862 posts shown.
melloworca6 said:Honestly, reading this from a doctor is just depressing. You guys know perfectly well that in medicine, two plus two doesn't always equal four. There's so much we still don't know, and half the time, treating rare conditions is basically just trial and error.
And since when did "official medicine" become some unchangeable holy scripture? Why cling so blindly to every single word in a textbook? 🤷
Nicholas Myers said:We can note a three-month follow-up on an outpatient chart for a patient with an I10 diagnosis. There aren't any current restrictions on that.
The AMA can refer that patient for a check-up in three months, and the physician's ID number can be entered under the "specialist code" section on the referral.
Supposedly, Medicare is going to start monitoring how often specific codes appear on those referrals—basically tracking who is ordering what kind of diagnostic testing.
edit: my mistake, not follow-ups, but diagnostic tests. 🙂
Nicholas Myers said:I can't weigh in much more since I'm working in a hospital now myself. 😍
That experience in primary care really helped me grasp how the entire system actually functions.
And yeah, they don't call them inspectors. They just show up at the clinics and comb through the charts. When half your paycheck gets docked because of it, it matters.
If they spot even a few instances of rule violations, the penalties can escalate significantly.
I hate to say it, but you're mistaken. Even we hospital doctors are part of the Medicare system; it's our superior, not just the family practitioners.
It's like saying, "I listen to my department head, but I couldn't care less about the hospital director!"
Every specialist knows the prescribing criteria. No one is asking them to withhold medication, but they are obligated—especially if a primary care doctor sends it back—to explain to the patient that they'll have to pay for it. They shouldn't pretend they've never heard of Medicare guidelines, or worse, lie and claim the patient doesn't have to pay.
That's just plain wrong.
The medication isn't being denied; the patient still gets a prescription, it's just a private pay script.
As for the lack of funding? To be blunt, that falls outside the scope of a family doctor's job.
melloworca6 said:Regarding Code A. As far as I know, a consultation is when a group of doctors gathers to discuss a case. At our hospital, this usually happens between 8 and 9 AM before they head down to the wards and clinics. So, if I'm wrong about what that code refers to, fine, my mistake.
My doctor referred me to a consultation, where a panel of doctors discusses my case, suggests therapy, tests, and medication, and then my GP decides how to proceed and what I'll be taking. If I understood this code correctly, the whole system is a total comedy. I honestly wonder how long it will take before we start reading in the news that people have started murdering their GPs—especially if they end up with incompetent doctors like the one I had.☕
For heaven's sake, I know Silapen and Erythromycin are different antibiotic classes. I wasn't comparing them against each other; I was comparing the side effects that both my friend and I experienced from those two drugs.
Since you brought up Sumamed, let me explain my point better. Why do you think there are people for whom Sumamed works perfectly, but the Belupo version doesn't? And vice versa. I'm not going to sit here and study the chemical composition of every pill to see if they are identical, but the physical makeup of a tablet isn't always the same (and when I say "makeup," I mean the inactive ingredients, not the active drug). I have family members who are sensitive to certain fillers used in tablets and have huge issues swallowing any kind of pill. Those people won't have a choice; they'll have to pay out of pocket if the cheapest option makes them sick. These people pay for health insurance, they pay for supplemental insurance—they should have the right to get a medicine that doesn't make them ill or cause massive side effects. People with lactose intolerance know they can get diarrhea from meds containing lactose. I know people who had terrible digestive issues with Euthyrox, but were fine with Letrox, even though they contain the exact same active ingredient. The tablet composition just isn't identical, but go ahead and try explaining that to them. If Euthyrox is the cheaper option, then sorry, folks—either buy the Letrox or take the Euthyrox and deal with the cramps and diarrhea.
