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A few years ago, I had a minor accident––I didn't feel any pain at the time. Fast forward later that evening when I couldn't even lie down without feeling like I was going to cry. I ended up waking up in the middle of the night in searing pain. Something was terribly wrong. Guess what? I had herniated a couple of discs in my back. It was about as fun as you can expect. I ended up getting treated and physical therapy was thankfully a success. I consider myself lucky. Could have been worse, right?
After Redditor Eevee_19020 asked the online community, "What made you realize you were medically not okay?" people shared their stories.
"And I'm not lazy..."
Broke the cartilage in my ribs coughing.
All through elementary, middle, and high school, I was incredibly bad at any physical activity. I'd be super slow and would start coughing uncontrollably, and every gym teacher I had always told me to stop being dramatic and that I was just fat and lazy.
Senior year of high school, I had a coughing fit that lasted about 3 months. Couldn't sleep very well, and Mom was angry at me and told me I was just making myself cough and if I just ignored it, it would go away. Eventually, it did.
Age 26, I get another coughing attack, and this one lasts about 4 months. One day, in month 4, I cough and something in my ribs goes "pop!" and I'm suddenly in horrible pain. My friends drive me to Urgent Care, the doctor comes in and asks me when I last used my rescue inhaler.
My what?
Yeah, it turns out I've got super-bad cough variant asthma. And I'm not lazy, I just haven't been getting enough air to do physical activities for the first few decades of my life. I now have a personal vendetta against every gym teacher on earth.
Can't blame this person.
What is wrong with people? Get a kid some help!
"Being unable..."
Being in a doctor's office and not knowing how I got there.
Then realizing I didn't know what season it was, nor month or even what year.
Not knowing who the crying people in the room were gave me a sense that something was wrong with me.
Being unable to form intelligible words sealed the deal that I had something medically wrong with me.
"On Sunday of that week..."
On Sunday of that week, I started noticing a little shortness of breath with mild activity like walking up a single flight of stairs at home... then Monday realized that it was getting worse when I got short of breath walking down a flight of stairs.
Decided that I'd go to an urgent care center that Tuesday if sleeping with my humidifier blasting overnight didn't help anything. Then Tuesday morning, I started wheezing and getting dizzy just taking the trash to the curb and decided to go to the ER.
I was pretty convinced that I had COVID, as were the doctors, but it turned out to be a bad pulmonary embolism. Spent a week in the ICU and I'm still on medication for it now, 3 months later.
"I thought we were all just willing..."
For years I thought it was normal to get severe stomach cramps and headaches after chewing gum. I thought we were all just willing to suffer for our pleasures. Turns out I'm quite allergic to sucralose.
Oh, dear.
I've never heard of this allergy myself, but if any of you are reading this, it's not normal to feel that way after eating any kind of food. Get yourselves checked out!
"When I was sobbing uncontrollably..."
When I was sobbing uncontrollably on the floor over a homework assignment at age 27. I ended up getting an A on the stupid thing and I realized that maybe there was something wonky about my ability to regulate my emotions.
"The plant emergency medical team..."
I worked a lot when I was around 20 at a manufacturing plant. 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Go to bed at midnight, wake up at 4. Every single day.
While running my machines, I started getting unusually sweaty and lightheaded, and then woke up on the floor. The first thing I heard was from an operations manager... "Can we drag him out of the way so that they can get the line running?" So I laid there an extra minute.
The plant emergency medical team (normal employees with basic aid training) were checking me out and said that they wanted to take me up to the nurse's office. I said that I could walk, so a smaller lady held my arm, and we started up towards the office. About 50 steps later, I woke up on the floor again. This was no longer a "kid passes out because he's tired or drunk or high" situation, this immediately became a "kid is possibly dying" situation, and I had a million people surrounding me.
They wheeled me up to the nurse and called 911. While waiting for the ambulance, they were doing some basic tests and took my blood sugar. My blood sugar was reading around 12-15. At least, I believe that's what he said, as I passed out again sitting on his table. I woke up again being lifted by EMTs into the ambulance, while they were hooking up an IV, oxygen, and a million other things. Turns out, 20 year old normally healthy men shouldn't pass out 3 times in 15-20 minutes.
