive, (respirators, ICU beds, etc) how will decisions be made as to who's life gets saved? Will some be forced to suffer and die alone or will end of life comfort care be given?

3rlet0

askengineers_test

Ethics: What to do when asked to stamp (PE) but not your job function? Throwaway for reasons. I work for an engineering firm doing some simple electrical design work, I'm the lowest level of engineer here in terms of seniority. About a year ago I got my PE for personal aspiration reasons and haven't used it in the true sense, and so haven't received any salary boost or promotion. Recently I've been asked if I would stamp some designs (not my project). The principal guy who used to do it has retired and there isn't anyone currently who is able to approve these and finding someone would cause a delay in the project. I feel this is unfair to me because it is not my job to take on this liability especially because I'm such a low level guy and it is not within my job scope. So I need some advice on how best to approach this: 1. Should I go ahead and review designs for approval but immediately ask for a promotion to an appropriate level within my company (renegotiate salary, etc.) because I may be the sole PE for a while? 2. Refuse and walk away? I feel like I am being taken advantage of if I am not able to receive compensation for taking on this liability. At the same time I would want compensation to be immediate and not the typical route of waiting for a yearly review and crossing my fingers and hoping. Thanks.

cwp83rw

cwp50qy

I think just about every engineering school in the Midwest will point to they Hyatt Regency Walkway collapse in Kansas City for a reason to be careful what you put your stamp on. 2 PEs were involved, PE and PE's supervisor, I believe (PE2). The TLDR of it goes something like this:   1. PE stamps a design with a vague description of a particular set of joints (which held this walkway to some steel rods that were suspended from the ceiling) The intent was to have them be designed in the field. 2. Project suffers some management disasters including a change of contractors midway through construction. 1. Miscommunications happen during the transition and the joints are never designed. New contractor makes a mistaken assumption about what is intended. Also some design changes to the hanging supports are made and approved over the phone. 1. PE assumes the field tech will design joints for these changes, Field tech assumes the joints he thinks were specified are still good enough. 1. Walkway collapses under heavy loads during a large social gathering, killing and injuring hundreds. 1. PE and PE2 are kicked out by the ASCE 1. 3 states (KS, MO, and his home state of TX) revoke both PEs' PE licenses. 1. Court finds both PEs criminally negligent.   The moral is, don't stamp the thing unless you took over the project and have reviewed every single detail. (And frankly, if they want you to do a job above your former pay grade, they should be paying you at the new pay grade)

The main ethical dilemma I see is whether you are familiar enough with the project and the concepts involved to understand it. If not, you obviously shouldn't stamp it. I'm not a PE, but personally I'd be wary of signing off on a project which I have no familiarity with, especially if it doesn't parallel any of my current projects. There's too many possible gotchas to reasonably say you have considered them all. If you feel like you can reasonably determine whether the design is good, then yes - I'd say it's fair to negotiate your position/salary. If they say you'll have to wait, then you can tell them they can wait for your stamp, too, because you won't take on liability that is above your position.

ojirgw

askengineers_test

Any BMEs that don't have jobs in BME... what do you do now? Hey guys, I graduated with my BS in May and I'm having the hardest time finding a job. My class was the first class to graduate with a BME degree so there's no alumni that I can ask for help. I knew jobs were limited in this field, but I didn't know they were that limited. It seems like the only companies that actually needs BMEs are Medtronic, Abbott, Stryker and start-ups. I really wish I majored in CompSci or Computer Engineering instead. Anyways, if you don't have a job in BME, what do you do now and how'd you get the job?

h52n0pw

h52ad8z

Have you only been searching for the title Biomedical Engineer? You're likely qualified for any entry level engineering role at the companies you listed: manufacturing engineer, quality engineer, r&d engineer, etc Also if you're using a job site like Indeed, I'd also suggest looking at each of those respective companies' Careers pages.

I'm a SWE at a FAANG.

9az5iu

askengineers_test

Job was offered without interview need help with how to go about handling it Hello, I recently received an email from a 3rd party company that saw my application for a mechanical engineering job however, the company needs some info like social security for the other company that is doing the actual hiring to do a background check. The strange thing is that I havent even done an interview yet I dont know anything about the job outside a general job description and, its really hard getting into contact with anyone about the details of the job. What do you all think? Should i just pass on it? It seems strange to me to be asking such information without knowing much.

e4z3fyr

e4z3gvj

I cant see why they would need your social. If you are intrigued by the offer I would keep trying to contact them. Better to get confirmation.