Should we talk about the heavy hitters? Things like corticosteroids, antimalarials, or cytostatics—medications where it actually matters which brand you’re taking. Should I mention that people have tried different manufacturers of steroids and found that the side effects weren't the same across the board? Same ingredients, same dosage, yet different results. How do you explain that? 🤷 Maybe it's time to realize the human body isn't some math equation you can just solve. Every organism is its own unique story, and life isn't always black and white; it's mostly gray.
vividsailor7, if we're restricted to only getting treatment in our own backyard, that won't just apply to allergies or minor stuff—it applies to everything. If I want to see the top immunologist in the entire US because my local doctors are basically stumbling around in the dark with no clue what's actually happening to me (I might be exaggerating, but I'm not far off), why should that be blocked? 🤷 And it's not just me. It's anyone else being bounced from ward to ward without a single concrete answer. Look, we have hospitals, we have specialists, but just because half of them don't have a clue doesn't mean we should just shrug and say, "Oh well, we're lucky we don't live somewhere else." Honestly, it's more likely that we're all just unlucky to live in a country where we can't even tell if our healthcare system is supposed to be social or private. This messed-up hybrid we've got here isn't even funny anymore; it's pathetic.
Nicholas Myers said:I don't see much shifting for family doctors. It feels like the real impact will hit hospital specialists. Now, their diagnostic recommendations will actually be tracked. Up until now, the system just monitored how many referrals a GP issued.
Specialists will have to think twice before ordering unnecessary tests or follow-ups. Every recommendation they make is going on the record now.
As for chronic conditions—think diabetes, hypertension, asthma, or COPD—primary care has always handled them. The standard was to have at least 80% of those patients managed by a family doctor, with only a small fraction seeing specialists. They've been adjusting blood pressure meds or insulin doses for years, and they'll keep doing it.
That’s exactly what they fought for.
For rare or complex cases, they’ll still write the referrals and leave it to the specialists. I don't expect much change there. But there will be a shift for, say, high blood pressure patients who are used to visiting "their" specialist at the hospital every few months—people who know the specialist better than their own family doctor—just to get a "continue current therapy" note or a minor dosage tweak.
Angela Wright said:Actually, no. Avastin is a targeted therapy, and while we often think of infusions, there are smart drugs available in capsule form that are currently on hospital formularies; for instance, they’re used alongside chemotherapy for advanced colorectal cancer. Take Temodal, for example—it's a first-line treatment for glioblastoma, administered in combination with radiation during the first cycle and then as a standalone treatment for the next five cycles. That is also on the hospital formulary. We are talking about targeted biological therapies here—extremely expensive medications—even though our legal framework in the US still hasn't clearly defined what actually constitutes an "expensive" drug. Because of that ambiguity, it's completely unclear what criteria will be used to decide if something is considered overpriced or a "budget-friendly" option. It looks like generic manufacturers are going to be hitting the jackpot in America.
And based on how this works, the decision-making process is going to be a mess. An oncologist will propose a specific therapy, Medicare might withhold its blessing, and then you're left asking who is actually footing the bill and how much influence hospital review boards will truly have in the process... or if they'll even matter at all. To receive oncology treatment, a patient doesn't necessarily need to be hospitalized; they can take medications like Temodal at home and just head into the clinic for radiation sessions.
vilenjačica As I was saying:
If you ask me, this is just going to create an even bigger mess... I honestly can't make heads or tails of these new guidelines. It’s a total disaster—nothing makes any sense!Heading out to the outpatient clinic. So, the specialist ordered more testing just because he felt like it... what am I even supposed to do with that now? What kind of referral is he going to write me to make this actually useful? Honestly, I’m starting to think even my own doctor won't have a clue how to handle this mess. Hah!
Angela Wright said:Look at what’s highlighted here—it says everything you need to know. We’re talking about guidelines that are so incredibly vague that even the bureaucrats at Medicare can't make sense of them half the time. It’s all just a mess of conflicting limits. Here’s the kicker: if a Medicare auditor decides they don't like how a prescription was handled, they don't just ask questions; they go straight for the doctor's paycheck. They dock the physician's salary to cover the cost of the medication or the travel voucher, and there is zero recourse. No chance to appeal, no chance to explain the medical necessity. You prescribe Avastin for something outside of the one specific line item Medicare has authorized, and suddenly the doctor is paying for it out of pocket. It makes me wonder: what kind of cheap generic are they going to force you to prescribe just to stay in their good graces? 😍
Nicholas Myers said:As far as I can tell, those guidelines weren't even drafted by family practitioners.
Take drugs like Zyllt, Plavix, or Pigrel, for instance.
I remember one of my early days in general practice (that's long behind me now) vividly. My hands were actually shaking when a patient handed me a discharge summary from a specialist. They had been prescribed one of these medications following a heart attack, yet the patient hadn't received a stent or a bypass.
