Maria Gray45 said:So, a few years back, I actually went in for a brain MRI over in Seattle, and honestly, the second they started sliding me into that machine, I just felt totally sick to my stomach. Like, really nauseous. So, I guess if you're dealing with claustrophobia, there isn't much else you can really do about it—you either face it or you just don't get the scan done, period. That was just how it played out for me.
Haha, yeah, that sounds totally possible. Maybe they'll point you toward one of those "open" MRI machines? I'm not really sure how they handle offering things like anti-anxiety meds or sedative pills during the process, though...
Lisa Alvarez58 said:The Anacin forte in the 20-count packs is on the basic formulary, so Medicare covers it entirely. But if you grab the 30-count packs of Anacin forte, those are on the supplemental list, which means you’ll have to pay an extra copay $0.67 per box.
Thanks so much for clearing that up for me—honestly, I didn't even realize they even made that 30-count version...
coastalskipper38 said:So, looking at the lists for supplemental insurance coverage, there are all these different columns and price points everywhere. I guess I was wondering if the actual amount someone with extra coverage pays is that final number listed under the co-pay section? http://www.medicare-gov-search.com
Like, if we were searching for Anacin Forte by its brand name, I assume someone with supplemental insurance would pay $0.67. But then someone without any extra coverage would end up paying 18? I mean, maybe I'm reading this right, but did I get that part correct?
Well, personally, I take Anacin—and yeah, I've got that supplemental coverage—and I don't have to pay anything at all for it...
We all know how brutal the wait for a brain MRI can be, especially if you're stuck waiting in Washington, D.C., but unfortunately (or maybe luckily?), D.C. isn't even the record holder—that title goes to San Diego with a whopping 550-day wait according to Medicare data.
So, I recently got my referral, and I figured I’d just shoot an email over to Ribs (I already knew the wait was about a year, so I wasn't expecting much), and the gentleman there—and I mean this sincerely, he wasn't being sarcastic at all, he was actually super polite and quick—replied telling me they were booking appointments for June 2018! Luckily, my situation wasn't an emergency, but I still didn't fancy waiting 15 months (and man, I can't imagine what it's like for people who actually need it urgently!). I ended up booking at the Mayo Clinic on March 21st, and within just a few days, I had an appointment scheduled for April 7th, which was actually yesterday. My little piece of advice would be to try booking in other cities if your local waitlist is too long, though you should probably just call around anyway and ask about the wait times. For Seattle, according to Medicare, the wait is around 135 days. I don't know if I just caught a lucky break or if the lists are actually short, but the waiting room was totally empty after me, so maybe they aren't that slammed.
Anyway, the whole point of this thread is just to walk you through the booking protocol and the actual procedure once you show up (which is something that would have been super helpful for me to know beforehand).
You can book through the radiology web form or just go in person if it's not too far out of your way. When you book, you don't get an immediate appointment date via email; instead, they send a confirmation by mail, so you won't actually know when your slot is until the post arrives.
If Seattle isn't too far for you and you really can't afford to wait, just go for it. A Greyhound ticket from D.C. to Seattle is about $15, plus you get a 5% discount, and the ride takes about 2 hours.
Once you arrive there, here’s how it goes—you check in at the window (the lady there was lovely), hand over your referral, your booking confirmation, and your insurance card along with any supplemental info (if you don't have supplemental, you'll just pay a percentage), and she hands everything back to you along with a big brown envelope and a questionnaire you have to fill out to sign the consent forms. After that, you head over to the radiology department, which is just a few steps away. They suggest arriving about half an hour early—I actually slipped in a couple of minutes before my scheduled time. There, you'll meet a nice, young doctor (at least he was to me) who takes your paperwork. There’s a little booth off to the side where you can change and leave your stuff. I just went in my own clothes (sweatpants, socks, and a t-shirt without a bra, though they'd probably let you slide with one if it doesn't have wires).
One important thing to note is that they don't provide headphones, so I'd definitely recommend bringing some earplugs to dampen the noise (it still feels a bit like being at a construction site or a rave, but you'll survive). If you struggle with claustrophobia, make sure to check "yes" on the questionnaire to make things easier for yourself (I'm not sure how they handle that, since I don't have issues with it) during the process. Then, you lie down on the "board," and you should try to get as comfortable as possible because you aren't moving for about 25 minutes. They place a band over your forehead and a sort of long cage behind your head, but it sits on top of your head and doesn't really squeeze your skull—the band doesn't feel tight either, and your head can move more or less freely. If you start feeling unwell, just wave to the doctor (is it a technician? honestly, I don't know since they aren't the ones reading or writing the results) and they will pull you out.
The procedure itself isn't scary if you aren't claustrophobic—there's a bit of tapping and some vibrations that feel like a "massage," and if you keep your eyes closed, it's not that bad (I was just imagining my neighbors were doing some home repairs 😁). They send the results by mail along with a CD of the images. I didn't have to get contrast (thankfully), so I can't speak to that (just keep in mind that contrast adds about 20 minutes to the scan). In the end, like I said, when I walked back into the waiting room, there were no other patients. The woman before me seemed a little disoriented (I felt fine, almost like I hadn't even been scanned—it really just depends on your headspace), but she didn't have any earplugs 😉
If you guys have any questions at all, feel free to just drop them right here, or maybe shoot me a PM if that's easier—I'll be checking both spots whenever I get a chance, I guess. I really hope I was able to help clear up some of the confusion regarding how the search process actually works, and hopefully, it might even help you guys find ways to trim down those waiting lists a little bit too.
