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Embracing Individuality: Discovering the Uncommon Yet Shared Experiences of 19 People With 'Unusual' Bodily Traits

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Embracing the Uniqueness: Shared Experiences of 20 People Whose Bodies Defy 'Normality'

Navigating the quirks of one's own body can be an isolating journey, especially when those peculiarities leave even medical professionals perplexed. As someone who has experienced the bewilderment of doctors firsthand, I understand the often unsettling nature of these encounters. A friend recently summed up this sentiment in a direct message, capturing the essence of feeling alone in these experiences.

However, the silver lining is the creation of a delightful community here on BuzzFeed, where individuals with unconventional bodily traits share their stories, finding solidarity and support in the process. It's akin to a virtual support group, and witnessing readers connect over shared experiences in the comments is truly heartening.

In this third installment of "What's an 'unusual thing' your body does that you didn't know was unusual until someone was deeply confused," I'm excited to present 20 more stories from BuzzFeed readers just like you. To kick things off, I'll share my own experience:

"Since I was a kid, I've heard this weird, TV static-y-sounding, rain stick-y noise coming from the back of my neck randomly. It almost feels like something is draining. I assumed that, kind of like when your stomach growls, it was just a weird body sound nobody really talked about. Well, fast-forward to this year and during a doctor's appointment, I mentioned it offhandedly. My doctor looked absolutely horrified — she'd never heard of that in her life. I told my partner, my friends, my parents... and not a soul had any idea what the hell I was talking about."After some googling and reading comments of fellow weird-head-noise-sufferers, it's believed to be the sound of your spinal fluid, though there's admittedly not a whole lot out there on it. People tend to hear it most when they're hungry, and, after some personal testing, I can confirm that holds up." — angelicamartinez

• "I have synesthesia! Mine is called 'ordinal linguistic personification.' To me, most things that come in lists (numbers, colors, months) have personalities and genders. I can explain, for instance, that six is a very motivated, self-starting young man, whereas four is a slightly-masculine woman who is very pragmatic and rational." — melc40e454224

• "I have an internal alarm clock. I can wake myself up by saying the time to myself before I go to sleep, and I wake up at that time. Works every time! I've even tried alarm clocks as a safety measure, but I just wake up before the clock goes off and turn it off." — talinn

As we delve into these unique stories, let's celebrate the diversity of our bodies and the fascinating ways they defy conventional norms.

• "I have auditory hallucinations, but they're music, not voices. It sounds like a radio playing in another room. I don't pick the music, nor do I even particularly like what I hear most of the time. It can go on for days and keep me awake at night. I didn't realize this wasn't normal for everyone until I was 42." — pinkster

• "My eyes won’t go numb from local eye anesthesia. The optometrist kept putting in more and trying the test again, and finally, they had to use a tool they normally only use on babies. I laughed and said something like, 'Well I’m sure others have to do this, too, right?' And she looked kind of confused and replied, 'No. You’re the first person I’ve ever had to do this for.' LOL, damn." — capybaravsllamawhowins

• "I'll have a sneezing fit when I eat sometimes. It doesn't matter what I eat. I'll eat a meal, and then about 5-ish minutes later, have a sneezing fit. My coworker noticed because it would also be after lunch, and she brought it up. Turns out it's a legit thing, and it's the body's physical response to eating." — tbrown90

Sneezing after eating is called a Snatiation Reflex, and tends to happen when a person's stomach is full and becomes stretched. Some people only sneeze a little, and some sneeze a lot, like the person above. The term is a combo of the words "sneeze" and "satiation.

• "Didn’t learn or really focus on until my 20s that mint (toothpaste, etc.) was NOT in fact supposed to upset your stomach if you even so much as smelled it. I remember being a young kid dreading brushing my teeth because it would probably make my tummy hurt...among other reactions. I just thought mint 'cleansed you out' so to speak because it freshens breath. I also thought it was supposed to burn that bad because everyone talks about mouthwash stinging a bit, so I thought all mint-flavored things were supposed to do that to some extent. Whoops! LOL, now I know." — courtneyblumenthal

• "For 27 years, I thought it was 100% normal to have constant, super-vivid dreams. Whether a short cat nap or a full night's sleep, I thought everyone had them. I even thought it was normal I could remember dreams I had when I was, like, 3 years old. I also thought it was normal to get super tired and need a nap after an argument or something stressful. Nope to all of that.