Posts by vividsailor7

Zachary Stewart9 said:Cheers,

I’ve been chewing on a question for quite some time now, and if anyone out there actually has the answer, I’d be incredibly grateful for some clarity:

Does anyone know the actual annual figure pulled from the federal budget specifically for treating smoking-related illnesses and addiction recovery?

Thanks.

The number would be massive. But honestly, you have to define what you're actually looking for. Are we talking about direct consequences like COPD and lung cancer, or the secondary fallout like hypertension and coronary artery disease? It gets messy because those other issues often have multiple risk factors involved.
But let's be real—you'd also have to factor in hospitalizations triggered by COPD exacerbations, ABT, anti-inflammatories, bronchodilators, antihypertensives, and even antiarrhythmics or anticoagulants for AFib. Then you've got oxygen therapy, theophylline, and potentially treatments for lung cancer. It's a huge, tangled web of costs.

feralsurfer172 said:A diet tailored with plenty of fluids is a well-known way to prevent hard stools, and I wasn't trying to repeat myself there.

Maybe in my specific case, having loose stools happens because I’m not digesting milk properly, or perhaps cereals act as a digestive regulator (oatmeal, rice, corn, muesli...)?
My 80-year-old mother drinks a lot of milk even though she doesn't get much benefit from it. She doesn't deal with constipation, but rather issues with stools being too soft.
That’s where the idea for a daily dairy-based meal came from.

Before I started the milk regimen, I dealt with bloating and occasionally cramps, which points to digestive issues. I should mention that I now pour "Bioaktiv" over my pastries from the bakery.

I wrote earlier that I’m no medical expert—maybe I misinterpreted something, or maybe the whole thing was just poorly explained?
Regardless, I haven't had any issues with hemorrhoids this spring.

You have to listen to your doctor. But what if you do everything they tell you and there’s zero progress?
That’s when people start reaching for alternative, individualized approaches. They aren't generally effective for everyone, but they might help a specific group. I also know that alternative methods have a "small" problem—they often (usually?) fail to deliver what they claim.

I'll quote some stuff from the web suggesting that poor lifestyle habits and aging can be responsible for the onset of hemorrhoids.
We can't stop aging, but I hope that physical activity, hygiene, and dietary choices during the early stages of the condition can slow down the progression and ease the symptoms alongside the "heavy-duty" therapy prescribed by traditional medicine (any proctologist would agree with me on that).

Anyone can try to individually change their lifestyle habits with the goal of making life easier while dealing with hemorrhoids.

Boomer.🙄

PS: Some diseases that are actually fatal present symptoms similar to hemorrhoids!

She has loose stools specifically because of dairy products—basically lactose intolerance, which is practically normal at her age.
And one last thing: you're overthinking it.

redeagle75 said:I had my blood work done a MONTH ago
here are the results

And then I went back for more blood tests just a WEEK ago.
Here they are:

...............................

Please, I need some insight here.

There is a clear improvement here, no doubt about it. Hydration is absolutely critical right now—you need to be drinking plenty of fluids, especially during this summer heat. Aim for at least 3 liters a day.
Best regards.

redpuma26 said:Hi there,

I just finished my pre-op testing. I'm scheduled for surgery to remove an ovarian endometriotic cyst. I'm 32. I recently cleared up a ureaplasma infection. I have a small amount of saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) present. I also had a cold recently. As for the blood work, I had it done right after my period ended, maybe 2-3 days in. I've been taking Neofen for the pain. I'm wondering—could they postpone my surgery because of these elevated values in my results? Thanks in advance.

The image is way too small to read, so I'll type it out now.

..................

For all intents and purposes, these results look perfectly fine.

sefgradilista said:Please, I am begging you to read this and try to help me. It’s about my father.

He was born in 1957. He’s a smoker, doesn't drink, and has psoriasis which actually cleared up about six months ago. Otherwise, he’s healthy.