Naturally, Medicare mandates that in this specific scenario, the patient has to foot the bill themselves, and the cost is astronomical.
The encounter turned incredibly tense. The patient nearly came at me, and then the attending cardiologist stepped in, using roughly this kind of tone and logic.
But look, if you check the Medicare website, there's a public list detailing exactly which medications are covered "for free" and which ones require out-of-pocket payment.
Who actually compiled that list? No idea.
Angela Wright said:It looks like these new regulations are going to hit family practitioners and their patients the hardest. I have a family doctor in my own family, and what they’re putting them through right now is pure torture—let alone dumping this extra load on them. This is a calculated move to shift the entire burden of deciding on the most appropriate therapies—which used to be the responsibility of hospital specialists—straight onto the shoulders of primary care. So, go ahead, be a hero and reject a specialist's opinion. Tell an oncology patient with PTSD that you won't prescribe the new line of Avastin that the hospital oncologists correctly recommended, all while Medicare is breathing down your neck, threatening to hang you out to dry for exceeding referral or prescription limits. If the mess they made with antibiotics was any indication, I can only imagine the disaster coming our way.
I honestly think it's high time the medical profession finally unified, dropped the ego and the massive doses of vanity, and actually stood its ground. Taking a once-solid, reliable system and degrading the American healthcare system to the level of Albanian healthcare is nothing short of criminal.
They aren't approving new specializations, residencies, or continuing education, yet practicing doctors are forced to play games with various pharmaceutical reps just to scrape together enough funds for the very conferences and training sessions they are mandated to attend from their first day on the job until retirement.
melloworca6 kaže:
The referral system is getting a complete overhaul. They’re rolling out a new encryption method for all incoming referrals, and it’s going to be categorized based on where the patient is actually headed: whether they're being sent for a multidisciplinary consultation at the hospital (A), direct inpatient care (B), specialized outpatient services (C), or standard ambulatory treatment (D).
Under this new directive, the specialist's role covers the initial consultation and all those necessary diagnostic tests. They’re also cleared to suggest follow-up screenings, specific medications, or specialized therapies—though, let's be clear, the family doctor still holds the final say on any of that. But here is where I get frustrated: the specialist's hands are tied when it comes to actual follow-through. They can't refer a patient for further hospital treatment, they can't schedule follow-up appointments, and they certainly can't issue any official opinions regarding a patient's ability to work. It’s a massive gap in the process!
vividsailor7, I’m genuinely terrified that I might be misinterpreting this, so please, read these specific excerpts I’ve pulled from the text. Honestly, I am praying to God that I’ve just gotten everything wrong. Look, I have a wonderful primary care physician—really, she's great—but I refuse to let her play judge and jury on whether my immunologist prescribed the right treatment or which additional tests I need to undergo. She couldn't even fully explain my own lab results to me! How on earth is she qualified to dictate my medical regimen when she can't even provide a detailed breakdown of my findings? I don't expect my GP to be an encyclopedia or to interpret every single nuance of my data, but that is exactly why we have specialists who have actually completed their advanced fellowships and subspecialties.
Look, I couldn't disagree with you more if we’re pretending it doesn't matter which medication we take just because the active ingredients are technically the same. Let’s talk about antibiotics—and don't even get me started on things like chemotherapy, where you absolutely *do* care about the specific brand and wouldn't dream of settling for the cheapest option available. Take penicillin, for instance. There are tons of different brands prescribed under various names. Suppose I wake up with a nasty sore throat, head to my doctor, and she prescribes me Silapen simply because it’s the cheapest one on the list. Honestly, I have no clue why they always push Silapen on us whenever they prescribe a penicillin-based antibiotic, but that's usually what I end up with. Now, here's the problem: what if my friend and I both have terrible side effects from Silapen? We're talking debilitating diarrhea and insane stomach cramps—the kind of reaction I personally get from Erythromycin. It is infuriating that we’re forced to choke down medications that clearly don't agree with our bodies just because they happen to be the budget option. If you want the more expensive version from the same class of drugs, fine—pay the extra money yourself. But don't act like it's all the same.
