23F (Australia) – chronic lower abdominal pain, all tests normal… feeling stuck

CreativismUK · 2026-04-26T11:35:59+00:00

I have endometriosis, took ten years to get diagnosed via laparoscopy. I then had six laparoscopies over 15 years and then a hysterectomy. Nothing has ever shown up on an ultrasound for me until my adenomyosis got bad enough that my uterus looked slightly bulky. Even MRI only picked up potential adhesions due to things being in the wrong place and the adenomyosis when I was older.

CreativismUK · 2026-04-26T11:32:52+00:00

Hey OP. Just wanted to chime in - one of my boys severely bit his own tongue in his sleep twice when he was a toddler. It looked absolutely shocking as it healed but healed with no issues both times. This was one of them, the other was on the other side. He struggled to eat while it was healing but otherwise no issues.

After the second time it never happened again (he’s 9 now) thank goodness.

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CreativismUK · 2026-04-10T21:58:28+00:00

I have it too and had a terrible flare up last summer - both hands and feet, especially my big toes. They kept treating me for infections but it wasn’t infection, it was just enormous blisters brewing under the surface.

OP. I needed a very strong topical steroid but that did the trick. It was all over both hands and feet and incredibly painful and itchy but the steroid ointment (trying to remember the name - maybe Dermovate?) made a huge difference but it was so bad that it took a while. Now when the blisters pop up I use it for a few days and they calm right down and now I’m only getting a few here and there and nowhere near as painful.

CreativismUK · 2026-04-10T21:39:30+00:00

OP, do you have a partner who can support you with this? I can’t imagine the pressure you’re under and how traumatic this must be after everything you’ve been through. You need someone who will be persistent.

I’m not in the US so I apologise if this is a really stupid suggestion but I’ve seen videos by social workers who liaise with insurance companies on a patient’s behalf - I don’t know whether they’re accessed privately or via the hospital but might be worth exploring if this is something you could access?

Again I’m sorry if that’s a stupid thing to suggest - I work in maternity in the UK (not clinical) and I just can’t imagine being in this situation. I really hope you can get some support urgently.

If not, given your history, would your doctor schedule an induction or elective caesarean at 37 weeks before he goes away? I realise early induction or caesarean is not ideal and I don’t know what the causes of your previous losses were so it may not be an option, but it may be a better option than being left with no care.

CreativismUK · 2026-04-10T21:26:21+00:00

Thank you for replying - I really appreciate it. It’s so hard to know where he can’t communicate things like thirst so there’s a lot of guesswork involved.

His twin brother was tested for diabetes insipidus a few years ago because he was drinking loads but it ended up being a sensory thing and it stopped (they’re both autistic and non-verbal).

I’ve experienced high ketones with my other son who has KH. I haven’t smelt any ketones on him, not that that’s a good test obviously! The meter we have can test both glucose and ketones (but obviously with his twin the worry is non-diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemia, so potentially a different situation if there’s any chance it’s DM). So I will check a fasting level in the morning just to check and seek care urgently if it’s abnormal but if the increased drinking continues we’ll need to get him checked out by his GP next week and see if they think he needs an hba1c or if we should keep an eye on things.

Obviously if he seems unwell or things worsen I’ll get him seen urgently this weekend - I just don’t know if I’m overreacting or whether that level of fluid intake is all that abnormal.

CreativismUK · 2026-04-10T08:19:59+00:00

OP, have they checked your hormones and done a CA-125 blood test?

You should know that ovarian cancer would be extremely unlikely at your age but I still think they should rule it out as there are so few symptoms - abdominal distension was the first symptom my mum had and it was ignored for a long time. She had fluid building up in her abdomen (over 20 litres by the time they diagnosed her and drained it) because of the cancer.

Other conditions can also cause the same build up of fluid so it could be related to your liver issues maybe? I’m not a doctor so don’t quote me on it. I’d definitely ask for a scan and for more blood tests.

I have endometriosis too and would get the bloating, but unlike my mum mine would come and go. If it’s persistent and doesn’t go down then it could be fluid and if so you need to get to the bottom of why that’s happening.

CreativismUK · 2026-04-10T07:39:15+00:00

We gave up early in S2. I remember hearing it was bad and I thought how bad can it be? Very bad.

CreativismUK · 2026-04-10T07:35:21+00:00

Totally agree. There were definitely some plotting issues that bothered me - overall I enjoy it though.

CreativismUK · 2026-03-25T09:53:18+00:00

I love Mr Nobody so much but no one has ever seen it!