For the last four weeks, he’s been hit with these massive shivering fits followed by a sudden spike in fever up to 102°F. We’ve been using Voltaren to bring it down—first tablets, then suppositories—and the fever drops after about two hours. But then, four hours later, the violent shivering starts all over again. This cycle repeats several times a day, every single day. There aren't any other symptoms besides an occasional feeling of nausea toward food. He is currently on antibiotics.
His blood work, chest X-rays, and everything else they ran at the infectious disease clinic came back completely normal.

He was hospitalized in the infectious disease ward about a week ago. It looked like he was finally turning a corner because he went 2 or 3 days without a fever, but then it came roaring back along with the chills. Then, out of nowhere—literally overnight—he developed severe inflammation in his right eye, which they are treating with drops now. A new chest X-ray suggests there might be pneumonia, though the doctors aren't sure if it's actually present. More antibiotics. His blood sugar today was extremely high at 13.5. The shivering and high fevers are still happening daily, multiple times a day. That nausea comes and goes, usually lasting a few hours.
The doctors suspected cancer or maybe tuberculosis, but they eventually ruled those out. They just can't figure out what's going on.

If anyone knows what this could be or has advice on which specialist we should see, please write back. This entire situation is a total catastrophe. 😢

Which antibiotics is he taking?
Is he in the hospital right now? If not, what are his primary diagnoses?
A glucose level of 13.5 mmol/L isn't "off the charts" high, but it's definitely elevated.
You aren't providing nearly enough useful information here.

Sarah Roberts2 said:Does anyone here actually know how to interpret this? If someone claims they can, please, step up and prove it.
............

Is it really that much to ask for people to actually read the very first post?
How am I supposed to know if it was done properly if I don't even know what the objective was? If they’re busy monitoring the statistical significance, then clearly, they aren't focusing on the actual quality. It just doesn't add up.

Jessica Diaz66 said:I would be incredibly grateful if someone could help me make sense of my lab results...
So, I’m looking at my lab results and I am honestly a bit stumped. It says my homocysteine levels are elevated, which sounds like total gibberish to me—I have no clue what that actually means for my health. To make matters even more confusing, it also lists Erythrocyturia right there on the page. Now they want me to go back in for a urine test control. Can someone please break this down for me? Thanks.

Is it really that much to ask for people to actually read the very first post?
Erythrocyturia—literally, red blood cells showing up in your urine.
What exactly does "elevated" mean to you people? Honestly. I’m certain there are other findings tucked away somewhere that haven't been mentioned yet, and that leads me to my next point: why on earth are these specific markers being prioritized in the first place?

I can't even begin to wrap my head around the absolute state of this conversation. It’s honestly exhausting watching people jump to conclusions without looking at a single shred of actual evidence. You all act like you've got the full picture when you're really just staring at a blurry snapshot through a dirty window. It’s pure nonsense. Pure, unadulterated nonsense! How many times do we have to go over the same basic facts before it finally sinks in? We aren't dealing with some hypothetical scenario here; we are talking about real-world implications that most of you seem determined to ignore because it doesn't fit your little narrative. It’s frustrating, frankly. I’m sitting here trying to provide a measured, logical breakdown, and I’m met with nothing but reactionary noise. Get it together. Seriously. kaže:
To whom it may concern,
I could really use some help here.
I’m currently 26 weeks along, and because my weight gain has been hitting the higher side, my doctor has officially sent me for an OGTT.
Here are the lab results:
Fasting glucose levels sitting at 4.9 mmol/L. Just to be clear, the standard reference range is usually 6.1–7.0.
Glucose level after 120 minutes: 65 mg/dL (Normal range < 140 mg/dL)
Looking at these lab results, it’s pretty obvious that those glucose levels are running low. Now, I have to ask—is this actually something we need to be losing sleep over, or am I just overthinking the whole thing?
Thanks for the help!

Clean results. Everything looks solid.

