My final post on medhelp.org

[Patmpaytm]

This is going to be a long post, so bear with me. Also, English is not my first language.

I (M21) had always been the quiet kid at school (thanks to a pretty severe stutter). I was about 15 years old when I realised that something was wrong with me. I noticed that none of my few close friends would sit next to me at school, and my classmates would rather avoid interacting with me. It was then that I realised that my feet were super-sweaty and super-stinky. It was a sudden realization and I still remember it in vivid detail. From that point on, my life went downhill.

I assumed that it was normal feet odor, and so I tried every remedy available in the market. I even tried 'home remedies', such as soaking my feet in vinegar or bleaching powder or alum. Nothing worked. Thanks to my stutter amd my disgusting foot odor, I literally had no friends and avoided most family gatherings.

I suffered for 6 long years. Fast forward to Decemeber 2022, I discovered this website, quite by accident. I was sure that I had 'PATM'. My symptoms matched with that of other posters here.

1. My feet odor wasnt the typical musty odor commonly associated with worn out shoes. My feet smelled of poop/fart/food/charred flesh/burning electrical wires, etc.
2. Whenever I enter a room, people already present in the room start coughing/sneezing/sniffing. Others cover their nose and mouth with their hands/handkerchief
3. I had a strong feeling that others were laughing at me behind my back and that cause my self esteem to hit rock bottom
4. A tendency to count the number of times others in the classroom were coughing/sneezing/sniffing per minute, instead of focusing on taking notes and doing my own work
5. I couldnt smell the odor myself nor did I feel an urge to cough/sneeze/sniff
6. No amount of bathing and maintaining proper hygiene could help me get rid of the stink

I tried everything suggested on this platform and other Youtube channels. Again, nothing seemed to work. Until that point, I had never discussed my problem with anyone. That was when I finally gave in and told my parents everything about my 6 year long struggle. And they told me that my feet were perfectly fine. Apparently, they couldnt detect any foul odor from my feet.

This was in early April 2023. Since then I have reconnected with many of my childhood friends and my relatives, and every one of them has declared that my feet dont stink at all. I consulted 5 doctors (including 2 dermatologists and a gastroenterologist) and all of them were of the same opinion: my feet didnt stink. I was referred to a therapist and within 2 sessions, I feel like a new man. I cannot describe in words how liberating it feels. Apparently, I was suffering from a mental health issue( I cant remember the exact name of the condition)

Now let's come to the main questions.

1. What if my parents, relatives and friends had lied to me about my feet not stinking?

My parents may have influenced my relatives, yes. But they couldnt possibly influence my old friends whom they last met 10 years ago. And most of my friends arent the type that would lie, in order to make me feel good about myself



2. Why do I think I developed these symptoms?

I was a very shy kid in school and was often bullied by the 'cool' kids. And I couldnt respond to my bullies in words, because I stuttered. That's why I tried to fight with them physically, but I couldnt win because they were much stronger than me. This led to deep set body image issues. This is common in teens, but most grow out of it. Some, like me, can't. I suffered for 6 years, beacuse I couldnt muster the courage to ask my parents or relatives or friends if my feet actually smelled of poop.

My suggestion to you is, ask the people you trust if you indeed smell bad or your B.O. causes them to cough/sneeze/sniff. I am sure most of the people on here are shy young people who THINK that they stink. They have never actually spoken to the people who they think, are bothered by their body odor.

I dont know if 'PATM' actually exists. Maybe it does, but a large percentage of people on here, like me, do NOT suffer from 'PATM'. Just ask someone you trust if you indeed stink of poop, it wouldn't hurt to ask. (And don't compromise on hygiene, it goes a long way to boost your confidence)


This post is controversial, I know. But I had to write this, so that others may benefit from my experience.

You can be sure that every word I've written is true, I spent 20 minutes typing this

[ocvq]

Hi, that's what's up. My story is different or almost the same: In my adolescence I did have conflicts with others, sometimes I won and other times I lost, almost normal, I had normal groups of friends, I had suitors. I am short but I always had a girl who would look for me and kiss me by force or similar. I moved to another country due to adolescent problems, I got sick in that other country with tuberculosis where the treatment lasted almost a year and a half, there I became asocial. then I got allergies.... later I realized that I was sweating a lot and in summer my armpits would get wet, therefore they stank after noon and I would take a bath again, that embarrassed me. At that point I didn't have many friends in that new country, I didn't have as many suitors, I was also a bit asocial, my trauma was due to my sweaty armpits and their smell, I even bathed with laundry detergent, from then on I spent a few more years because I felt that my body stank, later I assured that it stank so I bathed 3 times a day and with strong soaps, I went to the doctors where they asked me for blood, urine, saliva tests, etc., I went several times and they found nothing Everything was normal, he insisted, it was when I told my supposed condition to a doctor and he recommended a psychologist and later the psychologist sent me to a psychiatrist and the psychiatrist prescribed me pills, then not being convinced I started asking people and They told me that they did not smell any odor, everything was normal. I asked like crazy at train stations, at bus stops, etc., then I thought about killing myself, I asked people again and nothing, I was lost, I started with certain diets, I found this MEDHELP forum, I started reading about the Paranoid delusions, I started more candida diets, and nothing, nothing changed. One day I said; To hell with everything, I'll have my normal day, I'll eat normally, I'll do a little exercise, I'll bathe less.... Why did I find so many articles and reports from doctors who said things, as well as bathing a lot harms the bacterial flora of the skin, because the odors of the skin are altered, because sweat has an odor, what happens if we have canida, etc., I started reading those study articles ..... I did not find any logical answer to the PATM condition, The doctors did not understand me and only sent me to the psychologist. My medical studies are normal. PATM is currently down compared to that time, I'm calmer, I started to gain my normal weight, I do some exercise like calisthenics, I try to relax,...... That would be my life summarized before PATM and with PATM.