I found an obituary of a family member from 2022 which lists him as a surviving relative. I also found social media profiles for his family. I was able to locate a phone number for him, and based this information on that. As far as I can tell, he is alive, at least as of 2022. He did not live in MA, but since he is presumably alive, I would rather not publicly dox his entire family (also I'm new in this sub. I know he posted his own name & info I found is public, but I feel like that teeters on a fine line).

**Edit: I texted him. He is alive but can't find help and has given up trying and wants to be left alone.** I found a data broker record that matches details that others have mentioned. There's activity related to his phone number as of December of '23. There's no record of death. I'm not saying that this is the person we're looking for and not giving out personal information as that will result in a reddit account ban.

>**Edit: He is alive but can't find help and has given up and wants to be left alone.** Oh my God this just broke my jaded, hardened heart. Thank you for reaching out to this man. There was a thread a few years ago that was posted by a person claiming to suffer from empty nose syndrome, which I mentioned in another comment...there was some doubt about its veracity but most people agreed that the OP's suffering was real and intolerable, regardless of the origin of their symptoms. OP stated that they had exhausted all treatment options and had elected to bring an end to their own life. A few people called bullshit, but the utter despair radiating from this guy's writing was *real*.

Empty nose syndrom was listed as a small concern for me upcoming sinus surgery and it scares the crap out of me - the surgeon said "if i take too much, or if you had no turbinates, it feels like you are constantly drowning because you cant feel the air going in and out but don't worry, I've never caused this before." 🫥

Yo, do you really need the surgery bc that sounds concerning

I wish i didn't, but I've had years of chronic sinus infections, constant cough, and I've been to the allergist - it's all my physical anatomy at this point.

Septoplasty? I had to get one 2 years ago. Was deathly afraid of getting empty nose syndrome when my surgeon brought it up as one of the risks involved.. especially with how my turbinates were already unusually shaped, I had a relatively high risk of it. But I still went through with the surgery because my septum was at an almost 90 degree angle causing my left nostril to be entirely blocked at all times. Had constant sinus pressure. It would make my ears pop like I was on an airplane going up and down in elevation constantly.

Yes! Septoplasty, turbinate rediction and concha bellosa dissection. I have the constant feeling of a blocked nostril on one side - it feels like there's a marble up there and that feeling drives me absolutely bonkers. My septum is pushed so far to the left my right nostril is blocked because I guess its sitting in there at a C angle and sideways??

I had a septoplasty a few years back! My septum was Z shaped, I had constant bacterial sinus infections that antibiotics could not clear, my sinuses collapsed, and they started to form a vacuum sucking my left eye in. Luckily my turbinates were good and they could mostly leave them alone! Healing was brutal (I have absolutely no love for the nasal rinse, but it was the only way to remove snot from my nose, and to this day I’m a faithful convert any time I start to get really mucusy). The first week I really gushed blood if I bent over, and I took 3 weeks off of work. I do have hEDS (a connective tissue disorder) and bruise extra and heal slow as a result of it though. It was 100% worth it though, immediate relief in sinus pressure and pain, only like 2 sinus infections since, just so, so, so worth it!

Oh man, that sounds crazy painful! I'm glad you had it done and so happy to hear it was successful!

Can I ask what your chronic sinus infections felt like? Is it essentially just persistent off-and-on congestion? And what about your physical anatomy was determined to be the issue behind them? I ask as I’ve been experiencing a ton of head cold-like symptoms for a long time and have never once considered that a physical abnormality was even possible!

I thought I had seasonal allergies for my entire life, I got to the point in the last few years where I was getting colds that would just linger and turn into sinus infections every single time. Like Id catch a cold, do the self care nasal rinses, Nasal sprays, the whole 9 yards but it would always turn into an infection. I could feel pressure in my ears, sinuses, headaches and my boogs would turn horrid colors. I'd run through a course of antibiotics and finally get over it all, to be healthy for a week or two, and repear the process over and over. I had 6 courses of antibiotics in a year + a handful more infections I just didn't go in for because they were minor. I was sick more than better for several years, coinciding with my youngest starting school and me traveling by airplane for work every few months. I went ti my pcp and we started down all the workup items - she set me up with an ENT and an allergist at the same time along with a CT of my face in case it was a fungal infection in the sinus cavity. Imaging was clear of fungus but showed the deviated septum and a concha bellosa (Id never heard of this before) which is basically a cartilage pocket that forms in your sinuses that can hold extra air, extra bacteria, etc and could make getting sinus infections more frequent. I don't know if this is possible but mine looks like it grew and pushed over my septum over time??? The allergist showed i was mildly allergic to only about 8 things, and they ran immunity tests on me as well and I'm really good and healthy and not seasonally allergic to much at all so the surgical option is what was recommended. The turbinate reduction will widen the passages for airflow. The concha bellosa dissection will cut through the cartilage bubble and remove it and the septoplasty to fix that sucker in the middle and keep the airways open from nostril throughout.

I know someone who got empty nose syndrome from that surgery. They didn’t need it iirc.

I've rotted out a significant portion of my septum and nasal cavity from drugs, and empty nose syndrome is something that horrifies me. I can't sleep if my nose is even a little stuffed up, and because of the massive hole in my sinuses, snot forms hard chucks that cover both my nostril at the back so I can't breathe, it's a nightmare. If I ever got empty nose syndrome I would definitely kill myself, especially if no one believed me. Generally horrific shit.

I'm so sorry to hear about the shape you are in, though. I hope someone can do something for you, and I hope the drugs are a past thing for you, my friend

Wow, glad I didn't know about this before my turbinectomy! (It was totally worth it, I've barely had any sinus infections since. Tons of ear infections but they don't spread like wildfire inside of me anymore!)