Look, I honestly don’t give a damn how they plan to reorganize the system or whether they start slapping fines on doctors just because they keep prescribing the most expensive drugs on the market. My priority is simple: I want to be able to get the medication that actually works for me—the one that doesn't make me feel like death or wreck my body with side effects. I don't care about the price tag, provided it’s on the approved list and covered by Medicare. Instead of actually doing their jobs and monitoring who is prescribing what—and maybe earning those ridiculous salaries instead of sitting around in offices doing absolutely nothing—they’ve chosen the easiest, laziest way out. They're basically saying, "Fine, pay the premium, we don't care." It’s a joke. If you have money, great, you get the top-tier meds. If you don't? Well, tough luck. When we politicians inevitably fall ill with some kind of tumor or need major surgery, we won't be stuck in this mess. We’ll be using Medicare to fly straight to Germany for surgeries or heading to the States for experimental treatments that cost an absolute fortune. Meanwhile, little Nora will be left begging for scraps on the news just to get some basic help. 🤮
Regarding the medical care in your neck of the woods—honestly, that sounds great. Why bother with actual treatment when we could just pass around a handful of pills and end up dead instead? It’s much more efficient, right? I can't speak for hospitals in other parts of the country since I don't know what they're dealing with elsewhere, but where I'm at? You're better off avoiding certain wards entirely. It’s just one "expert" after another, all pretending to know what they're doing. Absolute nonsense. Don't even get me started. Are you seriously telling me that in your hospital there isn't an entire ward where most of your colleagues—to put it mildly—don't have the slightest clue what they're doing? We’re talking about people who wouldn't know how to actually treat a patient if their lives depended on it, let alone someone working there without even holding a degree! It's absolutely infuriating.
Look, in my experience, there are certain departments where it’s just better to head straight to a major medical hub like Washington, D.C. immediately—unless you actually want some amateur poking around inside you without having a clue what they're doing.
Kimberly Cox58 said:Hello everyone, good day. Could someone please share their experience to help me with a few things? My husband is fighting colon cancer. He just finished his last of six chemotherapy rounds. Initially, our doctors told us that once he finishes those six cycles, we would know how things stand in about a month—they’d do an ultrasound, a CT scan, check the markers, etc. However, now they're changing the story and saying we need to wait another 3 or 4 months before even doing the tests. Can anyone advise if it really takes that long to see how successful the chemo was, or can we know sooner? While we're hoping for the best, we're wondering if waiting this long makes sense, because if something *is* wrong...
Please advise, and thank you for the help.
Jamie Barnes15 said:Hi everyone!
Can anyone tell me what it means when they say in the retroperitoneum of the lumbar regions, near the abdominal aorta and the inferior vena cava, there are no enlarged lymph nodes visible, but there are small, multiple lymph nodes measuring between 7mm and 9mm in diameter?
Also, I have a minimal amount of fluid in my pelvis.
I had a testicular tumor, underwent a lymphadenectomy, completed two preventative chemo sessions, and my results have been clear for 4 years with regular checkups every 10 months. But now, after this latest scan, they told me to repeat the tests in 3 months without giving any real explanation.
Please, if anyone knows anything about this, let me know. Thanks in advance!
velvetdrifter15 said:Hi,
My mom is taking Xeloda, and because of that medication, she's getting sores around her fingernails. These wounds are full of blood and bleed every time they are touched. She regularly cleans the wounds with alcohol and applies a healing spray, but there's no improvement at all. :/
Do any of you have experience with this?
Melissa Martinez5 said:Yeah, the EGD was done and everything turned out fine...
I’m still waiting on the referral for my stool tests—haven't gotten that part sorted out yet. Once I have it, I need to get a full panel done: Iron, UIBC, TIBC, Potassium, Sodium, CRP, fecal calprotectin, three sets of blood cultures, and anti-tTG.
I just talked to my primary care doctor, and they told me I’m going to have to bring in three consecutive stool samples. Now, here’s the thing—my digestion is all over the place and I don't have a regular schedule, so I have no clue how many days this is actually going to take me to collect three samples...
I haven't seen any posts from you yet! I'm ready whenever you are. Just drop the content you want me to work on, and I'll get to it. kaže:
So, here’s the situation: I'm 24 years old. Aside from being overweight—which, honestly, I can't even pinpoint the exact reason why right now—I don't have any other underlying health issues. But, my endocrinologist sent me in for some testing, and now we're digging deeper.