Sounds like a scam to me

iqrf5s

askengineers_test

Why Is It Impossible to Get An Engineering Job These Days? Honestly, I am curious if companies are just hiring people with 5+ years of experience for an entry level position that is meant for a new grad because they can get it considering all the people who are laid off due to pandemic.

g4ttdfv

g4tyjx5

Because the market is currently in their favor. You’ve got a whole bunch of COVID layoffs and probably more coming. Also, it takes a lot more effort/cost to train someone fresh out of school vs someone with 5 years experience. My advice is to apply to those entry level jobs regardless, keep learning new skills/keep yourself sharp, consider an internship if it looks like a good opportunity, and remember that this isn’t forever. Things will shift; you may just have to start your career outside of engineering and work in/up.

I dealt with the same thing during the 2008 recession. The company I interned with put a freeze on new hires right as I graduated. Every job listing got hundreds of experienced applicants so it was tough just getting a call back. After a few months of job searching and mounting debt I was offered a Sales Engineer position halfway across the country for $45k per year. Not ideal, but I needed income so I took it. By 2012 the job market improved and I was able to move to a design engineer position with double the salary.

roegli

askengineers_test

Why did you change fields? Mainly for all the engineers that changed fields/disciplines. What drove the change and was it worth it? Happy Holidays!

hpxtres

hpxxgu9

I'm actuality attempting to change careers right now. I love engineering, love the type of work I do, solving problems. It's great. However I got a taste of being self employed. The thought of being my own boss is enticing.

Pay and quality of life. Went to school for mechanical and quickly realized systems, project, and software engineering are all pay bands above mechanical.

2zygno

askengineers_test

How are engineering mistakes handled internally at your company? I've seen and experienced this numerous times. A young engineer will make a mistake, the mistake will go unnoticed until already implemented in the field, mistake is noticed by Senior Engineer in the field and corrected with a change order. Young engineer is rolled under the bus in front of the client, in front of peers, and called out. For example, I've witnessed a coworker, 1 year out school (as am I) tell a Senior Engineer that safety valve X is located in position Y and needs to be moved to location Z. Senior Engineer tells him he is mistaken and keeps rolling along until the valve is installed improperly in the field. The client observes the incorrect installation, questions us about it, and the young engineer is thrown under the bus in front of the client for being "inexperienced". I've seen it times and times before with my employer and I'm not sure if this is normal. I understand if management or senior engineering looks incompetent in front of the client, then the client would quickly lose faith in our firm. But I don't think our company's philosophy of blaming young engineers for mistakes is proper, especially when mistakes could have been prevented through peer reviews, double checking drawings, etc. In general, our work environment is sink or swim, there is no mentoring, or strong sense of guidance. How are these misdemeanors handled at your work place?

cpnqx1u

cpnvg2j

At my company (electronic hardware) we have review meetings for each project milestone (e.g. engineering specs, schematics, layout, plus revisions). The purpose of those reviews is to have the entire HW department give their approval before jumping into the next step in the design cycle. If something goes wrong, all the engineers in the group technically approved it.

> I understand if management or senior engineering looks incompetent in front of the client, then the client would quickly lose faith in our firm. I think this is the thinking that results in a culture of being comfortable throwing a team member under the bus. I've been on the client side plenty of times - so long as its not an ethical problem, I don't care who caused the problem. I care about what's being done to solve it. For whatever reason, we ignore the fact that blame is unprofessional. Blame isn't a preventative measure, it doesn't solve the problem and its just not professional. >But I don't think our company's philosophy of blaming young engineers for mistakes is proper, especially when mistakes could have been prevented through peer reviews, double checking drawings, etc. The thing to remember is that mistakes will happen, even with all the things you've mentioned. Putting mechanisms in place to reduce the likelihood of mistakes is good, but it won't change how mistakes are handled. Most of the problems we encounter are handled using Eight Disciplines as the process. Culturally, we put emphasis on finding the right solution in the right way -"fix it forever."