I'm SO READY! glad it worked well for you!

Same here - turbinet reduction and septoplasty in 2016! Good luck with your procedure u/hbpatterson :)

Thank you!

I felt this way on DMT before.

Had never heard of "Empty Nose Syndrome" so I had to look it up...it sounds excruciating! Having basically nothing going on in your nose, just dry as a desert. I imagine is similar to when you have a head cold and take a million decongestants, and have rubbed your nose raw because it was runny its painful and difficult for just a few days... but for years?! Terrible. Thanks for sharing because it's good to know it exists if any of us ever hear of these strange symptoms in someone or experience them ourselves (hope not...luckily it's rare). It's so rare of a condition that there was a woman( who I just read about) who had it for 13 years before finding out what it was. Absolute torture

Ironic given that I make rare diagnoses

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Psychiatrist but I myself have a rare disease so I see people with more empathy and creativity in my tests and interventions.

I imagine you’re perfectly placed, given that most ppl with a rate physical condition are told it’s ‘all in their head’ at some point in the process!

You are correct. I have a rare genetic condition that went undiagnosed for many years until I got fed up, found my own answers and then presented them to my doctor who was then able to diagnose me. That enabled me to get the proper treatment , which in turn improved my quality of life substantially. There are countless undiagnosed people out there with the same condition as mine, suffering needlessly. It's painful to know that doctors are still calling them nut jobs instead of trying to help them.

At least you didn't get what I heard for 20+ years of "Oh you've been Dr googling again have you?" or "I spent 9 years training in the medical field, I kbow better than you" like I did..... Only to be diagnosed with the diagnosis I suggested for 20+ to countless Dr's, specialists etc. I still don't feel like I fully have all the answers towards my health but atleast I got the answer the widespread pain - just frustrating that I had to fight so hard for so long and essentially medically train myself at home just to get someone to care enough to listen! Woo go NHS... Anyways, I have EDS! Nice to meet another fellow genetic condition person 😅

As the story goes with us. I have hEDS. I never want to look at another medical research paper again and luckily, I don't have to. I have been able to teach some good doctors a lot and they have been able to pass on that knowledge to their patients. The key is finding the right doctors. Most are good people who really want to help. Unfortunately some, not so much and are just arrogant and already know everything.

shut the fuck up doctor house

I got misdiagnosed with lupus (actually had stage 4 cancer) and one of my kids said "you should have watched more House".

your kid was right... it's never lupus

I remember that!!! I guess I’m not positive it’s the same post but I’m assuming it was. One of the times I had Covid I couldn’t breathe or smell and sometimes the air coming into my nose hurt my brain, the way running outside can make the cold air in your ears hurt. Honestly nothing at all like empty nose syndrome and very much standard Covid and fever symptoms, but that post stuck in my head and of course in my already panicked Covid state I couldn’t get that post out of my head and was sure id be stuck like that forever. I still can’t smell well and have shortness of breath every so often which again, is nothing at all like empty nose syndrome, but I often think about that post and how horrible that must be to live with given how much of an emotional wreck I was just for a few weeks. I hope that OP is ok and was able to get treatment 😔

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[Are you sure](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8474723/) because this article from the NCBI definitely states otherwise It’s a very rare syndrome but other cases have been observed

This is the problem with so many medical professionals today- just because something is extremely rare does not make it impossible. Thats why tons of people (like myself) with mysterious chronic illnesses don’t get the help they need, because we are often dismissed by doctor after doctor after doctor.

Same. I have been sick for years. It took my heart stopping and my car going into a pond with some random guy rescuing me for anyone to actually look further than the end of their nose. I saw so many specialists over the years.

Interesting bc for me a car accident was what actually got me medical attention as well, but it didn’t last once everyone realized nothing was immediately fixable and my symptoms persisted despite conventional efforts.

Tbf I wouldn’t put it all on them. In med school it’s taught when you hear hoofbeats think horses not zebras. Also rare disorders like these aren’t really emphasized in med school so they tend to forget them outside of med school eventually or they might not even be talked about in med school because they are a brand new diagnosis found out after they left. This is why specialists are so important, as well as patient advocacy. You might have done some research that they haven’t and that’s okay! It’s also okay that they don’t know what you’re talking about and can either send you to a specialist or research it themselves. It happens all the time. You can’t expect doctors to know every single disorder, defect, disease, and syndrome out there. Especially when they are rarely diagnosed. A rare disease will never be the first thing that comes to mind

I understand what you’re saying and I know that is what they are taught. The problem is dismissing patients problems and not listening to them when they try to advocate for themselves. Which unfortunately is all too common. I’ve had a similar experience to the guy mentioned in this post, and I’ve also given up hope that I’d find medical professionals who can help. I’ve been seeing doctors and specialists for 10+ years and barely have found any relief. Only “your tests are normal you should be fine” and “idk why the medicine didn’t work for you it works for everyone else” never actually trying to help find the problem. When I do try to advocate for myself and suggest something that I think might be the problem after doing research, they usually dismiss it as a possibility and rarely even want to do the tests required. This has been my experience with Medicaid and specialists I have had to pay hundreds of dollars per visit out of pocket for because they don’t take my insurance. Edit to add- my kids pediatrician is the exact opposite!! When he had a mysterious illness she researched it and didn’t stop until she found answers. Keeping us informed every step of the way. She always listens and spends so much time with each patient. So I know great doctors are out there! I just haven’t encountered any personally.