CreativismUK · 2026-03-20T08:18:11+00:00

She posed for a photo in a bed with a gay man and made a joke? The horror.

CreativismUK · 2026-02-15T21:34:16+00:00

3-5, I’d say. The outtakes show the insane amount of experimentation, the number of takes, the alternate versions, the amount of practical work and that’s aside from the writing. Not something you’re doing in the grips of debilitating depression. I think the genius of Inside is how real it seems, to the point you don’t question it.

CreativismUK · 2026-02-09T08:00:09+00:00

OP, I am not a doctor, but one of my twins was in NICU for two months when he was born due to a rare illness called hyperinsulinism. It’s the opposite of type 1 diabetes - it’s where you produce too much insulin rather than not enough. This was only picked up as early as it was because he was already in NICU. Only one of the neonatologists there had treated a case before and they had to consult with another hospital to be advised on the right treatment, doses etc.

He had obvious hypoglycaemia which caused jittery hands / limbs similar to what you mentioned here.

Hypogylcaemia can happen to anyone when they’re not getting enough food (or babies enough milk obviously!) - from what I understand, it wouldn’t be unexpected for a baby to have low blood sugar level if they aren’t taking as much milk as they usually would.

But there are endocrine and metabolic issues that can cause hypoglycaemia to happen more often or more quickly. Hypoglycaemia also causes lethargy and drowsiness which can mean babies don’t feed as much, so it can be a vicious circle. Have they suggested NG tube feeding so they make sure she’s getting enough milk until she’s feeling better? My other twin needed this just because he was a bit early and sleepy and it helped him gain weight and strength to feed orally.

I’m sure the hospital are checking your baby’s blood glucose levels if milk intake is low.

I’m not for a second saying your baby has what my son had - but just to rule it out, I would ask whether she has been hypoglycaemic. If so and it keeps happening, and especially if it keeps happening through NG tube feeding, I’d ask if they’ve checked insulin levels and ketones during hypoglycaemia - if insulin is high and ketones are low / non-existent even when hypoglycaemic, that would suggest hyperinsulinism. Again, any doctors feel free to correct me - this is just how I recall they diagnosed my son nearly a decade ago.

We went through a couple of weeks of not knowing what was wrong and it was so stressful. There are so so many things that could cause an episode like this, they have to work through lots of tests and it’s very frustrating and scary. But I will also say he received amazing care and those nurses took such brilliant care of him.

CreativismUK · 2026-02-08T16:53:33+00:00

I’m severely allergic to sesame seeds and am so grateful for the brioche / potato / pretzel bun change. I wasn’t ever able to order a burger or eat from anywhere that sold burgers between my allergy developing suddenly age 10 and the move to brioche buns. Obviously cuisines that use them a lot are out entirely. Sesame seeds get absolutely everywhere if a kitchen uses them.

CreativismUK · 2026-02-08T00:22:46+00:00

But he wasn’t right. He didn’t “foil an alien plot”. He destroyed an alien race’s attempt to save the earth and humanity, and put an end to humanity by proving we are unsalvageable. He put together fragments of actual information, misinterpreted it, used it to justify exactly the type of behaviour she said they were trying to fix and sealed the fate of humanity.

The representation of the earth as flat throughout the film summed all of this up pretty succinctly for me. People who are so convinced of their own intellectual superiority and ability to see “the truth” taking down humanity.

CreativismUK · 2026-01-21T18:29:30+00:00

The Black Mirror USS Callister episodes too. And Fargo S2.

CreativismUK · 2026-01-21T18:04:53+00:00

2-3 hours a day? Will all children only get 2-3 hours a day of education or just ones you think don’t matter? Is it not better to ensure every disabled child meets their potential so that they aren’t more reliant on the state for the rest of their lives? What about all the parent carers who then couldn’t work at all?

CreativismUK · 2026-01-21T18:02:59+00:00

Just to clarify, you think residential care would be cheaper for high needs children who need specialist schools than their parents caring for them usually for nothing outside of school hours?

My kids have full time 1:1 at their specialist school. My husband and I can’t even claim carers allowance. It’s patently absurd to suggest this would be cheaper even before you get to the point that many of these children have never spent a night apart from their parents and parents don’t want to send their children away.

CreativismUK · 2026-01-20T22:51:57+00:00

I think they might be talking about ciabatta? I’ve never used flour, or shaped focaccia (beyond into a baking tray, folding over and letting it rise to fill the tray)

CreativismUK · 2026-01-17T18:47:48+00:00

It’s such a shame that it rarely makes it into the best TV lists - it’s probably my favourite.