jvkpwr

askengineers_test

How would you design a bunker to withstand the largest known asteroid impacts? The Chicxulub Impactor (**100m mt**) apparently caused local seismic shockwaves of magnitude 12, and magnitude 9 on the other side of the planet. I have not found estimates for the shockwaves created by the Vredefort or Sudbury impactors but assume these would have been similar or even greater. My question is, how would you go about designing a bunker capable of surviving the shock of such an impact indirectly? (i.e. the crust the bunker is located in isn't close enough to be vaporised or ejected into space). What would the seismic engineering required look like? What kind of depth and geology would be ideal considering stability and overburden? Could a bunker capable of this specification ever be designed? Or would any and all structures across the Earth be totally destroyed?

gckkqr5

gckmhj2

What’s your goal? Survival? Immediately being able to re-enter the building when it’s over? Continued operations? Each has a different solution. Personally I would say you would need some type of isolation, like base isolators, and then a robust and redundant structure designed to stay elastic but detailed for inelasticity behavior.

Why redesign what has already been made? Go buy an old nuclear middle silo. https://www.loveproperty.com/galleries/91803/awesome-abandoned-bunkers-for-sale Most are designed to take indirect nuclear attacks and it is far cheaper to retrofit and existing structure than to build from new. Plus they cost less than a house in the SF Bay Area.

xeze0v

askengineers_test

Can blimps be used for wind turbine transport and installation. Since one of the limiting factors in wind blade size is the roads it travels on and blimps are currently making somewhat of a revival wouldn't it make sense to use blimps to transport the blades to the location then possibly help with installing them? So is there some reason I'm not seeing that this wouldn't work?

iojjfnf

iojilhv

Quick google search shows modern blimps can lift about 3,000 lbs. Google also says a typical 1.5MW windmill blade weighs about 11,500 lbs each, and 3.0MW blades are about 27,000 lbs each. Blimps also do not do wind very well, and the ideal location to build windmills are windy places. The largest heavy lift helicoptor (M-26) can do 44,000 lbs, though wind would still be an issue there. I believe the best way would be offshore, since ships have nearly unlimited length/weight capacities. Offshore has a whole list of other practical issues though, the least of which is getting a sturdy enough crane to pick the blades off a moving ship.

two quick google searches states that Aerostats (blimps) today are capable of lifting a payload of 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) to an altitude of more than 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) above sea level. The weight of a wind turbine blade is 27,000 lbs. so, not likely, imo.

rv99nv

askengineers_test

Has anyone worked with close friends? I work at a very small consulting company. I introduced the owner of the company to one of my close friends (a fellow engineer, I've known since college. He was initially a roommate and became a very close friend). The friend is currently on the job hunt, having told my boss this, he was impressed by friend's technical knowledge and is considering offering my friend a job. If my friend joined up, we would work largely on different projects, but collaborate together on occasion. The friend and I have concerns that working together would strain the friendship. Being engineers we are stubborn, while respecting one another's talents and skills. Has anyone worked with a close friend? How has it ended?

hr3yc40

hr415ny

Personally, yes I have, even worked alongside romantic and former romantic partners. For me it's always fine. Work is work, outside of work is outside of work. I don't see how my experience will be applicable to your situation at all.

Yeah, had multiple college friends including my best friend who was my college housemate work in the same department at my first company. Three of us (best friend and another college friend) shared a rental house for four years until we started splitting off doing different things. It works fine. Try to avoid working on the same projects when possible, and when you are on the same stuff just be mindful. It can work fine, even great.

705uu9

askengineers_test

HS physics teacher, was given an extra class of "engineering" bc the teacher quit. I have free reign to design the course however I want to. What types of projects/skills should I be teaching my kids. I was thinking about making it a very hands on class. Perhaps have students build drone or something of the sort. Of course, that may be a tad advanced for the beginning of the school year. Any suggestions? A simple soldering project that leads into something bigger? I honestly want to make the class like the youtube channel Hak5, if youve ever seen it

dn0pbcb

dn0os08

My two cents: start them with a software project. Something where they get quick feedback. Then use the software they built to drive something mechanical, maybe a variable speed motor. Again, lots of feedback and opportunities for experimentation. Then attach that motor to some allthread to move an object back and forth in a linear motion. Now you've got one third of a three axis machine tool; i.e. 3D Printer, or a router, or flight controls for something large. Then couple this with a pantograph to make very small, very precise motions and cuts. Now you can make molds to cast plastic resins to make the parts for your drone. Have them make some parts to break. Have them try to make a part that's too big for the machine. Have them make a gimbaled camera mount for the drone. You might be able to get someone to donate some stepper motors for the gimbal, hook this up to the software the kids wrote, and let them refine their programming skills. Every time they break something, they learn how to fix it.