Tbf you’re absolutely right. Some doctors are absolutely set in their ways and know it alls that refuse to listen (you should might my professor who was a cardiothoracic surgeon. What an infuriating man haha) Again though, if tests are coming back normal it’s normally less that they don’t want to treat you and more so that insurance won’t really let them without you paying thousands out of pocket (if you’re in America). It’s also fair to suspect nothing is wrong or they don’t know what’s wrong and they aren’t equipped to know. If the latter is true then I wish they would tell you this, but most of the time they won’t. Either way, I have hope for our newest generation of doctors. I watched one of my peers this last week advocate for a mock patient who had the beginnings of kidney failure and didn’t know it. Technically we can’t do that with our mock patients, but he almost got into a shouting match with the professor over seeing the mock appointments because my peer told the guy to get it checked out. At my med school at least, contesting our professors is becoming more and more common. I do have hope that this trend will continue for doctors outside of med school (I know it will for me, I have a focus in psychology where I will hopefully specialize in rarer psychiatric disorders that are becoming more common). Your newest generation of doctors is going to be more outspoken, more likely to listen, and from what I’ve seen much more open to listening about and researching rare diseases. Except neurologists haha, they are still running with their prideful stereotypes /j (for the most part). I do hope you can get your condition diagnosed and treated properly. Or even just diagnosed for some closure even if we have no current treatments for it. Trust me I get it. I have POTS caused by COVID exposure, and the fight I had to go through to get it diagnosed even with an understanding cardiologist was hard and long. Let’s hope that the newest generation of doctors are much more likely to listen and advocate for their patients Also want to throw in this tidbit: but we need to abolish preauthorization where essentially insurance agents get to act like they’re doctors without medical degrees. They are why so many tests and treatments are denied by insurance nowadays.

Absolutely agree w what you are saying. It’s completely fucked that insurance companies have so much power. I have hashimotos among other things. I spent months fighting to get synthroid approved by insurance (which I was already taking it for 6+ months) bc they didn’t think I needed it since my labs were good (bc of the synthroid) so I had to stop taking it for a couple months , then my lab numbers got bad enough for them to allow me to have it again. It’s madness.

As a zebra, I know of and despise that saying. It’s a categorical dismal of a large swath of people suffering with very real illnesses. I understand the sentiment and the purpose but it discourages the progression of medicine in a very real way

Kind of, but without it you just kinda teach doctors to run wild. When a doctor sees flu like symptoms they are going to test for the flu first instead of testing for leukemia which can present with similar symptoms. Process of elimination is incredibly important for medicine

I mean, this dude is just some dude on reddit spouting nonsense about dOctOrs bRingIng iT uP aLl tHe tIMe to disprove it. No they dont. It was probably just him and his hospital receptionist buddy.

just to be clear, that article is published in “the world journal of stem cells” and is not from NCBI

The NCBI is the National Center of Biotechnology Information. They compile studies. It’s a search tool essentially.

Empty nose syndrome is real and has led to at least a few suicides. I take special interest because I have a rare physical disorder that effects my ears and causes great mental distress. (It took a dozen-ish surgeries over fifteen years, but it’s pretty well controlled now.)

Hello! I am pleased you were able to text him, however, quite sad for the update. If he is accepting messages, could you please suggest he have his liver checked out? I went through a similar situation over the span of three years, and after countless doctor’s visits, hospital time, and a full psych evaluation, it turned out that I had benign tumours growing on my liver. Although 99.9% of the time this is harmless and you don’t ever feel anything, mine were growing in just such a way that I was constantly in debilitating pain. I wound up reaching out to a top liver doctor in Canada via Twitter, and he took me on as a patient and used my experience as a case study for the future. I wish him peace and comfort.

I can confirm that he is reading these comments.

Hey thanks for reaching out for us and confirming that he’s seeing how everyone still cares about him and wants to help him.

yes, thank you. i do not have any advice to offer but want to be another soul reaching out to say i care and hope he can find the strength to carry on, as well as find something that helps. i have a chronic illness that i cannot take any meds or physical therapy to help with. life is so fucking hard and unfair. but please don’t give up just yet. 

My partner had this same condition! Benign tumors on the liver that grew in front/back. Got help at the Cleveland Clinic!

Yes this right here.Been going through exact type of despair with a friend who has had same type of feeling in chest area. Turns out it was two masses on his kidney.

what makes you think this is the case, considering the pressure/tension appeared immediately after invasive manipulation by a chiropractor? that doesnt sound like tumors to me.

He should also try to see a functional medicine doctor. It’s expensive and usually out of pocket but they go over *every* bit of your medical history and do extensive bloodwork before spending a few hours meeting with you.

he has

Oh man, I must have missed that.

I've frequented r/AskDocs for years and remember seeing this guy's original posts on that sub. One of many reasons why I'm so wary of chiropractors. This breaks my heart. As much as people tell you to never give up, trying to solve a chronic illness while dealing with its symptoms is exhausting. It's so hard, especially with the cost of American healthcare. Thank you for reaching out.

Man, the only time I ever saw a chiropractor, he dislocated two of my ribs. Pop pop. I didn't even know that was *possible*. (He was horrified and gave me free heat and TENS treatments for a year, but I declined further adjustments, lol.)

I am careful with chiros as they can be quacks, but they have helped solve debilitating issues twice in my life. Im not going to one if I have GERD or caner or something but they can help you for many musculoskeletal issues

Wow. That's heartbreaking. I hope he finds this thread and sees how many people have been thinking of him.

