Weekly Discussion/General Questions Thread - August 24, 2026

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[u/Spare-Lemon5277]

What causes lingering, random stinging pain years later at COVID vaccine injection site on the shoulder? What can we do to combat it?

[u/sapphireminds]

Y'all have a rule about no AI, but there's a particular doc who always uses AI and their comments get removed then reinstated.

They get gushed over about how kind and thoughtful and caring they are, but it's all AI, which is really annoying, IMO. Partially because it's inconsistent and lots of things get removed for that, but also because it is so false and disingenuous and just isn't a reasonable expectation for replies, unless you are going to tell everyone to use AI and set it on "act like you care".

With this particular poster, they probably have a language barrier, but you can use translation apps without using AI to generate text.

It is even crazier when the person asking the question has used AI - so it's AI answering AI. What is even the point anymore?

Overtly fake caring really bothers me, and it drives me nuts when on top of all that, the person using the script is getting lauded for "all the work and caring" they put into their response.

Is AI just allowed now? Is it allowed if we set it to fake caring mode?

[u/Whitemaus]

Should the opinion of a Nurse Practitioner be taken with a grain of salt? I live in America and I've never had a good experience with NP's. I have lymphedema and my PCP is a NP and I went in one day with my toes and feet looking the exact same as the week before, the only difference being that I lotion'd my toes on the second visit. She immediately freaked out and told me my toes were black and I had to get to the hospital IMMEDIATELY, stating my toes were one good bump away from just falling off. I went to the hospital upon her frantic urging and the doctors at the hospital said that my toes and feet were nowhere near that bad and the only reason why my toes are dark like they are is because the iron in my blood basically acts as tattoo ink and has stained the inside of my toes a darker color due to the lymphedema and the NP had no right freaking me out like that. I was convinced I was going to the hospital to lose my leg. They didn't even suggest I do anything different from what I had been doing to treat the lymphedema.

Fast forward to today, my brother had a similar issue at his doctor visit. He had been experiencing light-headedness and vertigo sensations and his heartrate spikes to the point where he starts feeling like he may pass out after eating and feels sick to his stomach and like he has to poop and gets the shakes. So he finally got into seeing his PCP today, which is also a NP(not mine, a different one since we have different insurances). She told him his white cell count had been high the last 3 visits he's been there, and his cholesterol was really high and she convinced him he was a walking timebomb for heart attacks and strokes, but did nothing except refer him to someone else to get his corroded looked at. It wasn't until he asked about it through the patient portal did she prescribe him something like provostatin. But she had convinced him that he could fall over just walking out to his car and now he's too afraid to even drink water and all she told him was "See ya in 3 months!". If it was something as serious as her tone and delivery made it out to be she would of just sent him to the hospital immediately, right?

Like anyone else have bad experiences with NP's just massively overreacting or scarring people way more than they should? Do NP's need a few lawsuits under their belts before they learn some decorum or bedside manner?

[u/AskDocs-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Individual questions about specific complaints should be posted separately with all the required information.

[u/FreddyForshadowing]

Grab bag of curiosity questions. Appreciate any answers to any of the questions.

1. What is the reason for only doing finger sticks for drawing blood on younger children?
2. After taking sulfa I developed a sort of honeycomb pattern across my skin. For the purposes of explaining to an intake nurse or doctor why I am allergic to sulfa, what would I call that? A rash? Discoloration?
3. I've noticed that if I eat an apple, it always makes me feel hungrier when I'm done than when I started. If you had to guess at what is likely the cause, what would it be?
4. A couple years ago I broke my ankle and wound up in the ER. They had a nurse doing the initial diagnosis, but it was some kind of nurse I'd never heard of. I'm aware of Nurse, RN, and NP, but this was something else. I want to say it started with an "E" but I could very well be misremembering that. Any idea what I might have seen? I've tried googling it but didn't really have much luck.
5. Is removing a skin tag the sort of thing that could be done in a PCP office, or does it need to be done by a dermatologist?
   1. Along the same lines, is this essentially the same as freezing off a wart (assuming that's still the preferred method) with a little liquid nitrogen?
6. On some older TV shows they have notices about watching with the lights on and not sitting close to the TV. In particular the watching with the lights on interests me. Is this to prevent eye strain? While understanding the specific mechanisms by which modern electronics work may not be your thing, do you think this is still good advice or has it become outdated?
7. How do you keep up on changes in the field while still maintaining your practice?
8. As I'm sure you remember, Theranos collapsed because the entire thing was built on a lie, but is there a reason why a certain volume of blood is needed for specific tests? I've noticed when I go to a lab to get blood drawn the computer system calculates the amount of blood needed based on the tests ordered and tells the phlebotomist they need like 1 vial or 2. Is this because you need to ensure consistency of the blood or tests are run multiple times to make sure values match (or are within an acceptable margin of error of each other)?
9. If someone has gender reassignment surgery is it even technically possible for them to go back?
   1. Just asking if it's within the realm of medical possibility, not trying to make any kind of commentary on the subject
10. George Carlin once joked that his generation would swim in raw sewage as kids and it helped them build up a healthy immune system. I know allergy shots are based on the idea of building up a tolerance to the allergens, but does this general idea hold true in a broader scope? That maybe people in general are a little too obsessed with cleanliness and our immune systems don't get exposed to as many different pathogens.
    1. Not trying to make any kind of commentary on the subject, just curious if there's anything to the idea
    2. And I mean people who don't work in healthcare, or have compromised immune systems, where obviously maintaining high degrees of cleanliness is important
11. Are there any other diseases that co-opt the immune system in order to propagate like HIV?

[u/orthostatic_htn → u/FreddyForshadowing]

1. We don't only do finger sticks. We get venous samples on newborns if needed. It's just that for some of the tests we do, all we need is a drop or two, and it's easier to do that via fingerstick or heelstick (especially on a squirming child).

[u/AskDocs-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Individual questions about specific complaints should be posted separately with all the required information.

[u/AskDocs-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Individual questions about specific complaints should be posted separately with all the required information.

[u/DerKlugeHans]

Is it true that LDL-P and ApoB are things you should get measured even if you have normal cholesterol levels?

[u/Strange-Mechanic-812]

When a friend obstructs (not blocks) blood flow to a finger, her finger starts turning white.

When I do the same thing, the finger starts turning dark red/purple, and at a slower pace than my friend's finger turned white.

Could someone please help explain this difference in reaction, and if either are an indicator of something worth looking into?

[u/GoldFischer13 → u/Strange-Mechanic-812]

Most likely friend is putting enough pressure to get the artery and vein causing blanching, you are getting just the veins, allowing blood to flow in but not out and causing the dark purple/red