At the hospital, they hooked me up to 100 different machines, ran a million different tests, and ultimately the legion of doctors came to the decision that I was just stupid (my words, not theirs). My heart was fine, my body was fine now that I was on an IV drip, and my brain was fine.
They confirmed that my sugar was just super low, caused by working all of that overtime, getting no sleep, and just not eating enough. In hindsight, the only meal I ever ate was supper, I just sustained my life on a 24 pack of Mountain Dew a day, and we had a 4-month-old baby, so it makes complete sense. I was 6'0 and around 110 pounds (easily 20+ pounds underweight) which also meant that I had lost 40 pounds since high school. So I definitely wasn't eating enough.
Unfortunately, I took the whole "eat more" thing to heart, as now I'm fat AF, but at least I'm not dying at work anymore.
"Turns out it wasn't normal at all..."
I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, couldn't breathe at all laying down, so I would sit upright on the couch and try to fall asleep, I had petechiae all over my body (spotted blood vessels poking through my skin), my gums were bleeding nearly every day, I had brain fog, I literally could not walk a block without wanting to squat to take a breath and to ease the tightness in my stomach.
I asked my doctor, specifically my obstetrician about all my symptoms (a total of three times at three different appointments) and she said that was normal because I was pregnant with twins.
Turns out it wasn't normal at all, I had twin to twin transfusion syndrome with mirror syndrome, and because it wasn't caught early, my twin boys were born prematurely (23 weeks) and then died after birth and then I almost died. But I obviously didn't (much to my lifelong regret) as I'm here sharing this.
But yeah. I knew something bad was up, but my doctor kept telling me I was exaggerating and that it was all fine, when it wasn't.
The lesson here is: Always get a second opinion if you feel like you aren't being taken seriously.
"My heart..."
Waking up gasping for breath. Went to the doctor who sent me to a cardiologist. My heart was double its normal size and I was diagnosed with heart failure. Four prescriptions and ten years later, I'm relatively normal. Thankful for today's medical technology.
"I spent two years..."
I spent two years skipping school at lunchtime on my own. I was 12 years old and I would play truant by myself, go home, lay in bed, and just that. Lay there and do nothing.
Took until I was about 14 years old when someone described what depression was and how it felt and realised that's how I felt nearly all the time.
If any of you are feeling a certain way...
...know that you should go with your intuition. Trust your gut. Does something not feel right? Get an expert opinion. No one knows your body better than you do. Maybe your example can motivate others who are experiencing similar problems, too.
Have some of your own stories to share? Feel free to share them in the comments below!
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The Mandela effect is when multiple people share the same, incorrect memory.
Its name stems from when paranormal researcher Fiona Broome falsely believed that the future president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, died in prison in the 1980s.
A false memory she shared with a number of others.
Our memories have been known to deceive us, as we might frequently forget someone's name or one of our numerous online passwords.
But when we share a memory that turns out to be false with many others, convincing ourselves it wasn't the truth can be a very difficult ordeal indeed.
Redditor Mysterious_Boat_1701 was curious to hear people's most unsettling experiences with the Mandela Effect, leading them to ask:
"Which Mandela effect freaks you out the most and why?"
A mysterious gym
"Just had one personally."
"Went to a mall where there was supposedly a gym, asked around and nobody that worked at the mall knew what I was talking about."
"Looked around and couldn't find it."
"Come back a few months later and it’s right there in front of my face, you'd have to be strung out to not notice it."
"idk how or when it just appeared but it freaked me out."- prex320278
A "fruit"ful logo.
"That the fruit of the loom logo never had a cornucopia."
"What’s crazy about that one is that someone emailed the creator of the logo about it and he said even he remembers it having one."- mrcock2·
Less well intentioned than they thought.
"I Mandela effected my whole family once."