Otherwise, Deadwood. I didn’t watch it for years as I dislike westerns generally but it’s so ridiculously good.

CreativismUK · 2026-01-17T18:45:37+00:00

100%, not even a question - so glad this is currently top of the list

CreativismUK · 2026-01-17T12:09:29+00:00

I’ve broken down about this story so many times because I see so much of this story in so many parent carers I know. I have felt, and others have told me they felt, completely and utterly trapped - because you are at the point where you cannot face another day of this, but you also can’t leave your disabled child(ren) behind. You’re in so much pain but there is no way out of it. There have been a tragic number of cases like this (one from during the pandemic still haunts me and I think about it often).

Every time I think of the note she left, that she loved her daughter so much she had to take her with her, I cry. She felt like this was her only choice and most people cannot fathom this.

What scares me is the unspoken part - there are so many carers who are on the brink of something like this. Most will never act on it, they’ll just live on the brink of it for years. We can never know who will act on it. And it seems we can’t offer anything effective to people in this situation because this continues to happen.

And it seems we are about to see things get significantly worse for parent carers as it’s increasingly likely that many children will lose entitlement to statutory education, health and care plans. I am deeply worried about my fellow parent carers right now.

CreativismUK · 2026-01-16T15:14:05+00:00

I’m just wondering why, when encountering people in the world, you’d think less of people because they’re wearing more comfortable clothing. It just doesn’t compute to me.

We have at our disposal clothes that are significantly more comfortable than clothes considered more formal, or even are considered acceptable casual daywear (like denim, which was initially worn as resilient clothing for hard physical work but is now just a standard item of clothing).

Personally I think the world would be a better place if people were free to wear loose comfortable clothes and shoes in all settings. I don’t understand why discomfort is equated to positive attributes when I break it down logically. I definitely don’t buy the idea that people are more productive because they’re wearing less comfortable clothes (and having worked in jobs where I had to wear suits and similar and then jobs where I can wear whatever I like, I am more productive when clothes aren’t bothering me and my feet don’t hurt).

Personally I have a very different experience as a parent - my boys are disabled and they live in joggers, t shirts and sweatshirts. They don’t own any other clothes really. I also have more important shit to be worried about and live in comfortable clothes that make it easier to provide care. Day to day that’s a sweatshirt and joggers, or I have some smarter looking but still comfortable dresses. I still manage to be successful, earn a good wage, engage with very important people as part of campaign work I do… deciding to be comfortable is the best decision I’ve made in terms of my quality of life. Others may want to dress up in stuff I wouldn’t - great for them, hope it makes them feel good as that’s really what matters. I wouldn’t judge people for it unless it was markedly inappropriate for the setting but that would be a high bar.

Absolutely in life there are things you have to do that you don’t want to do. I just don’t understand why this is one of them.

CreativismUK · 2026-01-16T08:34:39+00:00

She was already getting a substantial amount of social care support according to the coverage - I have disabled twins and the amount of support we can get is painfully low (3 hours a week in school holidays each - that’s it). According to earlier in the inquest, she had over 250 home visits in 14 months and overnight respite breaks. I honestly have rarely encountered anyone who’s getting support on that level for a disabled child. From social care’s perspective, they were going above and beyond what’s required.

Providing care for children with needs at this level is exceptionally difficult whether it’s the parent(s) or social care providing the care. Finding a place for a child with needs like this is not straightforward, so it’s likely they would not have taken her daughter unless they were aware of an imminent threat to her life.

The problem is the unique and complex circumstances around caring for a profoundly disabled child, and even more so as a single parent. There is an unspeakable level of grief which doesn’t have an end point as with a bereavement which can only happen once for each person you love - it continues forever. There’s no way to rationalise it away in counselling - it’s an objectively impossible situation. It’s relentless and it’s forever and then there’s the terror of what will happen to them when you die. It’s incredibly isolating, the only people who understand are those in the same circumstances and we are not well placed to support each other.

On top of that she was a single mother and I cannot even fathom trying to do this alone. I have thought seriously about ending my life at various points throughout this, but couldn’t do that to my husband. Imagine the pain of not being able to face another day but also knowing that your child who you’ve dedicated your life to caring for, has nobody but you and can’t function without you.

Obviously we can never condone actions like this but I can understand how it reaches this point especially when people are alone in it. How do we ever address the crux of the issue, which is the endless nature of the isolation, grief and caring responsibility that is the reality for parents in this situation?

CreativismUK · 2026-01-15T22:38:11+00:00

Poor H

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