3 posts shown.
Hey. Bringing this thread back up... Does anyone have a recommendation for the best urology department in Washington, D.C. for a specialist exam? Maybe Johns Hopkins? Or maybe Mayo Clinic? Any specific doctors you'd suggest?
Also, which private urology clinics in the US are actually good, in your opinion?
Hey everyone.
I'm new here, so I figured I'd just start a new thread. I'm surprised nobody else has done this yet, given how many people deal with sinus issues.
I've been struggling with this for over a month now. First, I dealt with heat exhaustion and sunstroke, which left me bedridden for nearly two weeks in a room where the AC was blasting non-stop because of my condition. Now, I've ended up with a sinus infection and issues in my right Eustachian tube. I guess it's from the air conditioning; there's really no other explanation...
This all went down at my mom's place in San Francisco; I live in Washington, D.C.
I’m telling you all this just to warn you: if something like this happens to you, get the hell out and go back to your own doctor immediately. Otherwise, you're just guaranteed to drag out the agony. After fighting with mucus and swallowing issues for two days, I went to the ER at the hospital in San Francisco. Some polite young doctor checked my ears, nose, and throat, told me he didn't see any inflammation, and refused to prescribe antibiotics. He just said to use some drops for five days and check back if things don't improve... which, of course, they didn't. So now I've had to trek all the way to Washington, D.C., because I realized the joke was on me and everything is getting worse—and here, far from home, I won't get even a shred of help.
My doctor finally took me seriously, thank God, and put me on a ten-day course of Klavocin and ephedrine nasal drops. It hasn't really helped much, though I guess the congestion decreased slightly, which let my ear unblock—which was a total nightmare earlier. A specialist at the Mayo Clinic told me it’s likely just some Eustachian tube dysfunction. Honestly, they treat you like you're on a factory assembly line at places like that. You have three different doctors crammed into one office separated by mere shelves, and while I won't say they aren't trying or that the system is broken—I actually got seen right on time—they just can't give you any real attention when there are fifty people sitting in the waiting room.
My specialist—can’t even remember his name—just sat there typing away while asking these vague questions. I was trying to explain things to get him to actually listen to me... When he finally told me what he found (since I hadn't offered anything), he said my right ear looked slightly red around the edge and that my eardrum was retracted. Whatever that means. He prescribed Miralys nasal spray, saline rinses, and Maxitrol antibiotic drops to be used in the ear. Both he and his sister told me I could just head straight to the pharmacy with his findings. That's not how it works. In the US, your primary care doctor issues the actual prescription based on a specialist's referral. Either the guy forgot to order them for the patient he just saw... or what. Anyway, the pharmacy couldn't find a prescription for the Maxitrol in their system. They barely gave them to me after I showed them my medical records, and obviously, I had to pay out of pocket.
I've been applying them incorrectly—basically just holding them in too short—until I stumbled upon some info on a forum saying you need to keep them in your ear for 30 minutes. Nobody bothered to mention that to me. I guess it's best to apply drops while lying down; regardless of how long you stay down, there will be some excess that leaks out when you stand up. Don't worry, the drops won't clog your ear.
Regarding saline rinses, if you’re using a syringe, you have to lie down after filling it. You MUST take the needle off and rinse both nozzles. It sounds gross, I guess, but it's not that bad—kind of like when seawater gets shoved up your nose while you're swimming at the beach. If you happen to live near the coast, maybe you could try that method.
The therapy helped somewhat. At my last checkup at the Mayo Clinic, the doctor confirmed the ear inflammation is gone, though I’m still dealing with chronic postnasal sinus issues. My regimen includes saline, Flavamed tablets, Flixonase spray, and daily aerosol inhalations at the clinic. I'm following it strictly, and I guess I'm starting to feel a slight improvement. Fingers crossed. I'm still swallowing mucus, but maybe it isn't spreading through my whole throat anymore—it seems more localized and there's less of it. God, this is exhausting. I actually had to take medical leave from work.
I posted this because I want to pool our experiences. I don't want anyone else to go through the hell I've been dealing with... It’s the worst part—nobody explains anything to you, almost like they're intentionally keeping you in the dark. I found out there are other diagnostic options and treatments available, like swabs (which nobody offered or prescribed me), endoscopy, laryngoscopy, sinus CT scans, tympanometry, etc. In my case, nobody actually looked inside, even though it's doable. I get the feeling they just rely on trial and error. I wouldn't say doctors don't want to help, but maybe they assume we know more than we do, or they're just poor communicators.
So, be polite but persistent. Ask everything you want to know. Hardly anyone will explain things proactively, even though it should be part of their job, at least in my opinion... Maybe private practice is better, but you have to pay. At the Mayo Clinic in Washington, D.C., a specialist ENT exam is about $450-$200, depending on extra tests. You can sometimes use financing through Chase or Citi cards.
That's all I have to say. I hope my rant didn't weigh you down too much and that someone finds useful info here!
I'm wondering what your experiences have been with Flixonase spray?
What actually worked for you in a similar situation?
Who are the best ENT specialists in Washington, D.C., via insurance or privately? (I know it's out there, but it's a mess to look through...)
Please answer!👍
Help me and others with your experiences and data!🙏
Hy,
I recently got a Visa card that I haven't even used yet.
My monthly limit is 10 $0.00 and I have a 36-month repayment plan set up.
I'm wondering if this card can be used to pay bills and if so, where exactly?
I tried at the local post office, but the clerk told me it only works as a debit card—meaning I'd need the cash in my account first. This involves $2000. If I actually had that kind of money, I wouldn't be using a credit card in the first place...
Or, say I just withdrew $667 from an ATM every single day until I reached the amount I needed, how would that interest be calculated?
Thanks!