Problem solving! Anything where they have to iterate a design.

rgo6ag

askengineers_test

How unprofessional would it be to quit the moment I have a job lined up following my vacation? I hate my coworkers, i face sexual innuendos and grossness at work, if they give me the opportunity to get a signed offer letter, i have enough savings to just screw off in the interim period (a month or even three months or more max) but after 3 months i’d get bored Is it unprofessional to burn that bridge? I hate the company deeply

holh38p

holf2dd

Some bridges may be burned. Just don’t make a habit of it. Just make sure you take your personal belongings home ahead of time. Wipe the computer of your personality cookies and stuff. Then adios muchachos

Would you ever want to work there again? What is your industry like? Do people talk? I'd it in a new location? Just today, coworkers were chatting at happy hour how an offer was extended to the weakest candidate out of the pool of 3. Turns out he's from a competitor and another coworker immediately phones up someone at the competitor to get the inside scoop. It is really that easy to lose a job just on people talking.

xgvk9l

askengineers_test

Proper type of washer to prevent aluminum fastener from locking up We have a fishing line winder machine at work that is over-built from mainly aluminum and stainless steel. I could go into more detail, but doubt it's really necessary. The issue we are having is the one of the fasteners that lock the spool of line into the machine uses a large aluminum fastener that will lock up if it is accidentally loosened all the way until bottoms out. It has been machined so perfectly that if these surfaces touch at all, it is nearly impossible to get them apart with your hands. My thought was to find an appropriately sized nylon washer, but I wonder if that is the right material, or even approach. When I was unable to find a nylon washer the size I needed at Grainer, I figured I should seek some help before going down the wrong rabbit hole. Thanks for any insight that can be offered. https://i.imgur.com/pvV5FlU.jpg

iou7xvl

iouigml

A stiff stainless steel wave spring may also help you instead of a washer.

If you want a very simple solution, use an oring. Just stretch one over the threads up to the shoulder, it gives a nice cushion and prevents the two faces from contacting. Soft enough not to damage / gall the aluminum like a stainless wave spring or belleville washer. Cheap as borscht and widely available.

6d62yb

askengineers_test

How important is the college you go to for getting a job in computer engineering? So I have been contemplating what college I go to for quite some time. Does the college I go to affect my likeliness for a job immensely? I understand that if you go to a school like MIT you basically get any job, but what about schools that aren't as prestigious? Like St. Thomas university or a school like that? I can't really tell how much a school affects job placement and I would like some information from you guys. Thank you for anyone that inputs.

di064af

di0ad55

Many employers only send recruiters to two groups of schools: (a) MIT, Stanford, UCLA, et al; and (b) whatever better-than-average schools are geographically near to the entry level positions that are open. Some, generally the BIG ones, send recruiters to EVERY school. But the competition for those jobs is just as fierce because the number of other candidates (who might be just as good or better than you, and who may also have the advantage when it comes to "diversity" ~~quotas~~ hopes and aspirations) is daunting.

I would imagine most big corporations are like mine (not comp-e). We send recruiters to big name schools and local schools. Otherwise, you're applying online like everyone else and as long as your degree is ABET accredited, no one cares.

a7bce5

askengineers_test

Could you easily do most of the problem sets you were assigned to do that were given in your introductory physics(ie classical mechanics and classical E&M) again without reviewing the material over again or would most of the material be forgotten if you did not review it?

ec1o8pk

ec1lt8d

If it requires more than V=RI, F=MA, PV=nRT, or simple derivative or integral. Lol nope.

