on the referral at the nuclear medicine department at Mayo Clinic
'did you go to a private clinic instead, then? It seems odd they would turn you away if you were willing to pay.' — though, honestly, maybe they really just stop functioning when things get complicated? I mean, I had to have blood drawn at both 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, plus deal with that whole 24-hour urine collection process myself.
By the way—could that same kind of adrenal gland hyperplasia actually lead to slower kidney function, or am I just overthinking things? (I’m feeling incredibly bloated again, honestly like a balloon.) Now, I realize my questions probably aren't quite what this forum is intended for, but I’m just trying to find some comfort here—the wait to see my doctor is dragging on forever, and the uncertainty is absolutely killing me. My dad is dealing with microcellular lung cancer, so naturally, I've already gone ahead and panicked-diagnosed myself because I have a tiny little cough...
Well, here I am again, dealing with my cortisol levels.
My morning reading came in at 976 (ref range: 260–720), and my afternoon level was 465 (ref range: 50–350). Honestly, every single symptom I’m experiencing points straight toward Kennedyan syndrome—though I haven't had my ACTH tested yet, so I'm still in the dark there.
I was wondering, does Kennedyan necessarily imply the presence of a tumor? And just as a side note—before anyone asks—I am definitely not a bodybuilder.
And here we have yet another classic example regarding mattresses—it’s quite a recurring theme, isn't it?
As for that point I raised in my previous message—if you're curious—just search "SIDS" and "stomach sleeping" on Google; you'll find an endless sea of links covering it all.
So, I was reading something recently—I can’t quite recall where, though I have a nagging suspicion it was in a German journal, as I simply cannot track down the original link...
According to certain studies, researchers have actually drawn a connection between sleep positioning and infant mortality. Apparently, in a specific number of cases involving infants sleeping in a classic position—meaning on their stomachs with their heads turned to the side—it was found that blood circulation slows down significantly, or even ceases entirely; in truly rare instances, the blood flow might even begin to reverse direction (!).
That is really the extent of my knowledge, so if anyone happens to have heard more about this or has further details...
I also highly recommend picking up the book! It is truly remarkable how the author weaves such poetic expression into every single detail—though, if I’m being honest... it does lean a bit too heavily on the lyrical side toward the end... but let's not dwell on that. It is nearly impossible to find a sentence that doesn't carry some sort of deeper symbolic weight; in this particular work, absolutely nothing is written without purpose. I am not entirely certain about foreign editions, but you should be able to find an American version at most major metropolitan libraries. By the way, I don't quite recall for certain, but I believe it was first published by a young man named Hugh Hefner in his latest controversial issue of Playboy 🙂!
I should probably just mention—and I say this quite gently—that stretch marks can actually be triggered by an excess of corticosteroids, whether those are your own body's natural production or something taken externally.
I’m currently sitting here in Chicago, and honestly—I am just venting. But then again, I find myself complaining every single spring regardless of where I happen to be wandering. And when the full moon rolls around... goodness me... it’s like being a werewolf (just, you know, without the hair).
briskeagle39 said:Good grief, why does everyone make such a massive production out of just peeing?
So, look—if they provide you with a container that holds about two or three liters, that should be plenty for your needs. If you're having to manage this on your own terms, my suggestion would be to grab a standard plastic water bottle—just make sure you give it a thorough wash first—and collect it there. In other words, if the containers they give you are only 1.5 liters, you might find yourself needing two of them. You could also potentially try using a 3-liter distilled water jug from a place like Walmart. Furthermore—and here is a little tip—you could buy some small plastic cups; you know, those slightly larger ones, and every time you need to go, you can hold a clean cup underneath, then carefully pour the contents into your main bottle while hovering over the toilet. Then, you simply wash the cup and toss it. I wouldn't recommend trying to pee directly into the bottle, though... that sounds messy, doesn't it? Once you've carefully poured everything into the bottle, seal it tight, rinse the outside, and dry it off with some paper towels. Keep it on the bathroom floor where it’s shielded from curious eyes (and noses!). In the morning, you might even want to wrap it in some aluminum foil and tuck it into a couple of Ziploc bags before heading over to the lab.
The goal is to collect a full 24-hour urine sample, which means you start on Sunday morning—but only AFTER you have finished your very first morning pee on Sunday. Then, on Monday morning, your final sample should be that first morning void. That's really all there is to it.