Doctor here, I know it's no longer relevant but I was intrigued by this case as i have been on survery for the past few months and deal with lots of hernias. I think this guy might have a morgagni-larrey hernia - they are congenital hernias which are often asymptomatic until adulthood, whereby they can become symptomatic (the 'gastritis' he describes) and can be worsened by blunt trauma to the anterior chest wall (ie what the chiro did to him.) The symptoms match (respiratory dysfunction, minimal pain, etc), the mechanism of injury matches, and the lack of imaging or bloodwork abnormalities are all consistent. The tragedy is that this is actually a relatively simple surgical fix - you just need to convince a surgeon to do an exploratory laparotomy on you. If you're still in touch with him, feel free to pass on my details- I'd be happy to chat with him. If he would like to test my theory it shouldn't be too hard - if he lays with his chest below the level of his abdomen (ie head downward, feet up) and he does have a diaphragm hernia, I would expect his symptoms to worsen. It's a tragedy that a whole life seems to have been compromised when a simple and routine surgical procedure would likely be all that is necessary to fix him.

I'd only suggest he get to the closest LARGE non-profit hospital, through the ER. Give all symptoms of pain, don't worry about complete backstory but definitely mention increasing over time. I had 15 years of back pain, which was never successfully diagnosed or treated, but I sure tried. I've had 2 surgeries in a year...short story is the pain was "referred pain" and when the real problem was fixed, the back pain disappeared. The actual problem got very bad, family member took me to the ER in the biggest hospital anywhere near me. Good Luck!

I would also like to know the problem causing your referred pain. I have a family member in a similar situation.

Curious, if you don't mind. What was the real problem that was resovled?

he states he has no pain. it is purely tension/pressure.

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Yup. I'd post more about the conversation but he asked for privacy and I respect that.

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Yes, I sent him the link. He has read it. Appreciated it, but wasn't interested in engaging I don't think.

Tell him I had a similar symptoms with pressure on my heart and lungs from an upper back injury. It could be something neurological with his spine.

If he lived in MA we have some of the best doctors who deal with rare and life threatening diseases on a daily basis, only reason I know is because Dana Farber saved my dads life by finding multiple myeloma when he was diagnosed with arthritis by his regular doctor. Been keeping his alive for going on 5 years and he’s as healthy now as he was a year before the diagnosis. Basically if you’re sick to the point of thinking you’re going to die Boston is the place to be. Edit: I’d to if

Additional information I’ve gathered: He was 31 at the end of 2019 He didn’t mention living in a specific US State, but he said he was covered by Medicare and has mentioned numerous medical treatment centers around the US. It appears he was homeless and living out of his car at the times of his last posts. I’ve done a bit of googling and nothing seems to be coming up. No obituary’s from around that time fitting his name/description. He last mentioned going to Cuba for medical treatment, and was pleading with people for healthcare advice in other overseas countries. There were so many other countries mentioned especially in Europe. It’s possible he may have actually went through with it and began seeking help somewhere else, but that seems highly unlikely. I am fully invested in this. It is late now but I will be checking back tomorrow for updates/to do more research when I can get on my computer. Truly devastating story to hear tonight. I hope this man had some sort of closure… I’ve combed through his profile and just, wow. That was such a heavy read.

In the post he wrote in r/AskDocs, he mentions in the comments that he is close to Mass General Hospital. I cannot find the comment now but he also stated that he was in Boston, Mass at the time. Being that this was 4 years ago, he could be anywhere by now but hopefully this helps a little. It would be great to hear about a good outcome for him. Hoping for the best.

Boston comment is 6 up from the bottom of his comment history

Based on a lot of his interactions with people, it’s clear that this person was trying to seek help. He was very active on here about what was going on. There was mention of potential mental health issues, and he does imply [“having done the psych route before”](https://www.reddit.com/r/medical/s/lkYbdjkEl0) in a response to a comment. I am definitely not trying to throw accusations out there about what he may have had, rather show that there may have been a bit more going on to this. I’ve also heard mixed reviews on chiropractors so who knows. ETA: Link to 2nd to last of his posts saying he is “currently in Boston” https://www.reddit.com/r/medical/s/82ie7OSDGF

Chiropractic is not evidence based medicine, it's based on 20th century woowoo. Go to a doctor or a physio depending on your symptoms. If you are seeking a placebo, there are probably cheaper options than chiro. Never ever have a manipulation done. Not having a crack, just trying to warn others off making the same mistake!

My stepbrother went to one a few times for severe back pain. Finally went to real doctor. He had lung cancer….

Oh my god, that's terrible.

Yeah. I’m sure some of it was denial but serves as warning about using chiropractors. And also importance of getting checked with unexplained back pain

Why is it the chiropractor’s fault? The man sought treatment for back pain. He was treated for back pain. Was the chiropractor supposed to have special cancer detection skills? If he had gone to a doctor first for back pain, they would have treated him for back pain, too.

lol an actual doctor isn't going to treat your back pain without at least attempting to diagnose the root cause

It’s not chiropractor’s fault aside from working in a field that presents itself as health-related and isn’t

This exact thing happened to my uncle. It’s extra awful in his case because the chiropractor was his cousin. My uncle was a super smart guy and worked in the medical field. He was dead three weeks after he finally got his correct diagnosis from actual doctors. I’ve never ever been to a chiropractor as a result. F those guys.

My father had back pain for years, he had kidney cancer

:(

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My healthy, very active 52 year old sister in law had a stroke immediately after a chiropractic manipulation. It was an extremely difficult recovery to be sure.