Nope .

nhfbam

askengineers_test

What has been your experience working at an engineering services company? My last job was for an engineering services company and I didn't like it at all. Very short projects, managers on both sides expecting faster results, very disorganized... So, what has your experience been working at an engineering services company? Is it just the name of the game?

gyw717e

gyw82q4

What kind of engineering services are you referring to?

Project Lead: Can you look at this request for proposal and tell me your approach and estimated hours. Can you get it to me today? The client is in a major bind and they are looking to get the work started next week. Oh and I don't have a charge code for you. Shake: Sure. We'll need to revise this calc. We'll use this approach. It is all predicated on the client providing us these design inputs. It will take 160 hours. *Two months pass* Project Lead: We won the work. We had a kickoff meeting last week that I forgot to invite you to. So the schedule actually started ticking last week sorry. Oh and you have 120 hours. Shake: Great. I will need the design inputs I noted in the scope of work. Project Lead: Oh. Okay. Um. I'll ask the client about it. *A week passes* Project Lead: Hi, how's the calc going? I have to go into a status meeting for the project in 15 minutes. Shake: I haven't worked on it at all. Project Lead: Wait, what? It's due this week! Shake: I still don't have the design inputs I asked for. Project Lead: Oh yeah, those. Did I not tell you? I asked them about it and they said it would be too much work to pull all that stuff together. Can you make do without them? Shake: I guess I could make a bunch of conservative assumptions that consume the entirety of the design margin, show the design barely meeting the regulatory requirements, and absolutely fucks the next person that has to revise this calc, which is probably me in like 2 years? Project Lead: Sounds great. *Sends calc to client for owner's acceptance review* Client: Why is our margin gone?

238ipi

askengineers_test

Question for HVAC engineers: is it more efficient to keep my house a relatively constant temperature, or drop it significantly while I'm away and reheat it when I get back? A local gas company recommends dropping the thermostat by 3 degrees while I'm away for maximum savings, while my roommate insists on dropping it by more than 10 degrees when we're at work, and then reheating it once we get home. I'm wondering which of these methods tends to be more economical in terms of heating costs, and if there's a magic number I should drop the heat by during "away times" for optimal efficiency. Thanks!

cgukiky

cgujhke

As others have said, the lower the better. Imagine every day you make hard boiled eggs in the morning and spaghetti in the evening. While you are gone at work, do you keep the stove boiling water so that the water is ready for you to make spaghetti when you get home or do you shut the stove off and then turn it back on when you get home? Most people shut it off because they realize it is a waste of energy to leave it on all day. The same principle is at work with heating your home.

Assuming your heating with the same heat source, letting your house cool down as much as possible ( without damage) will save the most money. There are two common situations where people are not typically always heating with the same heat source. The first is in an apt or condo, where if your place is cooler than your neighbor's place, you will be partially warming your apt with their heat. So the longer period of time and the bigger difference in temp with your neighbours, the better your bill will be. The second is when you have a heat pump. Normally a heat pump, pumps heat from outside to inside your house and is one of the most efficient ways to heat, but if the temperature gets too far below the thermostat set point the backup heat will kick on. Backup heat is typically resistive electric, and one of the most expensive forms of heat. If you have a heat pump you should leave your temp at a steady rate because you never want the electric heat to kick in.

i3of2l

askengineers_test

If I buried a giant copper coil near some big power lines would the power company notice? Would I be able to get any power from it? I was thinking about this today because I was watching some physics videos about electromagnetism. If I theoretically made a giant loop of copper wire hundreds of feet wide and then buried it near some big power lines, would there be any noticeable effect on the power company's side? And say if I attached some kind of battery to it, would it be possible to charge it or is there some kind of shielding to prevent the power line from interacting with the metals around it?

g0d4y46

g0d5a6w

I would say yes. They have intense computers systems and I would guess although I do not know for sure, that some utilities, especially utilities in fire prone areas use AI to detect drops in amperage or voltage, not sure which one would be correct in this case. Sure a electrical engineer could confirm. But like the other guy said, there’s 2 things in US you don’t fuck with. It’s the utilities and the railroad. Both have insane lobbying power

Yes this is very much possible and has been done many times. You need to run a very long loop parallel to the lines and very few turns... Even just one. The Mythbusters tried this but they just ran hundreds of turns of wire around a small PVC stand that was mounted to a pallet. It was flawed because they need a physically large loop to receive a significant B field in air. It's unlikely the power company would notice. The amount of power you could draw would be less than normal variations in even the most sensitive relays.

