I'm glad you mentioned that. I've actually seen some people on this forum strongly recommending that doctor over at the University Dormitory.
Has anyone here had any experience with Helena Šimurina? She practices right near Baschiera, just off Main Street. It looks like a pretty small clinic, and honestly, whenever I've passed by, it hasn't seemed too crowded. I haven't gone inside myself, though—just saw it from the street.
Keith Nelson3 says: The way the prescriptions work is they just email them over—at least that’s what my sister mentioned after her doctor's visit—so you basically just show your insurance card. I assume it works the same way with referrals.
My question is: is it actually true that I can't see a dentist in one city if my permanent address is in another? I have two teeth mid-treatment right now, and it's driving me crazy... plus, traveling back to my hometown every single week is just too expensive and honestly, a huge hassle. 😢>
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I guess, in that situation, you might need to switch to a socialized dentist in your current city, because you can't be registered with two different providers under Medicare at the same time. But there's a catch—if you switch dentists, you might have to wait a full year before you can change again. And if you already switched less than a year ago, you're stuck for now. I don't think your official residence matters as much as that rule does. Maybe, though, the best bet would be to just call or drop by your local Medicare office and ask them directly.
Maybe the price for the Centrum with Lutein was $27, I can't quite recall the exact amount. I read online somewhere that it’s actually a good idea for younger people to take eye vitamins if they're dealing with the same kind of issues I went through. That's why I started taking them. Though, I guess it isn't such a massive dose of vitamins that it would cause any real harm. I wouldn't touch multivitamins, though. Someone made a really good point earlier that those are mostly designed for people who are seriously ill, but since they contain such high doses of vitamins, I imagine even those patients probably struggle to tolerate them—they seem like they could be pretty hard on your stomach.
Thanks for getting back to me. I actually sent you a DM, so if you wouldn't mind, could you reply to me there too? I’m still planning on going to my follow-up appointments at the hospital, but while I'm just waiting for my next scheduled check-up there, I was thinking about maybe heading to a private eye clinic for a quick exam... just to be absolutely certain nothing bad is happening with my eye.
I was taking Centrum with Lutein last summer too. But I think they were pricier than $17, maybe somewhere around $30. My routine is to take those vitamins for a month and then take a break for at least two or three months. Honestly, if I hadn't been having eye issues, I probably wouldn't even be bothering with them. Someone at a local pharmacy actually told me that eye vitamins are just for old people.
There are also those PreserVision vitamins from the UK; the label says they're meant for contact lens wearers, so I suppose that might be more suitable for younger people.
You're supposed to take vitamins with a meal. I mean, that’s what every single instruction label says, right? I haven't really run into any issues personally when taking them, but I was mostly focusing on eye supplements rather than just a standard multivitamin. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how much benefit you actually get from them. I really believed in the whole thing, though... I started taking them about a year and a half ago when I was dealing with some vision issues. But lately, I've been thinking they might not even be doing anything at all. Maybe they just have a hard time actually reaching the eye.
Thanks for letting me know. I actually didn't end up going to Binoculus after all; I went to an Eye Care Center for my exam instead. They found some new retinal degeneration in one of my eyes, and since I already dealt with a retinal detachment in that same eye about a year and a half ago, I'm... I guess I'm pretty worried. Now I'm searching for a solid retinologist—you know, a specialist for the back part of the eye. Since I have this history, I really need regular checkups, but I hardly ever get called in for appointments at the hospital.
Does anyone here have any experience with the Bilić Vision clinic? Specifically, that doctor they list on their website who specializes in the posterior segment? Also, if anyone has a recommendation for another ophthalmologist-retinologist, please let me know. You can always send me a private message.
Does anyone happen to know how things are going to work now with these new e-prescriptions being rolled out? I saw on the news yesterday that they're starting to implement e-prescriptions on February 14, 2011. I guess... maybe there will be a transition period where both types are used at the same time? Like, will they still be accepting the paper ones for a while?
I’m honestly not sure if I’ll actually get anywhere with this specialist referral. It feels like kids just get bumped to the front of the line immediately, while adults are stuck on waiting lists for months unless it’s an absolute emergency. And the thing is... I don't even know if my situation qualifies as an emergency or not. I really don't. How is anyone supposed to judge that over a quick phone call? I'm 33.
Back at that pharmacy near Faneuil Hall, you could pick up medication just by showing your medical history, without even needing an ID. I really hope it stays that way, especially for stuff that isn't expensive or particularly dangerous. Though, I did hear a pharmacist over at City Pharmacy telling the guy ahead of me that you can only get meds based on medical history if it's an emergency—you know, like during the weekend when your primary care doctor isn't available.
It was similar at another pharmacy here in Washington, D.C., where they wouldn't let me get Heparin gel for my mom because apparently, it requires a private prescription now. That was about two weeks ago. But the thing is, it seems like the Heparin gel from Pfizer is the only one that switched to requiring a private prescription; other similar products, like Heparin from a different manufacturer, can still be bought without any prescription at all. A different pharmacy in the city explained this quite politely to me, because at the first one, some young pharmacist just brushed me off, saying that as of that day, Heparin gel is strictly prescription-only. He didn't even mention the other similar gels, like Heparin, that you can still get easily.
I guess they've just made everything so much more complicated by making it harder to get medicine. I mean, I don't think everyone is out there trying to abuse medications, right? It's like how you used to be able to get Anacin for a bad toothache without a prescription—I usually just grabbed the weakest capsule version. Now, you can't even do that. If they could just leave the weaker Anacin available without a prescription, that would be something.