It’s not that I actually need to be collecting samples for three days straight—I’m just asking, purely hypothetically, if it would even work to draw blood on a Friday, then gather a urine sample on Sunday and drop everything off on Monday... My doctor didn't mention anything about being admitted, though. I’d be heading over to the Mayo Clinic, and let's face it, they probably won't have an empty bed to spare. (Not that I'd trust them anyway—not after my last trip to the nuclear medicine department where they ended up sticking me on some filthy cot out in the hallway, and wouldn't a single soul offer me a glass of water? 🙂), and even if they did have space, I simply don't have the luxury of spending my entire day lying around waiting to pee. Honestly, what a massive inconvenience. 🙂
Good grief, my doctor just informed me that I’m supposed to collect some sort of 2-to-3 liter container—he wasn't even entirely sure of the exact size himself—and that I have to catch every single drop of urine for a full 24-hour period without missing a single bathroom trip... which, if you ask me, sounds absolutely absurd and frankly quite unbelievable. I mean, seriously... what am I supposed to do? Just keep it sitting in my damn refrigerator until it's full? It would probably be much more efficient if they just assigned me a hospital bed, a gallon of water, and a catheter so they could have all the samples they could ever want!
I'm heading down to the clinic tomorrow morning to get some actual answers, because honestly, I am completely bewildered by this whole situation. 😕
Well, here I go—it looks like I’ve hit the jackpot. My doctors are looking pretty closely at Cushing's syndrome. On top of having to deal with blood work, they’ve ordered a 24-hour urine collection test, and since I am—to put it politely—completely clueless when it comes to these kinds of practical medical logistics, I was hoping you all might walk me through the actual procedure 😍 (for instance, do I need to start first thing in the morning, or can I just begin whenever? And if I do start in the morning, do I toss out that very first sample or keep it?...). Also, if I head in for my blood draws—which are scheduled for both 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.—can I bring in urine collected over, say, three days, or does everything have to be gathered on that exact same day? One more thing regarding that container they provide: can I just pick up extra ones at a local CVS or Walgreens if the provided amount isn't enough—especially since I tend to drink quite a lot of fluids?
Thanks so much, and wish me luck with this whole "collecting pee" business!
Now, I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a Yeti—though I suppose there is a certain level of androgenic hairiness present—but things are a bit muddled. My ovaries show a micropolyfollicular pattern, yet I haven't actually been diagnosed with PCOS because my hormone panels (both reproductive and thyroid) came back perfectly normal... well, they were perfect during that one specific test, at least. But then again, could my levels be fluctuating wildly? It wouldn't surprise me one bit, considering I've been living under constant, crushing stress for years now. So, I find myself in quite a state of confusion. I think I'll head in to have my cortisol checked next.
And what exactly kind of remineralization pastes are they handing out there—and just how much volume are you actually getting for that kind of money? Honestly, one should be careful not to get fleeced; you can pick up a perfectly good tube of white Amine Fluoride at any local pharmacy for about thirty bucks or so.
That’s a solid link—this one from Science News. The final chapter touches on this exact topic quite directly. There is certainly plenty of material to dig through if you decide to go hunting for information on melatonin via Wikipedia.
Good grief, melatonin... it is one of those things where you feel like you can't live without it, yet you can't actually function because of it. As for the actual research? Honestly, I haven't stumbled upon anything that truly satisfied my curiosity—not that I expected much, really! I was just wondering if anyone had picked up any extra insights during their college lectures or perhaps in some advanced seminar.
And then, of course, everywhere you turn online, they are demanding your credit card number 👎.
I’ve been quite fascinated lately by Seasonal Affective Disorder—or rather, since I am a bit of a hypochondriac, I have convinced myself that I suffer from it—so I have spent a significant amount of time researching the subject and even put together an oral presentation on the matter.
We are all well aware of the consequences of prolonged sleep deprivation, aren't we? One really ought to make the most of the night—specifically its darkest hours—for rest. However, it is purportedly suggested that electric lighting could be one of the primary contributing factors to cancer development; this is due to the fact that light inhibits the synthesis of melatonin, which is absolutely vital for the immune system (a point bolstered by the high cancer rates observed in those working night shifts at places like FedEx or local hospitals). Some scientists even go so far as to claim (?) that even brief, momentary exposure to light during the night—say, if you wake up in the middle of the night and flip on the switch just to head to the restroom—can significantly disrupt melatonin production...
For those of you in the medical field, what is your take on this? What data can you provide regarding whether it is truly unhealthy to, say, use the bathroom under bright lights? It seems a bit radical, doesn't it?