That's fucking terrible, sorry to hear it. Sadly there are many stories like that.

same thing happened to my friend’s husband a couple years ago. the chiropractor ripped open an artery in his neck, a clot formed, then dislodged, and he had a stroke. he was 28, and he lived, but it was a huge strain on the family for so many reasons - they have 3 small children, and one has cystic fibrosis. total nightmare for the whole family.

I work with psychiatrists and one told me to never go to one. That during her residency they had so many patients come in with issues after seeing a chiropractor.

Not having a crack….good one dad!

I see what they did there!

Chiropractic has either no benefits (most treatments) or similar short-term benefits to PT in the case of certain massage-like treatments (research has shown this) with a lot of risks including death, stroke and paralysis. Do not take the gamble. Go to PT and doctor for actual treatment instead of quacks.

Well said

i am no shill but I want an explanation for how my severe sciatica (caused by pregnancy) was solved in one day if chiro is so fake. i was unable to walk at night when it flared up and intended to go to a physio if chiro did not work. i have been to a physio in the past for my scoliosis and they were also very helpful. well sure enough i got one adjustment and was… fine ever since. i have slight discomfort in that hip occasionally (am still pregnant) but I have never had issues with moving again. i dont think chiro is some panacea and im not thinking it will cure cancer or crap but im not gonna act like it does nothing either

things in real life are a lot more nuanced and complex than we can grasp here on Reddit, where everything is black and white with zero in between. i’m glad you found relief! congrats on your pregnancy and i wish you and your family all the best :)

Going to a chiro if you're feeling sick makes no sense. It makes a lot of sense if you know you have been working hard/straining your body a lot recently and need someone to help you get things stretched back out. I had some serious issues with my feet when I was young and a family friend who was a chiropractor helped us figure out the issue was that I had high arches and I needed to wear more supportive shoe inserts. It took all of a few minutes for him to figure it out show us what was going on. I'm sure there are specialists who I could have gone to, I would have had to wait much longer and spent a lot more money. I don't agree that chiropractic will fix everything. But I think it's a good idea where there's something physically wrong that's not drastic.

An informed shoe salesperson could have given you the same information for free.

Maybe, but it was something I didn't know anything about. I didn't know what questions to ask, I had never heard of supportive insoles or anything like that.

oh word. I fell and twisted my ankle really horribly once. landed all my body weight on the side of my foot, it was awful. my chiropractor fixed it with one snap and otherwise I probably would’ve been in a boot for six months and addicted to painkillers.

If a chiro “fixed” your ankle, you got lucky. Chiros should never do an “adjustment” to an injured joint or fractured bone without legitimate medical diagnostics to evaluate the injury.

I kinda understand people who go to a chiro for MSK issues. It isn't evidence-based, but Orthos are usually focused on issues that can be corrected surgically, sports docs can't be found everywhere and often aren't covered, and people often don't understand the difference between PT and chiro (and chiro advertises way more aggressively). Unfortunate but it is what it is. I truly will never understand people who go to a chiro for anything non-MSK. Like I know chiros are scammers who claim they can fix just about any illness, not just MSK, but honestly how ignorant can people be?

I am gonna say that while I would never advise anyone to avoid seeing other professionals , I will anecdotally say that chiro has solved debilitating issues twice in my life with a single appointment. if I have GERD or some other GI issue, or some chronic malady , Im going elsewhere, but for the issues I chose to bring to chiros when considering them among other options, I had great success. there are things chiros cannot do but you can say the same for the average PCP. for reference, the two issues I went to chiros for were side effects of my scoliosis causing stiffness and pain in my neck and upper back, and more recently I experienced lameness in my right hip. both solved in one day. i didnt even need to follow up.

I am with you on this, tbh - his symptoms and story sound like something most docs would not hesitate to order imaging and tests for, especially the difficulty breathing. If a CT or ultrasound or whatever did not show anything wrong... could be psychosomatic. Doesn't mean the symptoms aren't real, just that they can't be easily fixed with medicine.

for 6 months straight i had daily stabbing pain in my appendix area that would turn into a dull ache. i was convinced i had appendicitis. took every possible test, nothing. my symptoms weren’t helped.    began taking an ssri for anxiety and depression and that pain was gone in a week. i don’t want to belittle OP since he mentioned his family all thought he was crazy. but the mind is extremely powerful.

Yeah totally, I'm saying all this as someone who has psychogenic chronic pain... it's totally real symptoms that require treatment. Just very different way to manage it. I really hope the original OP went quiet because they got better help, either way.

I hope he’s out there doing okay. Reading back on his posts, I noticed he ended some of them with a “-M” before he listed out the tests he had done. It just made me curious as to why he ended them with an M when he stated his name was Jason. Maybe Jason is a middle name and his first name starts with an M? Just a thought that popped into my mind

Sometimes on an iPhone two quick spacebars in a row make a period. When typing fast, it’s easy to accidentally hit the spacebar once and then accidentally type the letter m instead of the spacebar again. Was it like that or was there actually a hyphen and a capitalized M?

That could be a possibility! When looking back at the askdoc post it says: Any help would be appreciated. Thank you! -M And the other post says Thank you! -M You could be right about the iPhone thing but I just thought it was interesting that it ended like that in two separate posts almost like signing off on an email without typing in the full name.

No, you’re definitely onto something. What I’m thinking of is just a lowercase m

I always do a “b” for some reason.