Iron levels are sitting at 7.0, while the normal range starts at 8.0. It’s low. Just a bit under the mark, but still not where it needs to be.
Urea at 2.7 (normal range 2.8–8.3). Just slightly under the line.
Uric acid levels: 416 (134-337)
Creatinine 89 (range 49-90).
Glucose is sitting at 4.90 (normal range is 4.20-6.0). Everything looks solid on that front.
Thanks a million.
Susan Lee5 said:I've had my cortisol levels tested three times now, and my ACTH has consistently come back right in the middle of the range. Cortisol came back at 300 (Reference Range: 100 - 536), and ACTH is sitting at 5.6 (Reference Range: 1.6 - 13.9).Well, now my numbers have shot up again—right at the upper limit. I honestly don't know what to make of it. I’m going to have to redo all the tests in a month and just wait to see what happens. It’ll probably turn out to be another false alarm, just like always. Typical.
Hannah Lee47 said:Dr. Harvey!
I've been dealing with stomach acid issues, and my doctor put me on Omeprazole 20 mg. I took that for nearly four months, but honestly? It didn't do a damn thing for me. So, I finally got a referral to an ENT specialist. After a quick look at my throat with a light, the specialist concluded that my sore throat is actually being caused by all that gastric acid. His "solution"? Double the dose! He prescribed 40 mg of Omeprazole twice a day. I stuck with it for another month, but then things took a turn for the worse. I started noticing these random blue bruises popping up all over my legs. That was the breaking point for me. I stopped taking the medication immediately and went straight back to my primary care physician. The doctor sent me off for a full battery of tests—thyroid, thrombosis, liver function, vitamins, the whole works. Well, everything came back perfectly normal except for one thing: my iron levels are sitting at a measly 12, and my Vitamin B6 is elevated. I’ve been off all medication for about a month now, and predictably, the throat issues are crawling right back. I am at my wit's end here. I don't know what else to try. If anyone has any solid advice or has dealt with something similar, please, I am all ears.
With all due respect!
Kimberly Richardson56 said:A 66-year-old male, a chronic alcoholic who’s been flying completely under the radar without any treatment until he finally got a diagnosis about a year ago, just ended up in the hospital after a multi-week bender. He stands 5'6" and weighs 170 lbs.
When I was first admitted, my GGT was sitting at 7.8. That number shot up to an insane 995. Fast forward to today—my discharge day—and after a full week of total abstinence, it’s down to 823. Still high, but moving in the right direction.
The internist handed down the diagnosis: alcoholic hepatitis and chronic alcoholism. And what’s the solution? They’re demanding total abstinence. No questions asked. Nothing else on the table. Just complete sobriety, because apparently, that's the only way forward.
Can someone please weigh in on these GGT levels? I need an honest assessment of what we're looking at here and how much time it’s actually going to take to recover.
Thanks! 🙂
copperbison4 said:I'm looking at a female patient in her early twenties. She’s dealing with constant, crushing fatigue and has this growth—according to the ultrasound, it's non-dangerous—located in the area between the left axilla and the breast. From what I can gather, it isn't a lymph node.
Unfortunately, there aren't any reference ranges listed on this lab report.
Karen Wells76 said:To whom it may concern,
I’m 22 years old, dealing with mild hypothyroidism, and taking Synthroid 12.5 mg. For three years straight, I was constantly suffering from heartburn, which eventually led me to get an EGD. Thankfully, that came back totally clear. In fact, for the last six months, I haven't had any heartburn at all. Then yesterday, everything went sideways. I was hit with these intense, sharp pains radiating from my stomach area just below my left rib cage, and I ended up in the emergency department at the internal medicine unit. The pain wasn't constant—it came in these brutal, agonizing waves—but when it hit, it was extreme. My blood and urine tests were normal. They gave me IV Controloc and Buscopan, but even after that, the pain wouldn't let up; it just became continuous. They sent me for further testing and pulled more blood work, and now I'm looking at some discrepancies in my lab results that I need to make sense of.
First blood sample results: White blood cell count at 8.2, red blood cell count at 4.05, hemoglobin at 113, and hematocrit at 0.340.