Betty Nelson71 said:I just got my bloodwork back yesterday and noticed a few things marked with checkmarks because they're elevated. Can anyone help me make sense of this?
GGT S-RESULT 39 REFERENCE RANGE (9-35)
PROTEIN S-CRP 11.6 REFERENCE RANGE (5.0)

Regarding the CRP, the doctor asked if I was taking any medications, and I told her yes (painkillers and anti-anxiety meds).
Everything else looks normal.

Seriously, did you even bother reading the very first post?
Is that really too much to ask?

slybison6 said:I’m sticking to the dosage, I just took one of the first ones already. Everything else looks fine on my lab results, except they noted quite a few bacteria in my urine. The doctor at the ER told me my primary physician might tell me to get a urine culture or maybe not—it really depends on how they interpret the results, since both options are on the table... so he might just say skip it. Honestly, the healthcare system here is a total disaster; if you don't fight for yourself, nobody is going to help you. And I don't even live in America.

1. Why didn't the ER doctor prescribe an antibiotic for you?
2. You keep saying you're "sick," but if we're being honest, what exactly is the illness? Bacteriuria isn't a disease. By your logic, if someone robbed a bank, they shouldn't be punished just because they have "famous bacteriuria."
3. Why on earth did you decide to take Bactrim?
4. I don't know what kind of support you were looking for here. Were you expecting some comforting line like, "Oh, it'll all be fine, you didn't do anything wrong"? Well, newsflash: it won't.
The healthcare system might be a mess, but that doesn't give you a free pass to act this way.
PS. I think Angela Wright wrote a solid post, though honestly, she was being a bit too soft.
PSS. Reading this kind of nonsense—or hearing it in person on the subway or the bus—does just as much damage to my sanity as it does to anyone else's.

redwolf4 said:Hi everyone, I’m reaching out to this group because we really need some guidance.
My dad just had surgery for colon cancer (Stage 3). They removed a section of his bowel, and according to both the scans and his bloodwork, there aren't any visible metastases. However, the doctors explained that as a preventative measure, he needs to undergo chemotherapy. He actually started his first round of oral chemo tablets last week. (Since we don't live in the same city, I unfortunately don't know the specific name of the medication.)
I have a couple of questions:
1. He was given certain pills that he has to take before his actual chemo tablets, and then other pills to take afterward (if I understood that correctly). He's also supposed to eat something before taking those tablets, but we have no idea what would be best. Does anyone have advice on the right diet to maintain while on this regimen?
2. For the last two months, he’s been taking Taheebo tea, black seed oil (which he absolutely hates!), and aloe vera. Should he stop all of that now that he's starting his chemotherapy cycles?

I’d really appreciate some answers here. The doctors haven't given us much direction, and he starts the next phase in just two days... thanks!

Look, since we don't have the exact specifics here, my best advice is to go back and read that medical history and discharge summary—read it twenty times if you have to. Sometimes the most critical information is hidden in those tiny, overlooked details.
Also, as > pointed out, the smartest move is to talk directly to his primary care physician. We're talking about cytostatics prescribed by oncologists, and honestly, it's usually not a good idea for other specialists to butt in too much—though there are exceptions, of course.
As for question number 2? Personally, I wouldn't be doing any of that.

slybison6 said:So, the diagnosis is in: you've got a massive bacterial load in your urine. Great. Just wonderful. How do you get rid of them? You don't just "wish" them away. You need to deal with this properly before it turns into something much more painful. Usually, that means getting an actual prescription from a doctor—not some internet advice—for a round of antibiotics. Depending on what exactly they found in the culture, you might be looking at something like Cipro or maybe even Bactrim. But listen, if you do get meds, do NOT stop taking them the second you feel better. That is how you end up with superbugs. You finish the entire course, period. And in the meantime? Drink water like it’s your job. Flush that system out. It sounds simple, but it actually works.
P.S. Honestly, I didn't even have an official diagnosis until two days ago, so I was just typing out everything that was crossing my mind at the time. My apologies if I was being a nuisance or oversharing—this isn't exactly my area of expertise. Cheers!