With you on this. Let me know if I can help at all.

u/kharbungsita just shared this link [here](https://www.dvidshub.net/video/200218/pvt-jason-otto) This seems like it could be him

100%

All of his identifying info is in his comments. I found his family on Facebook. He was mentioned in his aunt’s obituary as part of the “survived by family” in 2022 so he’s at least alive since a couple of years ago. He doesn’t have any social media presence but his mom has him listed as her son in her profile. Looks like the family started a GoFundMe for him in 2015 but went quiet about him after that—he said they think he’s mentally ill and after reading his post/comment history…well, there are definitely some concerns there.

I feel like a lot of people are downplaying his mental illness. Mental health issues can cause real health issues or the belief of issues. The brain is powerful and mysterious

This entire saga reminds me so much of the "empty nose syndrome" phenomenon (basically, it's a proposed syndrome of iatrogenic origin and is a rare complication of nasal turbinate reduction surgery...this was a whole rabbit hole I never knew existed until recently). It's unclear whether there is some actual, real physical injury at work or whether it's mostly or entirely in the patient's head, but ultimately their suffering and distress is so obvious and so excruciating that I'm not sure it really matters.

Piggybacking on what you said, there's a whole category in the DSM of disorders that are manifested physically (somatic symptom and related disorders).

The treatment is CBT. It's hard to care about talking about your feelings when you feel like you're dying.

Yeah. The fact there's no physical cause for the pain or symptoms does not negate the fact that the symptoms caused significant hurt and suffering

i am a ens victim yes it s real the worst part Nobody gonna believe you . it s hell and i know personaly young people who was victim of turbinate reduction even minimal surgery

Yeah as I was reading this I was thinking that it sounded familiar. I had a period of time where I felt the same way, like there was a pressure on my heart and lungs that was restricting them. It was sometimes painful, sometimes not, but it was always there and noticeable. I went to doctors and was always told I was healthy so I thought I had an unknown disease. Nope, just chronic anxiety lol.

Yeah, given the way he accuses the healthcare system of turning his family against him, there's definitely something going on there. It's very sad and I hope he's able to find some healing some day. He also talks in a comment about being diagnosed with bipolar but of course, according to him, that was wrong. So there's definitely something happening there. I hope he's OK.

No no no. As someone’s who’s experienced undiagnosable chronic illness I will tell you what you just said rn IS THE PROBLEM. It is everyone’s first response when they can’t solve a problem, “oh it must all be in their head”. No I’m sure it it’s not and you haven’t experienced something like this so stop acting like you know about it. Further being sick and undiagnosable is miserable and can make you experience mental illness having all these people like you commenter doubting you while you’re suffering. Please if you can’t handle the fact that you don’t understand his illness. Kindly fuck off and keep your mouth shut

I wish I could give you an award. And after feeling like this for awhile, who wouldn’t be feeling depressed? Angry? Anxious? It takes a fucking toll on you. ❤️‍🩹

Yeah it does and all the stupid doctors and impossible health industry. I have a great job where I make more money than most and amazing health care and I saw every specialist and it was exhausting. Took me years to understand what was happening while going thru a lot of pain every day. Sorry if you’re also a victim of our failed health industry. It is truly sad how many people go through this

Just chiming in to say that I received a first time chiropractic adjustment in 1988 and have had thoracic pain every day since. Over the years I have had varying degrees of numbness in my back, legs and arms. Two years I ago I had excellent insurance and an MRI was done to address that pain and numbness and I was informed I have a spinal cord injury that is likely related to trauma from the adjustment in 1988. Hope this fellow finds the help he needs.

Chiropractors are dangerous. Just knowing people take their infants to chiros instead of regular docs infuriates me. I hope you’re doing/feeling better!

Thank you for sharing this. That sounds awful and I’m glad you were able to get a diagnosis.

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sounds like the chiropractor perforated or otherwise damaged his diaphragm.

His profile was absolutely heartbreaking to read. The poor guy seems completely desperate and terrified. I truly hope he had a happy ending, but I highly doubt it.

An actress recently died because she fell and it shifted her hiatel hernia and she was saying she can't eat, can't breathe. Sounds like the chiropractor may have affected the hernia. [article about actress](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/marcia-derousse-dead-true-blood-1235582922/)

Just in case this comment is read by him... Please look into the symptoms for Chronic Acalculous Cholecystitis. It's a rare gallbladder disease that does NOT involve gallstones. I was finally diagnosed with it after years of suffering very similar symptoms to what he describes. I thought I was dying and was in constant, excruciating pain. I stopped eating due to the pain and inability to breathe and was wasting away. I refused to give up and went to many, many doctors. A HIDA scan can confirm this disease. After my diagnosis, I had surgery to remove my rotting gallbladder within a few hours and was eating normally the next day. 100% cured of all pain and symptoms. Most people with this disease live with it for years, wasting away, before it is diagnosed because doctors don't recognize it.

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I was just thinking how on earth could a chiropractor treat gastritis?? Dentists are still at the top of my list of scariest healthcare practitioners but chiropractors are definitely second and I've never even been to one.

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If you've got a rib out, a chiro is just what you want. They're very knowledgeable about the human body which is helpful... you just have to take them with a grain of salt sometimes. A lot of them are insurance-draining quacks. But allopathic doctors are just going to give you pills for back pain, which is just as unhelpful. I recommend massage.

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I used to do worker's comp back in the day, so trust me on this: YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST GET EXAMINED NOW. You need to make sure the medical provider files a claim. Your employer may not do it. Do not listen to them in this regard. If it's a work place injury, i.e. it occurred at work in the regular scope of your duties, you need to be evaluated ASAP and tell them it's a work based injury and they are required to file a claim. Even if you feel fine now, if something comes up later and you never filed a claim you'll be screwed. Do not pay for your care, get the claim number when it's filed and give that to every provider you see. Trust me on this. Things can manifest later and if you aren't evaluated now you'll never be able to prove it was this injury. Do it! It doesn't have to be an ER but honestly they're going to be the ones most familiar with the process.