"Years ago there was a football player on a rival team that always did a dumb celebration after he got a sack and my family and I always hated it."
"One night after he did it my family started trashing the celebration and I said as a joke 'we are all going to feel terrible when we find out he is doing that celebration as a request from a make-a-wish kid'."
"Fast forward to years later and our team is playing that team again."
"The player got a sack and did the celebration."
"I rolled my eyes and said 'I hate that celebration so much' my mom instantly turned and said 'don't say that, he is doing it for a sick kid'."
"'I actually like it."
"So I was like 'what?'"
"'No there is no sick kid', my whole family then proceeded to argue with me'."
"They all vividly remembered reading articles about it, seeing special report segments before games about it, and other information."
"Some of them even thought they knew the disease the kid had and even extra details about why the kid chose that specific celebration."
"They all had these shared memories that they were sure were true."
"I was floored by all this and insisted none of that was true."
"So we looked it up.'
"Not true."
'No kid like that ever existed.'
"They still have trouble wrapping their heads around this one."
"Turned out human memory is not near as reliable as we think"
"It was American Football and the player was Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings and his cattle roping sack celebration."
"This was maybe 10 years ago."- AUSpartan37
His eyesight was better than we thought.
"Mr. Monopoly's monocle."- Additional_Day9903
It's not easy being green.
"I have a personal one that to this day a decade later still destroys my mind."
"I had an old(ish) 2001 dodge neon."
"With BLACK SEATS.'
"I drove this car for years and years, like 80,000 miles.'
'All through college."
"I took work breaks in my car, commuted hours every day total, to college and then the opposite direction to work and back."
"I even lived out of this thing on several occasions.'
'The day I go and trade it in, I'm pulling misc things out of the car at the dealer."
'And the seats are GREEN."
"Not even a little."
'Like very unmistakably GREEN."
"In my black Neon, with black interior, that ALWAYS HAD BLACK SEATS."
"My girlfriend then, wife now, goes oh they've always been green."
"EXCEPT THEY F*CKING WEREN'T DON'T LIE TO ME."
"This is still upsetting to this day..... life is a lie and nothing is real."- ZakuLegion
An urban legend was born.
"Not a global one, just a family thing."
"Back in 2002 my grandma had her 60th birthday, my father took us home at 10.00pm, ready for bed."
"We, me and brother, were 12 and 14 at this time."
'All went well."
"Over the years, a story was made up that we went missing after visiting the local playground after dinner at said grandma's birthday party."
"Some neighbors help to search us, the whole train of 'missing children in a smal village'-thing."
"Fun fact: we never went missing."
"Dad brought us home, put on 'Toy Story' on tv and left."
"My brother and I heard first about this in 2015.'
"From different people on different occasions."
"'Ah your one of the missing boys'."
"I first thought they were mocking me for a different event.'
"I got lost, but it was 2013, alcohol inflicted, different story."
"But then they ALL tell us the same story about us going missing."
'And the stories are damn close to 'true' in every story my mum is driving around the same neighbors to different locations to search, old wine yard, old mill etc."
"Sometimes I think I got lost on the most brutal way."
"I was lost and changed this plane of existence with another one."
"It sometimes made me think about my whole life."- tjorben123
Memories are a fascinating thing.
They can be changed or altered with even the tiniest suggestion.
And making the truth seem less believable than lies.
One last time. One last meal.
How do you chose a last meal?
Let's hope we never have to find out.
People on death row get that option.
Do they deserve it?
Whose to say?
But they have it.
A steak. A pizza... Burger King.
The food world is their oyster.
Oyster. Also an option.
The menu is endless...
Redditor No-Caterpillar4212 wanted to know what our menu choices would be if we faced the end. They asked:
"You're on a death row, you have one hour left, they ask for your final meal - what is it?"
I'd want 2 hours in a Golden Coral with a bar. Covers it all.
Years
"I want a nice filet mignon, medium rare, a baked potato with everything on it, and a nice Cabernet from a good year - I'm thinking 2135."
cleon42
"'Sorry, we couldn't get the Cabernet from 2135. So instead of what could have been a great wine request from a more plausible period of time, you get this crappy stuff we sourced from Wal-Mart. Enjoy your meal, I hope that maintaining your sense of humor was worth it."'