Look, you can't just look at a positive bacteria count in isolation and call it a day. That’s not how this works. If you're dealing with a UTI, you have to look at the whole picture—the leukocytes, the erythrocytes in the urine... you can't just cherry-pick one result and ignore the rest. It’s all connected.

slybison6 said:I want to say thank you to everyone who reached out with advice. I actually went down to the ER to try and get a referral so I could get a urine culture done first thing Monday morning, but the doctor there basically brushed me off and told me to just follow up with my primary care physician on Monday instead. So, that’s what I’ll be doing. Immediately after leaving the hospital, I headed straight to the pharmacy to grab some cranberry tea and some Bactrim. I figured I'd start taking them just to be safe. Even though the instructions on the box say to take two tablets twice a day, I've actually started with just one tablet at a time because those things look absolutely massive to me! 😁 Don't you dare come at me for taking medication without a prescription! I don't have a single second to waste waiting around. I’ve been on this for seven days now, and everything started spiraling once those pains kicked in. Things seem okay for the moment, but I am sweating buckets. I don't have a fever, though.

Bactrim is actually a combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim—over here in the States, you'll see it branded as Solutron or Synergy.
So you decide to just grab some ABT without even talking to your doctor, and then—to make matters even worse—you don't even follow the dosage instructions? But hey, you’re clearly the smartest person in the room, right? If you're such an expert, why bother reading the instructions at all? What exactly is the point of the label if you're just going to ignore it?🙄🙂🙂
Absolutely appalling.
Look, I wouldn't have handled things that way. If it were up to me, I would have gone with something like Clavibel or Clavocin, or perhaps a quinolone like Cipro or Norfloxacin.

irontinker9 said:I'm 27 years old and I've been dealing with bone issues for the last 2-3 years!
It started with sensitivity and a burning sensation in my ribs (that was the very first symptom), then my sternum started thickening, accompanied by this intense burning feeling right where the ribs meet the breastbone.
Occasionally, I also get this burning sensation in my arm bones.
I've had all my tests done several times, so I'll just list the values that aren't within the normal range:..........................
Should I be getting any more testing done?

Go back and read the first post more carefully, or better yet, just provide the doctor's name and the full results including the units. To me, seeing "slightly elevated" or "slightly low" without context means absolutely nothing—the first time it’s a little off, the second time it’s different, and so on.

velvethound62 said:I see some of you have started linking my thyroid issues to celiac disease... honestly, I’d rule out celiac myself since I don't deal with nausea or vomiting. What *is* weird is that every 4 or 5 days, my temperature jumps to 98.8°F when it’s usually sitting at a steady 98.2°F. I’ve noticed other changes too, like my eyes looking sunken. For instance, lunch today was a meat roll, salad, mushrooms, and peas—and now, sitting here on the toilet, I can literally see every single bit of it undigested in my stool. On top of all those symptoms I mentioned when I started this thread, there’s this constant ringing in my left ear. And here's another strange thing: I put in two hours of heavy physical labor this past Saturday after having three beers, and I didn't even feel particularly tired. P.S. Please don't come at me—I am not an alcoholic! I’ve had people suggest this might just be anxiety, but knowing myself, I just can't bring myself to agree with that. If anyone actually has some insight, I'm listening...

That’s your problem, not mine.

velvethound62 said:Here are my thyroid results:
T4 - 62.4
TSH - 1.06
T3 - 1.31
So, apparently, my T4 is just a hair under the normal range... I already laid out all my symptoms in my first post, so please, give me some advice or even just a take on these numbers. Where do I go from here? My primary care doctor just keeps churning out referrals but won't actually tell me what's wrong—either he doesn't know or he just refuses to suggest what might actually be causing these symptoms.