Just got the second blood draw results back after three hours: WBC is at 9.8, red blood cells are at 3.76, hemoglobin is 114, and hematocrit is 0.326.
I’m trying to figure out if we're looking at some minor bleeding, maybe something like gastric mucosal erosion? My abdominal X-ray and ultrasound both came back clean, but the diagnosis was irritation of the stomach lining after taking Anacin. I've been using them for at least three months at a time for about ten years now—they're honestly the only thing that touches my menstrual cramps—and lately, I've been popping them even more frequently because of a stiff neck. Just to be clear, my period ended 17 days ago, so anemia shouldn't be stemming from that.
I started taking Pepcid for my home treatment and the pain has calmed down quite a bit. I've had that sharp, stabbing sensation three times now, but it was way milder than yesterday and goes away right after a small snack.
Amanda Mitchell56 said:I just did a urine culture (I'm 33 weeks pregnant) and here are the results: staphylococcus species (coagulase-negative) 100,000 cfu/ml, contaminated sample, please repeat tests.
Can anyone explain what this actually means?
Thanks!
Robert Adams88 said:First bilirubin reading was 93, second was 48, third was 70.
I'm heading in for an abdominal ultrasound now. What could this possibly be?
melloworca6 said:Here’s the article: and I made sure to give them a piece of my mind yesterday, item by item.
Long story short: doctors are going to be prescribing the cheapest options available, and if you want the premium stuff, you’re paying out of pocket. From what I can gather, specialists won't be calling the shots on therapy or tests anymore either; they’ll just make recommendations while Medicare makes the final call on everything. There’s also talk that we won't be able to seek treatment anywhere except at their specific hospitals and such.
I am not a fan of this at all, and I’ll get into why in a bit. It’s infuriating. Between health insurance and supplemental coverage, even as someone who's unemployed, I’m going to have to pay for my own meds if I don't want the cheap junk they’re pushing—and let's be real, the cheapest version isn't always the best one with that same formula. Meanwhile, you've got politicians getting whatever procedures they need treated abroad on Medicare's dime.
Brandon Lopez6 said:I was half-listening (and half-reading 😬) all this talk about the new medical law—or whatever it is—saying that primary care doctors will be running the show for chronic patients now. It’s got me wondering where I actually fit into this whole mess.
My GP is a sweetheart, really, but whenever I brought up any kind of mental health stuff, he’d immediately tell me to head over to Washington, D.C. to see a psychiatrist. How am I supposed to trust that he'll make the right call for me when he's already admitted he doesn't know enough to even tweak my meds?
* I think I saw someone mention somewhere that a GP can prescribe a new antidepressant if the current one isn't working, as long as it's in the same class. Dammit, I can't remember the specifics right now. 🙂
Also, word is we won't get to "pick" our hospitals anymore; everything is being assigned based on where you live. The closest hospital to me (Sisak) has a nine-month waiting list just for psychotherapy.
Basically, I need to know: do I still have the right to go to a major center like Mayo Clinic, or am I just stuck waiting to drop dead at home as far as they're concerned?
Nicole Long28 said:Can anyone give me some advice—or tell me exactly who to ask—on whether this diuretic regimen is overkill? It’s for managing ascites and leg edema caused by peritoneal carcinomatosis. My family doctor prescribed this specific combo, while the oncologist just gave a vague recommendation for diuretics, so I'm basically left to figure it out myself.
So, here is the daily routine:
One 40 mg Lasix,
one 50 mg Spironolactone, and
half a dose of KCL (dissolved in about half a cup of water)?
Is it okay to take all of this at once (swallowing both pills with the KCL mixture), or should there be some spacing out throughout the day?
Melissa Martinez5 said:If there are any doctors here who can help...
About two months ago, I started feeling some nagging discomfort in my lower right abdomen.
For the past week, the pain has been constant—not excruciating, but it just won't let up.
I actually ended up at the ER because I was worried it might be appendicitis...
They ran blood work, a urinalysis, an X-ray of my abdomen and urinary tract, and even a kidney ultrasound. Everything came back fine.
My temperature was running a bit high, around 99.3°F, and currently it’s sitting at 99.0°F.
On top of this abdominal pain, I've been dealing with frequent urination and alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea.