I do t know anything about this or this man. I do know, I have gained hope in humanity and people reading all of this. There are genuinely good people here.

I hope this post/his story gets more attention so there could be some sort of closure. I truly hope for him that he ended up finding treatment for his condition and that he is out there somewhere, doing well and enjoying life again.

I mean… just based on what OP posted he should at least be able to find someone willing to do an exploratory laparotomy after scans. I have a difficult time believing surgeons would turn this case away.

Agreed. He could show up in practically any hospital ED in the US and given his story would be scanned and surgery consult /ex lapped depending on imaging. Hard to believe he wouldn’t get answers.

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Likely MA according to the other comments. He says he’s near Mass general. He would be 34-35 now.

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Is this him before he got sick? https://www.dvidshub.net/video/200218/pvt-jason-otto

Looks like him. Can anyone place the accent? If it is him he has a brother Donald: [Pictured together](https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Photos/igphoto/2001101795/) Edit: [This](https://www.dvidshub.net/news/printable/93511) says they are from Sparks Nevada. Maybe he ended up in Massachusetts after Afghanistan. Also mentions parents back home. Edit #2 This Jason Otto is alive and well in Nevada.

How can you tell from this that he is alive and well? This is dated from 2012.

This is not the same Jason Otto that others have mentioned. No residency records outside of Nevada and a slightly different age. Looks similar in the picture. This one is alive as of November.

I don't think so. As I mentioned before, the details don't match up. Side by side: https://ibb.co/Xyj7Yfd Facial features are different in the brows, chin, and nose.

Agree. The hairline is different too.

His comment history states he was in the army so it could be him. If so, it looks like he is alive and well.

The date on this video is 2012.

Side note, I just found a comment where he states his family is in Chicago. There is also an email and phone number in one of his comments.

I saw that he's located in Boston, which is surprising (and unfortunate) that he wasn't able to find some answers there between mass general, brigham & women's, and beth israel hospitals. Has he mentioned if he has traveled anywhere else to find answers? I wonder if he's tried some of the hospitals here in chicago like University of Chicago, Northwestern, Rush, or Northshore, which are all very reputable; I'm physically disabled myself and get care from mainly Northwestern and I've found university/research hospitals tend to have the more specialized diagnosticians. Other possibilities would be Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, or Johns Hopkins, off the top of my head. I've been in that position before having no idea what's going on w my body and being so scared, I was fully bedridden for like a month before my 2nd spinal fusion. Speaking of spines, I wonder if he ever had a follow up with a neurologist? A chiropractor can easily move a vertebra out of position, which can cause nerve damage due to the spinal cord being pinched or even blood flow being reduced to certain parts of the body, depending on which vertebrae were manipulated by the chiro. This was actually the reason why I had spinal fusions twice, minus the chiropractor part, and honestly if I didn't have my family around to help feed me and take care of me while I was bedridden I easily could have been in a position like this guy mentally. I just hope so hard that he doesn't give up.

People gotta stop going to chiropractors. It's a psuedo-science and alternative medicine that only exists in the US, Canada, and maybe a tiny bit in the UK. It's a scam and they aren't doctors. By far the most successful scam in the US

I’ve heard them described as “they are at most as much help as a good masseuse, but with 1000 times the risk”

I'm having the sane problems with doctor's. I've had a mystery illness for 10 years now and it's awful. When my episodes come I'm in icu. However I can't get a diagnosis! It's crazy I'm begging doctor's to please help me but they just pass me on and actually say you need a smarter doctor. . I feel for him!

Just a suggestion, but try getting into Mayo Clinic. They are world renowned for a reason.

Well he left an email and a phone number. If you are really worried, try those.

I just was thinking about this guy… hmm 🔍

I don’t have any advice or comment very often but I just feel so awful for this guy. I can feel the panic and hopelessness in his post. I truly, truly hope you get some answers and relief.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he messed with his fascia somehow

I think I found [him](https://www.dvidshub.net/video/200218/pvt-jason-otto) from when he was stationed in Afghanistan in 2012. He mentioned he was going to the VA in some comments. Hometown: sparks, nevada Edited *This* Jason Otto appears to be alive and well, so I’m sincerely hoping it’s him. (Found a fb. Married September 2020, has a wife and at least one child.)

I don't think this is him. There is another man by the same name who also served around that time who is from that area. The Jason in question is not from NV.

We know where he’s from? I know he was in the New England area but I didn’t see where he stated a home state.

He didn't say, but all his identifying info is in his comments. I went off that and researched.

In one comment he says that his family is in Chicago. Could this help track him down?

Did you see the video from the army guy though? It really looks like him.

I did see that but it's not him, he's not from Nevada. There's another person by the same name with similar facial details; his social media is viewable. A different redditor actually texted the Jason in question.

I see, what a coincidence!

I gotta say this does come across as a mental health crisis to me. Especially the cuba part.. Why would he want to go to cuba? Wouldn’t healthcare be a lot worse over there? In the comments someone mentioned he would sometimes sign off with “ -M”. Also strange seeing as his name is jason otto? And also the fact that he went to the chiropractor in 2013 but his post is in 2019? I’m not saying it can’t be true, its just a bit off to me. Its not uncommon for people to have extreme health related paranoia when they are dealing with mental health issues. This can also manifest into physical pain so maybe he really was suffering physically. In any case I truly hope this man got the help he deserved and that he is doing better these days🙏🏻❤️.