I need you to clean up these lab results.
How am I supposed to explain this to you when you're perfectly healthy? Honestly, you people would probably be thrilled if someone sat you down and told you that you had something like pancreatic cancer.🙂

slybison6 said:I have no idea what is going on here, and I am honestly begging for some help. I turned in urine and blood samples this morning and I'm just sitting here waiting to see if anything useful pops up in the results.
Basically, I am an extreme hiker—I hit the trails every single weekend regardless of how nasty the weather gets. The last time I was out, the conditions were absolutely brutal: rain, snow, wind... you name it. When I got back home, I felt fine. But then, by day four, things started shifting. I began feeling this overwhelming malaise... and by day five, the pain in my kidney area kicked in. I took 400mg of Advil and it helped, so I switched over to Motrin, which has ibuprofen in it too, but at a lower 200mg dose... even with the Motrin, I was still hurting, just significantly less. At first, I thought I was having some kind of kidney attack, but when I went to the ER, they asked if the pain was radiating down my leg. I told them yes, I’ve felt sharp flashes of pain shooting down my leg, and I found myself constantly searching for just the right position to sit because I had to keep my leg partially bent to get any relief. I kept taking the Motrin since it's half the strength of the Advil... I've been dealing with occasional vomiting, especially in the mornings, along with pains that seemed to hit harder early in the day than later on...
Today is day five. I'm still on the Motrin; the kidney pain itself isn't there anymore, but it feels like that dull ache you get from a bruise after being hit—so maybe it's passing? But... I got up about an hour ago and this strange back pain flared up, the kind I usually get when I sleep on a crappy mattress... and even now, my back is acting up. It's not intense, and I took my Motrin seven hours ago and will take more soon, but it feels like one of those nagging muscle aches you get from a draft. I forgot to mention that I also just started taking B-complex vitamins for nerve health... the vomiting was worse yesterday, but it's tapering off now... I don't know if this is just a massive head cold, but I am completely lost as to what is happening. The doctors here have zero interest in actually guiding me toward the right treatment or telling me where I need to go. If there is a doctor on here who thinks they might know what this is or what steps I should take, please, give me some advice... maybe I'm just overthinking this and it's not as serious as I feel... the pain isn't totally unbearable, though it was way too much this past Friday and Saturday... it's calmed down now... I just don't know if this back issue is just from my bad bed (which I've always dealt with) or if it's tied to whatever illness this is...
p.s. Cigarettes make me want to gag whenever I have the flu, so I can't even smoke right now.

Look, you are writing a whole damn autobiography instead of giving us the actual facts we need.
What was the temperature at the ER?
Are you having trouble urinating—dysuria?
Fever?
Any history of kidney issues—like stones?

Grace Alvarez83 said:Hi there!

I'm 28, and I'm dealing with some thyroid issues. My mom had hyperthyroidism, then hypothyroidism, but thank God she's doing fine now.
My sister was actually the one who sent me for testing; she noticed my neck looked a little off when we were at the gynecologist.
I've been feeling incredibly depressed—everything just feels hopeless lately. I'm gaining weight, I can't remember anything, and honestly, I just feel terrible overall.
Two months ago, I started on Synthroid 50, and here are my current results:

Bloodwork from two months ago:
TSH-7.57 REFERENCE VALUE 0.55-4.78, METHOD CLIA
TOTAL T4-110.2 REF. VAL. 58.1-140.6 METHOD CLIA
TOTAL T3 1.9 REF.VAL.0.9-2.8

Ultrasound results from two months ago:
Right lobe size 2x1.7x4.3cm, isthmus thickness 0.7cm, and left lobe 1.4x1.5x3.2cm. The echostructure is entirely inhomogeneous, especially in the left lobe, which is mostly occupied by a poorly defined hypoechoic zone measuring 1.4x1x1.1cm.

Yesterday, I had a thyroid biopsy, and these are my FT3, FT4, TSH, TGA, and TPO levels (results from yesterday):
FT4 value 14.8 units (pmol/L) range 11.5-22.7
FT3 value 6.27 units (pmol/L) range 2.76-6.45
TSH value 2.67 units (mU/L) range 0.44-4.00
TPO value >600 units (IU/mL) RANGE TGA value 593 units (IU/mL) range
They suspect Hashimoto's. They stuck me twice for the biopsy. I don't have any other chronic illnesses—at least none diagnosed or referred for—so I'm not diabetic or anything like that.
Please, can anyone help me make sense of these results? I need someone to explain the TPO and TGA because I am panicking. I can't wait a whole week for the official report; I'm so anxious and I just can't find an explanation anywhere.