Keith Allen2 said:We’re renting out an apartment, and a pregnant woman reached out about the listing. She’s basically in a tough spot—fled a domestic violence situation and has nowhere else to go. She promised she’d cover the security deposit and rent as soon as her next paycheck hits. We wouldn't mind running a background check and filing the paperwork, and we're even willing to wait for her to get her footing financially, but I’m stuck on the "what if" factor. If things go south once she has the baby and she can't keep up with the rent, what are my actual options? I've heard rumors that in the US, you can't evict a pregnant woman or a family with kids regardless of whether they're paying or not. Is there any truth to that?
I was doing a little digging on Google, and man, the info is all over the place... some people say you can, others say you definitely can't. Maybe try checking out this link and this one. Or, honestly, you could just not rent to her at all, I guess. 🤷
David Foster6 said:I’m a student over in Chicago right now, and I’m really looking to switch things up by finding a new GP and a dentist who actually take Medicare—you know, someone who isn't strictly private practice. I'm currently hanging out in a Brooklyn neighborhood, specifically near a small town area, so if anyone could drop some recommendations my way, I would be seriously grateful. 🙂
The Department of Justice (Police Academy) actually has both a dentist and a GP on site, and honestly, they're both super friendly and great at what they do, plus you almost never have to deal with any crazy lines or waiting around.
Sandra Vaughn50 said:With an ankle sprain, you can't really tell from just the diagnosis if it's just a ligament issue or if there's actually a fracture or something cracked.
No worries at all!
Thanks, I honestly thought there might be a bit more info we could squeeze out of the diagnosis itself 🙂
Hey, if anyone can help me out here; what does a diagnosis of Articular Distortion TLC I. sin. actually mean? I was at the ER and they told me it’s probably just some torn ligaments, so I was wondering if you can tell from that specific diagnosis how bad the tear is—like, is it a minor strain, medium, or something really serious? I have my follow-up appointment this Monday, but I'm just curious in the meantime.
I know this isn't a lab result or anything, but people over here seem pretty quick to jump in with answers.
So, I guess it’s worth mentioning that every single patient actually has the right to say, "Hey, you don't need to be here," if they feel like other staff members—you know, like extra doctors or students just hanging around—aren't absolutely necessary for their care at that moment.
From what I gather, those aren't even handled by regular USPS mail carriers, they're usually sent out via process servers—though I guess it really depends on which department you're dealing with, since my brother actually got his divorce hearing notice through standard snail mail once, so who knows, maybe it varies. If nobody’s home to sign for it and there isn't a neighbor or someone else around to grab it, then the whole thing just gets kicked back to the courthouse, and I suppose they might try to deliver it one more time, but that's about it.
Honestly, the smartest move would probably be to give your attorney a quick ring—unless she was summoned as a witness, because if that's the case, she probably doesn't have much wiggle room—and they can draft a formal document explaining exactly why your wife couldn't make it to the hearing. She could technically write it herself, too, I mean, she totally could, she just needs to be super careful with how she phrases everything, because even if the clerk stamps it as received, some judges out there are pretty old-school and really want everything to follow the book perfectly. Good luck! 🙂
So, I basically lost my chance to finish up at that university, and since I never actually walked across the stage to grab my degree, I guess that whole chapter is pretty much closed.
Larry Walker24 said:Just ask a professor at your university
Also, I’m kind of surprised you didn't just grab all your paperwork when you graduated
Actually, I haven't even graduated yet, and gosh, when they were handing back my enrollment papers, I don't think I even took a good look at them because, I mean, I was just totally riding that high from actually getting accepted into the school.
Hey guys, I am in such massive trouble right now, like seriously. So, I can’t find my original high school diploma or final transcript anywhere, and I need it like, yesterday. I had a photocopy, but I think I accidentally sent that one off for a job application and now I’m totally empty-handed. I know, I know, I'm such an idiot. I’ve basically turned my entire apartment upside down looking for it, but nothing. I have two things I wanted to ask you all:
1) I’m pretty sure I left it with the registrar at my university when I was enrolling. Nobody ever called me to say they still had it, but honestly, with how chaotic enrollment week is, I wouldn't be surprised if it just got buried. My question is—is there any chance they actually kept it, maybe tucked away in some archive, even though it’s been about 6 years since I graduated?
2) So, I went back to my old high school today to see if they could just issue me a duplicate. And of course they can, but get this—they want $60 for it! My question here is, how on earth does a single piece of paper cost that much? It’s like they clearly didn't make enough from my tuition or something, lol. Plus, I’ve been reading online where people say they got duplicates for like $67 max. Is that up to the specific school or what?
I don't even know what to tell you, I'm kind of in shock. $133 is just wild. If anyone knows anything, please help a girl out.
Thanks!
P.S. for the mods—I wasn't sure if anyone would reply to my other thread, so I'm posting this here because it's super urgent.
Maria Fisher46 said:Nah, it doesn't mean there's actually *more* fungi growing, it just means they haven't identified the specific strain of Candida involved.
Thanks for getting back to me, but I have to say, I’m feeling pretty confused now. I guess if they don't even know which specific species we're dealing with, how are they supposed to prescribe the right medication to actually get it under control? And honestly, should the person even be taking anything yet? I can't help but wonder if they really ought to have been sent off for more detailed testing first.
So, I was wondering about something—what does it actually mean when a stool microbiology (or maybe mycological?) test comes back just saying "Candida species"? Like, does that imply there's a higher concentration of fungi than what's considered normal, since I know Candida usually just hangs out in our guts anyway, or am I totally misreading the situation?