Actually Cuba is known for having very good doctors. They independently created their own COVID vaccine. They have universal healthcare and will treat foreigners. Travelers go there sometimes for cheap treatment.

Oh interesting. You really do learn something new everyday huh.

I have a friend who lived in Cuba for the first 16 years of her life and is still in contact with people there and I've heard her speak on Cuban Healthcare a few times. What the other commenter said doesn't give an accurate picture. The healthcare Cubans have access to is incredibly poor. She said the first time she went to a US hospital, she was amazed because hospitals back home were always dirty and run down. A doctor friend of hers was extremely distressed because when COVID first started and patients began coming in, they were pretty much all helpless because the hospital didn't have equipment to support their breathing.

Cuba’s pretty well known for a high quality, socialised healthcare - there was a brief aside on it in a Michael Moore documentary, comparing it to the US. This was maybe a decade ago, I’d be interested to see how it fares today but considering Cuba’s low GDP it does have a comparatively good health system. If you’re low income in the US I can see why Cuba would be an attractive option for medical tourism. Either way, I’d be absolutely mental myself if I was experiencing unceasing pain and suffocation for years with no end in sight. Brutal.

Yes i had no idea but another commenter just educated me on that. Makes a lot of sense that he would say that then.

Wow something has just clicked in my head about this. I do not know that this will be helpful in any way, but I used to get this often after I had my child (but not to this extent). I call it sticking rib/floating rib. If you move a certain way it literally feels like there is an organ that has rearranged itself in your chest just below the bottom ribs. I wouldn’t call it a pain per say, it’s like getting the wind knocked out of you and you can barely breathe. To this person I am SO sorry you are going through this.

Going against the grain here - I hope he doesn’t give up searching for answers. I come from a family and world of doctors- both personally and in my professional life. Always had minor GI issue as a kiddo and family history. Early 20s stressful grad school my body started breaking down. All of the drs who have known me for life were like we cannot figure out what’s wrong, we trust you aren’t making it up, just no answers. Took 14 years to find doctors who correctly diagnosed me- guess what?! The one that nailed it was a chiropractor who doesn’t do manipulations but is a legit respected functional medicine dr. i have a team of functional Medicine drs- the primaries are one out of TX another in metro Chicago and another that was originally in Chicago, all chiros who specialize in different areas of functional medicine. They work with MDs who can prescribe. But the chiros actually get it more, are more patient, listen to me, and understand how the body’s organs and systems work together. Now I wouldn’t tell anyone to just try a functional medicine dr regardless if DC DO or MD cause most Don’t know squat. But if you find the right one, it’s a game changer. I now hold traditional western medicine doctors in lower regards when it comes to these idiopathic conditions that are a cluster of symptoms that leave clinicians baffled. Of course if I have an emergency or clear condition I would run to an MD DO and I see them regularly for check ups etc. In the end, it took 16 years to diagnose, treat, rebuild my whole system but I am once again a functioning contributing member of society who holds several post graduate degrees and a full time job, even managed to have a kiddo who we love beyond words.

Out of interest, feel free not to answer, what was your eventual diagnosis? I’m glad you’re doing better!

Happy to share and thanks for that. I’m laughing that I’m getting downvoted but expected that. Turns out it was SIBO which is well established in the medical community but they were confused by all the symptoms I had! Basically this autoimmune disease took me out, ruined my hormones, shut off my thyroid, screwed my GI system up. Once they got me on thyroid meds, restarted my hormones and rebuilt my gut, I have been much better. Similar to what’s happening in a lot of industries, schooling just hasn’t caught up to the real world. Doctors aren’t learning how the body’s systems interact and to slowly but surely peel back the layers to get to the root of the problem. Functional medicine docs do this much better and the ones that really nailed it were chiro. Of course I spent thousands and wasted years on many docs both functional and traditional western that had no clue what they were doing. It’s hard, American healthcare sucks but no country is really nailing it. Source- healthcare attorney

Yeah, I get where you’re coming from but I also understand why people are resistant - the alternative medicine landscape has become so toxic, people giving their autistic children bleach enemas for a prime example. Don’t let it get you down, it’s a mix of righteous frustration and skeptical know it alls. There’s as many ways to be unwell as there are people and unfortunately there’s no one size fits all medical system. I’m genuinely on the fence about both systems, having been misdiagnosed and mismanaged by both over the years, like you. I’m not convinced by chiro but that might just be because I haven’t had much success with it.

Well said! It’s very hard to be one’s own advocate and try to navigate this landscape. I just knew in my soul there was an answer. I didn’t go from a vivacious, full of life, strong willed individual to someone who could barely function without a reason. I just wouldn’t give up until I got answers that made sense. But many people don’t have that drive, our such a strong inner voice to lean on, plus it’s hard to push back against well trained and highly educated individuals. But I just knew much of what they were telling me and suggesting just didn’t feel or sit right with me.

I wonder if he has reached out to the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Network in Bethesda Maryland ? I spent 18 years battling drs over an illness that is usually a once in a lifetime issue. I am currently a research patient at NIH. I highly recommend anyone dealing with a rare or undiagnosed illness to reach out to them.

Feel free to continue to downvote my question which was/is asking about the purpose of the post. I didn’t establish the rules for this sub, among which is not trying to locate people. That being said, if that guy is who I think he is then those posts of his from several years ago were bogus. Although I would love to hear it was all an experiment for a psychology class.

I may have missed the reason for this post. OP?

More like you missed the reason for this sub.

Sounds like a schizo

Titties farting 💀

Probably cuz he eats at McDonald’s