Thanks so much!!!

Biopsy results?
The elevated antibody levels in the thyroid point toward an autoimmune reaction against the thyroid gland.
TSH looks normal under therapy.
A follow-up check in 3 months or sooner is recommended.
TH.-same.

restlessangler said:Had the test done (this is the second time, the first one was totally fine, but I can't find the thread) because of these headaches I've been having for the last year.
They suspect epilepsy (though I'm not even sure myself, since I know epilepsy has symptoms that I don't have, but hey, I'm not a doctor...)

Just read the conclusion/comments on those results, and talk to the neurologist in charge or whoever referred you for the EEG for more details.

Arthur Ramirez20 said:I’ve been running labs for two years now, and my AST is consistently hovering around 80-85 while my ALT sits at 35-45. I’ve gone through the ringer—tumor markers, hepatitis panels, every possible test you can think of, even stool samples—and everything comes back clean except for those elevated AST and ALT levels. Now I’m stuck wondering if this is actually dangerous. To make matters worse, the doctor I saw three months ago recommended a CT scan and a biopsy, but I turned them down. Looking at these results now, I’m starting to second-guess myself. Did I make a massive mistake by refusing?

Seriously, would you all just go back and read the very first post?

wearydriver13 said:Hi everyone, I'm not entirely sure if I'm asking this in the right spot, but I'll give it a shot. 😁

So, my doctor recommended some blood work to check my thyroid hormones (T3, T4, TSH), and I should have the referral from Medicare in a couple of days.
I was wondering which hospitals in Chicago handle blood draws for this kind of thing? Do I need to make an appointment, what time should I show up (I assume early morning 🤷), and is there anything specific I should or shouldn't do right before the test?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! 🙂

Vineyard, the Tumor and Trauma Clinic, or Vuk Vrhovac. You definitely need to call ahead and schedule an appointment. Just get there in the morning—you don't need to be there at dawn or anything. Also, no special prep required.

Austin Reed20 said:.................................

Everything looks perfectly normal.

Kate Williams68 said:swiftbear86, vividsailor7 thanks
The diagnosis finally came in— thrombocytopenia. I’m heading in for blood work this Monday, so we’ll see what the full panel actually looks like.

Thrombocytopenia just means a low platelet count. It's pretty straightforward. But the real job here is digging into *why* those numbers are dropping. That's the mystery to solve.

redeagle75 said:110 kg (about 242 lbs)
Blood pressure is 120/80

First priority? Lose some weight. Seriously. Beyond that, you absolutely need to check thyroid function and get an abdominal ultrasound to take a close look at the liver and kidneys.
That covers the essentials for now.

Kyle Rogers8 said:Female, 38y / BMI >33 / Waist circ. 34.6in
glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia
extended OGTT + insulin tests
values at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes are:
glucose 5.4/7.9/9.1/7.1/6.1/3.4/3.8/4.3
insulin 131/548/853/731/652/112/96/90
HbA1c=5.9

triglycerides 2.2
cholesterol 5.6
hdl-cholesterol 1.4
ldl-cholesterol 3.2
BP 120/80

no therapy
fasting glucose this morning was 6.6

My blood sugar levels are all over the place—totally chaotic. My insulin is definitely running high. On top of that, my lipid profile is a mess; the hypertriglyceridemia is looking even more pronounced than before. Between checking my thyroid function, sticking to a strict diet, and ramping up physical activity, there’s a real possibility my doctor might put me on Metformin 2 x850mg. Of course, I won't be doing anything without a serious consultation with my endocrinologist first.

goldenlynx91 said:Can someone please explain what this sentence in my medical report actually means?

The colon appears fragmented up to the level of the hepatic flexure, though the haustrations remain intact.

That sentence doesn't mean a damn thing.