bfd6xh

askengineers_test

Facebook stored millions of Instagram passwords in plaintext. How can a company of this scale make such a stupid mistake?

elcx33d

elcvtqy

Who knows in this instance, but it's surprisingly easy. It might go like this: Someone runs into an operational problem that they need to fix immediately-- users are impacted! They add logging that they don't realize is capturing password submissions. They go home and come back the next day and use the log to fix the issue, and turn off the logging. The log file is kept around, maybe even in a bug database. Later, someone realizes it contains millions of plaintext passwords.

I think some of your shock comes from the idea that there are individuals with full scope and vision over the entirety of a product at a company like Facebook, and that this stems from a single individual not requiring the passwords be secure. A product like Instagram isn't a small scale endeavor that one person can hold in their head at once. There are hundreds of engineers, managers, trackers, "attribute" / "experience" people, finance people, etc. assigned to even a small project. Corporations function by taking a big project and chopping it up into a lot of smaller parts, and chopping those parts into smaller still, until you have small tasks you can hand off to a mountain of individually "interchangeable" (in the corporate mind) Engineers. The login and authentication portion of Instagram is probably dozens of people on its own. What tends to happen (in my experience in the corporate world) is that these types of missteps stem from situations where there is a function that either has no one directly in charge of it, or is expected to be partially covered by a number of different groups. I'd bet the authentication people expected the storage people to encrypt the passwords, and the storage people expected to be getting encrypted data. ​ Which I guess is a longwinded way to say "the surprising thing to me is they didn't store all of them like that, and they didn't store other products the same way too." THAT would speak to weak process standardization in the company, which is perhaps the greatest sin, because now you have no idea what other batty things they're doing.

pvzayb

askengineers_test

Is my life just going to be work once I graduate? I already study so much. Like 50 hours a week is school and studying. I don't want to just have work be my life. The occasional long hour week is fine just as long as it's not every week. Prefer 40 hours typically.

hee40wx

hedlxih

I've never worked more than 45 hours in a week. Work is awesome, and 100x better and easier than school. Would highly recommend. Just go work, and come home and enjoy life, without thinking about work for 16 hours. You don't have to feel guilty about hanging out with friends, or playing video games or whatever. Work is over and your time is yours and you don't have to study. Working life fucking rocks, and it's so easy.

It really depends on where you work. I've worked places where you work a 75 hour week, then the next week is 30 hours. Sometimes you'll go on streaks where its 40-45 hrs for the majority of the time. Other times, its a crunch of constant 80hr weeks for a month, but its unsustainable at an entry level. Yes, its a lot of work. Its not as bad as school because you're getting paid for it, and its more "real" where you're solving real world problems instead of questions from a textbook. Hang in there, calm down, and you're going to be fine.

qrtmqp

askengineers_test

What is the weirdest or most interesting backstory of a unit that you know of? I was reminded in another thread that ‘tons’ of cooling is a measure of the weight of ice that can be melted in 24 hours. It had me wondering if there are other interesting ones out there.

hk8tjhr

hk8tij3

There are some oddballs in nuclear physics that arose from the simultaneously secretive and revolutionary nature of the Manhattan project. Their innate definitions aren't odd, but the names and backstories are neat. They were making strides in nuclear physics and needed new units, but they wanted to also obfuscate what they were doing for secrecy reasons. Shake: 1E-08 seconds. Unit of convenience when discussing nuclear reactions. Roughly equal to the step time in a fission chain reaction. Derived from the expression "two shakes of a lamb's tail." Barn: 1E-28 m^2 . Unit measure of the probability of interaction between small particles. Developed while experimenting with having radiation strike the nuclei of target material. Roughly equal to the projected cross-sectional area of a nuclei. Derived from the expression "couldn't hit the broad side of a barn."

The crab is defined as the intensity of X-rays emitted from the Crab Nebula at a given photon energy up to 30 kiloelectronvolts. The Crab Nebula is often used for calibration of X-ray telescopes. For measuring the X-ray intensity of a less energetic source, the milliCrab (mCrab) may be used. One crab is approximately 24 pW/m2.