I’m hoping maybe a doctor or an ophthalmologist on this forum could weigh in here.
Also, if anyone else has dealt with similar retinal issues, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences.
So, I went for a private eye exam today at the Optic Center. The younger doctor did a really thorough check of my peripheral retina—using dilated pupils, of course—since I had a retinal tear in my left eye and underwent argon laser treatment about a year and a half ago. He mentioned that the previously treated area seems to be holding up well. However, looking at today's findings, there are two areas of laser treatment on the periphery of my left retina at the 12 and 1 o'clock positions, but near the bottom periphery, it notes some threatening hyperpigmented degeneration. On top of that, he emphasized how important regular checkups are for me, suggesting every six months or sooner if needed. Once I stepped out after the exam, I noticed that note about the threatening hyperpigmented degeneration on my report. I didn't actually ask the doctor about it, and he didn't bring it up himself. My pupils were fully dilated, so I assume he probably saw this potential new degeneration clearly. Looking back at my old records from June 2010 and October 2010 (from when I saw a retina specialist), there was absolutely no mention of any hyperpigmented degeneration in the lower part of my left retina. Just to clarify, of those two laser-treated spots in my left eye, one is by the tear and the other is near where there was lattice degeneration—basically, near two small holes in the retina. So, I guess I'm wondering if I might need more laser photocoagulation because of this newly detected degeneration in the lower retina.
I’m feeling a little anxious about this new degeneration they found in the lower part of my retina. I’m not sure if I should try to see a retina specialist sooner, because my next scheduled annual follow-up at the Laser Lab isn't until early June 2011. This month, I've noticed some light flashes in my left eye a few times, though it usually happens in the evening when I move from a lit room into a dark hallway. Back when I had that tear a year and a half ago, it felt more like flashes of light inside a brown patch that appeared in front of my left eye; that only happened once a day (not at night) and lasted quite a while, maybe five minutes.
I was wondering about the general practitioners over in Springfield. Does anyone have a specific doctor there they’d actually recommend? Also, I'm curious if they only take students, or if they'll see someone a bit older who isn't in school anymore? And what happens during the summer when the student housing isn't really active? I guess you wonder who covers for the GP then... does someone step in? Oh, and one more thing—do they hand out referrals without making a huge scene, or do you basically have to beg for them? I mean, obviously, I'm talking about legitimate medical referrals for actual health issues.
I caught that same article in The New York Times recently. Honestly, what really struck me was how kind and approachable those doctors in Cuba seemed to be—it's mentioned in the piece, and it just stood out. They seem so focused on preventative care, too. Here in the States, the mindset still feels like, "well, just wait until something actually goes wrong before you call the doctor." But those physicians in Cuba? They seem genuinely dedicated to their patients' wellbeing. I mean, they could probably make more money working in service, but they chose this path and they carry it out with such dignity. You can see a lot of similar stuff regarding the medical situation there in that documentary Sicko, which I remember seeing on NBC back in the fall of 2010.
I don't think that's quite the case, though maybe people just aren't eager to give recommendations or perhaps they aren't even stopping by this thread. If I knew for sure, I guess I would have recommended it, if only through a private message.
There seem to be plenty of questions being asked here, but I'm noticing very few actual answers. It would be incredibly helpful if you could provide genuine recommendations for a primary care physician or a specialist; it would really help those of us out there searching.
I'm currently looking for a solid GP—ideally someone a bit younger—somewhere around the Downtown or Trnsko areas. My current doctor is heading toward retirement soon, so I'll need to transition to someone new, which is why I'm reaching out.
Also, I was wondering about the same thing regarding specialists. Has anyone here had any experience with the Binoculus eye clinic over in the Vrban area? I'm thinking about booking a full, detailed exam there, but I wanted to check first. Their website makes it look like they have top-tier equipment, though it seems like foot traffic is pretty low... maybe just because they're a little further out from the heart of the city.
Has anyone here had any experience with the Binoculus Eye Clinic over on the West Side in Washington, D.C.? Looking at their website, they seem to have really high-end equipment. I was wondering if maybe someone has gone there for an OCT eye scan? Does anyone know what the cost for that is? Also, what does a general exam usually run, and what’s actually included in that? It seems like there might just be one younger doctor working there, who is mentioned on their site.
If you have any firsthand experience or could recommend another doctor, please let me know—feel free to send me a private message too. It's really important to me that I can ask plenty of questions and that the appointment doesn't feel rushed.
Thanks for getting back to me. I’ve been dealing with these occasional headaches lately, so I think I really need to see a neurologist. What was it that made you decide to go to that specific specialist you mentioned?
I noticed you're also looking for a primary care doctor in the same neighborhood I'm eyeing. Honestly, I'm leaning towards switching to Dr. Helen Keller. There's this new, smaller general practice right by Bach's pizzeria over in Brooklyn—it's tucked into that ground-floor spot in the walkway next to the pharmacy, where she works solo. I walk past there all the time, and it doesn't seem super crowded; it didn't look like it was just retirees hanging around there either. I guess my only real question is, how is she as a doctor? I'd really love to move to a practice with a younger doctor and nurse, mostly because my current doctor downtown is retiring next year. That spot near Bach would be absolutely perfect for me since it's so close. It's technically a branch of the Community Health Center, which I assume means if I need something like blood work, I could just head over to the main Community Health Center in Manhattan, which isn't too far away.
If you happen to hear anything about this doctor, or if you find a good recommendation for someone else, please let me know.