Until_Morning
Take Me
"Something badly cooked so I will be sick and want to die sooner and have diarrhea so bad it will be a last revenge!"
ratchet0101
"Taco bell it is!"
No-Caterpillar4212
"If Taco Bell makes you poop a lot, it's a sign that you probably need more fiber in your diet."
RDAwesome
The Yuck Factor
"A huge bowl of baked beans, a bowl of shredded wheat, a six egg omelette, and a gallon of apple cider. I'm gonna make it awful for everyone."
"Save yourself the hassle of eating all that, just ask for one pack of sugar free Haribo gummy bears. Should make for an interesting time for the folks watching you die."
MamaSweeney24
"You void your bowels when you die too so that should be lovely."
IDontControlTheFood
Perfect
"Fried chicken with some Fanta."
Aggravating-Year-776
Fried chicken is on the top of everyone's list!
Details
"150mg of MDMA. I’m dying happy."
W0nderfu1W0nder
"This should absolutely be allowed. If our leaders insist on the practice of capital punishment then the condemned should be able to ingest any substance they damn please."
forewontoi
Broken
"McFlurry. Those machine are always broken. I just bought myself some time."
Curiousuk_South9566
"Is this like an American thing? I worked at a McDonald's in Denmark once and our machine was never once broken when i was there."
oliv111
"I saw a video about this once. I'm a little fuzzy on the details but I think it has something to do with the contract that was signed in America. Only one company is allowed to do maintenance on the machines and they basically lock out if it's cleaned incorrectly. It's a crap system."
grilled-pbj
Sorry
"Cabbage!! Add some cabbage. I don’t know if an hour if enough to take effect but there was an old coworker on a cabbage diet. Omg she smelled, like it was coming out of her pores. She knew she smelled and kept apologizing and reminding us of the diet."
ImStillaPrick
The OG Always
"Olive Garden. Unlimited soup and breadsticks."
thegodfaubel
"I saw a sketch once, can't remember who it 2qs from. But a an inmate ordered the all you can eat buffet and had been eating for like 8 years. He's constantly on the toilet and takes micro-naps between bites."
KingOfTheGoobers
"Unlimited for 1 hour. Cool."
anticlockclock
How Golden
"If my grandma is still alive her potato soup and cheesecake. Hopefully I'd be able to cook said meal with her one last time."
ATLAS_IS_LOST
Let's hope none of us has to make this decision.
Most people have friends they've been close to for most of their lives.
But at the same time, friends evolve, and everyone finds themselves losing touch with any number of people they at one point considered their friends over time.
Most of the time, this isn't intentional, but just simply happens.
On rare occasions though, people might realize that their friends were not exactly who they thought they were, and didn't like who they revealed themselves to be.
Redditor One-Refrigerator69 was curious to hear stories of people who realized their friends were not exactly the nicest people to be around, leading them to ask:
"When was the moment you realized that your friends are assholes?"
Compared to others...
"When I started hanging out with better people."- Darklink326
All it took was getting my life together
"When I quit drinking ‘cos it was killing me."
"There were people I literally saw every single day who just disappeared as if by magic."
"12 years ago this week, as it happens."
"I’m not anti-drink, far from it."
"Some people, me included, just can’t enjoy it without it becoming a problem."
"Everyone is different."- bigdaftgeordie
A little perspective goes a long way.
"After I realized that other people don't sh*t on each other on every possible occasion in their circle."
"And that it isn't right when a 'friend' uses every known insecurity as an argument against you when you do not behave the way he/she would want you to."- ViscousPlateman
Lack of respect for other people's things
"I let my friend borrow my ps2 when I went to boot camp."
"When I came back, he said he sold it and gave me $50 I think?"
"This was in 2006."- madmike-86
Lack of mutual respect
"When he does sh*t to me and acts like it’s no big deal, then I do the same back and he gets offended."- Primary-Maybe-2749·
Constantly being taken advantage of.