The doctor at the ER basically told me to just head home, eat lighter, and stay hydrated...😂
Should I be getting more tests done? What could possibly be causing this pain?
Abdomen soft and elastic at the level of the sternum; painful upon deep palpation at the junction of the lower abdomen and the suprapubic bone; no guarding or peritoneal irritation; bowel sounds present.
Temp 99.3°F
Temp 99.9°F
Hannah Lee47 said:My lab results show I have an iron deficiency of 12, elevated vitamin B6, and normal B12 levels.
The doctor didn't prescribe any treatment, saying it isn't necessary because my hemoglobin is fine and high B6 isn't toxic.
Now I've been reading online that elevated vitamins—especially B6—can be just as dangerous as a deficiency, and I'm really confused.
Since almost all foods rich in iron also contain B6, I'm stuck.
If anyone has a professional answer, could an increase in Vitamin B6 actually cause anemia in my specific case?
Sarah Martinez35 said:Hello,
I am asking for help interpreting some laboratory results.
Age/Stats: 29 years old, 160cm, 60kg
Reason for testing: routine blood work during pregnancy; however, I’ve been feeling fatigued, exhausted, easily winded, and dealing with frequent dizziness. My blood pressure has stayed between 90/60 and 100/60 since the start of the pregnancy. Blood work has been normal so far, with the last set done on July 5th, 2013.
Other info: Currently 31+6 weeks pregnant; taking 2 tablets of Solgar Prenatal Nutrients daily.
Complete results and reference values (in parentheses) 🙂that deviate from the norm are highlighted.
Urinalysis was normal, with all parameters within range. I was also referred for a urine culture, but I haven't received those results yet.
The deviating parameters have me worried, so I would appreciate it if someone could interpret what they might indicate.
Thank you!
Nicholas Fisher77 said:Respectfully,
my 14-year-old son has dealt with chickenpox, scarlet fever, mononucleosis, pneumonia... he was even hospitalized two years ago due to unexplained fevers, headaches,
and dizziness. After that, he had shingles, and to top it all off, last year he was diagnosed with Steven Johansov syndrome, which the doctors believe stemmed from the shingles. (He is doing okay now; there are just some spots left on his body where the skin issues occurred.)
Over the last two years, Mycoplasma pneumoniae keeps popping up on his labs. Regarding the recent test for Myco.plas. following the Steven J. diagnosis:
IgM... negative
IgM.... 17 U positive / Ref 0-11.5 U
Please explain!
Also, the shingles test says "equivocal"—what does that mean?
Thanks!
Sophia Sanchez67 said:Hi everyone. I just got my lab results back and I’m desperately hoping someone with actual expertise can help me out, because my doctor wouldn't explain a single thing to me...
I'm 24 years old and don't have any medical issues other than being overweight.
My labs show an elevated MCHC at 349, high Red blood cell count at 5.48, low MCV at 79.0, high WBC at 11.7, elevated MPV at 10.9, low iron at 7.0, high uric acid at 416, and low urea at 2.7.
Honestly, this looks terrifying to me because everything seems to be outside the normal range. Some things are only slightly off, but still.
If anyone could make sense of this for me, I would be incredibly grateful. Thank you so much.
Susan Lee5 said:Please help! I'm a 29-year-old female, 5'6", 176 lbs, dealing with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto. Today my thyroid labs came back perfect—TSH 1.3, FT4 15, and antibodies are dropping. The problem is my cortisol and ACTH levels are elevated; they're right at the upper limit. I've been having symptoms: constant sweating, muscle wasting—it feels like my muscles are just vanishing—heart palpitations, acne, and panic attacks. About 8 months ago, an MRI of my pituitary gland showed a suspicious microadenoma. Up until then, my hormones were totally normal.
Now this high ACTH and cortisol have me really worried. Could that microadenoma have flared up and started messing with those hormones?
Please respond as soon as possible, thank you so much.
Grace Murphy27 said:Dear Dr. Harvey,
I am 26 weeks pregnant. I had some urine tests done because I was worried about bacteria causing some bleeding I experienced.
The results are:
Red blood cells: 0-2 Ref. range (x400)
White blood cells: 0-2
Pl. epithelial: 0-1
Small epit. cells: 0-1
Mucus: 0
Salts: 0
Bacteria: 0
Crystals: 0
Fungi: 0
Hyaline casts: 0-1 Ref. range (x100)
Non-hyaline casts: 0
Note: specimen is covered with white blood cells and epithelium, and red blood cells and bacteria can be seen between them.
