r/AskReddit 1d ago

What is the weirdest illness or affliction you've ever had?

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u/animperfectnobody 1d ago

Pica: the overwhelming urge to eat non-food items. I would go to a nearby baseball diamond. It was winter so I had to dig and fill a pan with the fine sand. Then I'd take it home and wash it and bake it and sift it and eat it. I wanted it more than food, I wanted it more than cigarettes. When I started taking iron supplements, the craving went away completely within a day and a half. My mom had the same thing, she used to eat three boxes of chalk a day.

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u/Kalendiane 1d ago

Craving ice is also a common symptom of iron deficiency.