"They only bothered with me when it suited them."
"I'd rather have nobody than have to deal with that."- zombi33mj
When they literally revealed themselves to be criminals
"When they robbed me at gunpoint."- Ok_Student8032
When they stopped liking them after a change of situation
"Fourth grade, when my parents economical situation went downhill and suddenly no one invited me to their birthday party."
"Until Seven years later no one had never invited me to their birthday, or to anything at all actually."- Justalittletoserious
Not being able to get a word in...
"When they tell me to shut up when I say anything."- the_golden_cheese
Violently playing with emotions
"She got a boyfriend and would let him listen to our phone calls and not tell me, even if I was crying about personal stuff that I would only ever tell her."
"Then they both started lying to me about my crush liking me back, forcing both him and me into awkward positions, telling everyone we liked each other so they'd play along, swapping places constantly to make us sit next to each other, pressuring him into giving me a lap dance, making him kiss the prettiest girl in the room, etc, and encouraged me to shoot my shot more and more."
"All the while they knew he didn't like me, he had told them both directly."
"One night I was crying on the phone cause I was so confused why my advances weren't working, and they just kept explaining it away, blaming some other bullsh*t reason and telling me to try again."
"The next day they told me they were laughing throughout the whole call, because I didn't get it and I was so upset."
"I should add I had no dating experience at all and nobody had ever liked me at this point."- Juliemj
It's always sad when our friends disappoint us.
But when our friends proved to be completely different people than we thought they were, it can be devastating.
As the saying goes, one never truly knows who their friends are.
When visiting any foreign country, one should always be familiar with the laws and customs of the land.
After all, what might be generally accepted on your home turf, might be frowned upon, if not illegal, elsewhere.
For that matter, even locals might need a refresher course on what they can and can't do while at home.
A recent Redditor was curious to hear what tourists and locals alike should avoid doing in the USA, leading them to ask:
"In the United States, what should you never do?"
Stay out of the skies!
"Don't fly a drone in Washington, DC."
"The whole D.C. Area is a no fly zone."
"It's a federal offense."
"Just don't do it."- PeytonCarrK
Cops can't be bribed.
"Don't try to bribe cops when you get pulled over."
"I had some Argentinian friends immediately pull out their wallets and start pooling their cash when they got pulled over once.'
"Fortunately someone in the car noticed and told them to put it away immediately."- PeytonCarrK
"Don't pay off the police."
"My dad has friends from several third-world nations where it is common practice to give the police some cash when you are pulled over."
"However, if you try to bribe a police officer here, you'll get into a lot of trouble."- JohnASmiley
Know your rights.
"Everyone, including foreigners, has the right to be silent and have a lawyer when being questioned."
"Don’t say anything."
"Also, even if you speak English fairly well, ask for an interpreter."- WickedLilThing
Enjoy all that nature has to offer... carefully!
"Don't wander off in the national parks."
"It's very real wilderness and you can get lost and die out there."
"This includes going over railings you aren't supposed to, or off trails."
"People have died accidentally falling into a steam geyser that looked like normal water, mauled by animals or left to the elements."- AlphaOhmega
Allow plenty of time!
"Expect consistency at TSA in airports."- WickedLilThing
Some terminology doesn't translate...
"If you’re from England, they’re called cigarettes here."- Yung_Onions
Make sure your license is up to date.
"If you come from a walkable country don’t come here expecting the same."
"There are some areas with good public transportation and bicycle/pedestrian friendly streets but for the most part, especially outside of cities, the areas are designed to accommodate cars more than anything else."
"The reason a lot of Americans drive everywhere is because, depending on where you live, we have no choice."- The_Cars93
Wait for instructions.
"Get out of your car and approach the cop when being stopped by a cop unless told to."- hildrash
Whether your'e waling down a street in a foreign country, or the street you've lived on for your entire life, it's always wise to be on guard and aware of your surroundings.
Not to mention, obey the law.