I then did a urine culture and the result was: Physiological urethral flora.
Does this mean the test is normal?
analogharbor said:Dear Dr. Harvey, I am 11 or 12 weeks pregnant, and I just got my lab results back. The diagnosis shows eosinophilia and basophilia. I'm wondering what this could actually mean. I'll list the abnormal values below.
EOS-.807 9,08%
BASO- .097 1,09%
HCT .373 L/L
MCH 31.8 pg
RDW 11.1 %CV
Thanks so much!
Angela Wright said:swiftpanther102, I’m pretty sure there’s a specific medication manufactured over in Mexico that actually works for this kind of hiccups. It’ll probably run you about... $6.75...honestly, I can't even think of the name right now. 😢 Unfortunately, it isn't even registered here in the States, so there's absolutely no way to get your hands on it.
Ashley Murphy said:It’s called largaticil.
Look, if you’re going to insist on playing doctor, why stop there? Why not throw some Coca-Cola into the mix? Or maybe try breathing into a paper bag? Heck, just have them swallow a spoonful of honey and see if that fixes everything!
I’m telling you, if they actually included codeine in the treatment plan, it might actually do some good.
@swiftpanther102/">@@swiftpanther102, I really hope it’s already over... honestly, I just hope this whole thing stops sometime soon without any clear reason for why it even started in the first place.
Keith Wood27 said:As vividsailor7 pointed out, there’s a lot of fluff written here without any actual purpose.
This post is based on my own experience, and I’ll start from the end of the personal epilogue.
My young son suffers from an incredibly rare condition—only a few hundred cases exist worldwide. It's a metabolic disorder involving a pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency. Because it's so rare, the road to a diagnosis was a nightmare. Since his symptoms were neurological, doctors initially suspected a brain tumor after basic tests failed to provide answers. He was sent for a scintigraphy using JMBIG (a standard scan for these cases), which showed suspicious accumulation near the adrenal glands. A CT scan confirmed a mass in that area. Just to be clear, any growth or abnormal tissue is technically classified as a tumorous mass. Since they couldn't pin down the cause of his issues, they decided to perform surgery to see what was actually going on. During the procedure, the surgeon found an adrenal gland that was twice its normal size and removed it. Pathology results showed it was just an adenoma, which turned out to have nothing to do with his neurological issues or his primary metabolic disease. We are now just seeing endocrinologists for follow-up care and monitoring.
Because of all this, don't jump to conclusions without evidence; most of the time, it turns out to be nothing. Even if it is an adenoma, it isn't a catastrophe—apparently, one in four or five people has something similar that simply goes undetected because it doesn't cause problems.
Pheochromocytomas are more serious, located in the adrenal medulla, and are much harder to diagnose.
Take it easy and don't panic. That's my advice.
Jose Miller3 said:You're not wrong 🤷
I'm just sitting here in regret...
I don't know why, I guess I just blindly trusted that diagnosis—even though looking back now, I can see it was super vague and, honestly, kind of a total shot in the dark.
My bad.
But look, I still think if someone is dealing with those kinds of horrific, unexplained pains, they should seriously consider exploratory surgery 🤷 provided that the cause for the pain really hasn't been found yet—not just when someone says, "well, I saw a bunch of doctors and my tests were fine," when they actually just went to their GP for a basic checkup and then hit up the ER for an EKG and some heavy-duty painkillers before being sent home.🤷
Melissa Martinez5 said:I've been dealing with frequent urination for a while now, and now I'm starting to feel this pain in my lower right side...
My primary care doctor gave me referrals for a urinalysis and an ABG urine test. On top of that, my gynecologist ordered a standard urine sediment test and a K-KKS.
Do I actually have to bring in two separate samples, one for every single referral?
Is just doing the urine sediment enough? Does that one test cover the UK and the ABG too?
steelwalker68 said:I just got my 24-hour urine cortisol results back, and here’s what I'm looking at.
Cortisol Results: 108—
8h (138-690)
16 hours (69-345)
Urine levels: 55-248.
I don't get him at all. 🤷