It sounds a lot like suctioning out gunk from your sinuses, or honestly, it sounds like they’re performing an Eustachian test—you know, that thing ENT doctors do to check if your Eustachian tubes (the little channels connecting your middle ear to your throat) are actually working properly. I think I remember hearing people joke about using things like "chocolate" or "Coca-Cola" during the test just to get the right sound. Basically, the tech plugs one nostril with their finger and sticks a small rubber tube into the other one. That tube is attached to this little bulb, kind of like the hand pump you'd see on a blood pressure cuff at a clinic in Chicago. Then, they have you say one of those specific words or even just a sharp "K" sound. This forces your soft palate to close off toward the back of your throat, which is exactly when they squeeze the air through the bulb. If everything is functioning normally, you should hear a little popping sensation in your ear, which is a good sign that the path between your ear and throat is clear. All in all, it’s nothing to worry about, though I'll admit, it makes you feel pretty ridiculous while it's happening... 😁
Kevin White5 said:I think it’s more accurate to say an extrasystole is just an extra beat occurring between two regular heartbeats.
So what actually is systole? It's basically when the heart muscle contracts, squeezing hard to pump blood out into the arteries.
Alright, fair enough, I get where you're coming from—that way is definitely easier to wrap your head around. But with extrasystoles acting as those arrhythmias you see on an IBM, they don't always trigger a full myocardial contraction. If it does cause a contraction, you'll feel that extra thump between your usual beats. But if it doesn't trigger the actual squeeze, the beat just disappears, making it feel like your heart "skipped" a beat because there's nothing felt at the pulse point, even though the IBM shows the electrical impulse traveled through the myocardium. That’s really what I was getting at earlier, but honestly, whatever, your way of explaining it is much simpler to follow.
Honestly, this story isn't some freak occurrence; it's just the harsh reality of how things work. When someone close to you ends up in the hospital, there are basically two ways to play it.
First off, if you've got connections, don't even hesitate—use them to the max. Use those ties to speed up diagnostics, get on the good side of the nursing staff, and ultimately ensure the treatment is actually tailored to the patient's specific needs, rather than just being shoved into some cookie-cutter protocol like what happened here with Prazina. If that doesn't cut it, you move on to the second strategy I'm about to lay out.
Second, if you don't have any inside tracks, the moment you see a sign of incompetence or neglect, you need to make enough noise to wake the dead. Demand to see the head nurse immediately, threaten to take it up with the hospital administrator, and if you really have to, go straight to the department chief or even the board of directors. When you're visiting, you've got to be relentless. This method is a proven way to grab the staff's attention; they usually come down to earth pretty fast once they realize you aren't playing games and aren't intimidated by their "authority" or that untouchable attitude they try to pull. It’s because Americans have taught medical professionals that most people will just stay quiet and suffer, forgetting that we aren't there for the doctors and nurses—they are there for us.
Just one more thing: don't bother bringing gifts like coffee, booze, food, or cash. In most cases, your loved one won't get anything extra just because you brought a little something. Once everything settles down, if you feel like it, maybe bring a tiny token of appreciation to your contact or a staff member who truly went above and beyond for your family.
The recommendation is to get checked out at the Mayo Clinic, so does anyone have a specific specialist they’d recommend who really knows their stuff in this field?
Thanks a ton!
Honestly, I feel like the specialists in Nuclear Medicine are often way more dialed-in when it comes to treating thyroid issues than general endocrinologists, so if I were in your shoes, I’d probably stick strictly to them. That’s not a hard rule, obviously, but in my experience, any solid endocrinologist dealing with thyroid patients is going to send you straight to Nuclear Medicine for the heavy lifting anyway. With hormone levels looking like this, you're definitely going to need a physical exam so the doctor can check the size of your thyroid and see if there are any lumps or growths. You'll almost certainly need an ultrasound and likely a fine-needle aspiration guided by ultrasound to be safe. On top of that, they'll probably run a thyroid scintigraphy using technetium-99 (Tc99), which is the gold standard for spotting "cold" or "hot" nodules—that tells them if you're dealing with specific spots or just a general enlargement, which would point toward standard hyperthyroidism. Those steps are basically non-negotiable for getting a clear picture of what’s going on. If they need more info, they might test your TPO and tSI levels too. For managing hyperthyroidism, doctors usually lean on Athyrazol (a thionamide), Atenolol for heart rate/tachycardia, maybe some light sedatives, and occasionally Synthroid if they think your levels might crash too low and trigger hypothyroidism. They usually steer clear of radioactive iodine for younger people because of potential impacts on reproductive health. Surgery for Graves' disease or Basedow's is typically only on the table if things don't improve after a year or two of medication, but that requires a really careful clinical call.
Kimberly Davis52 said:It’s been over an hour now 🙂 so what does it mean if my temperature is the same under my arm and in my mouth? Like, am I actually sick, or is this just my body being weirdly normal?
Also, my baseline temp is usually between 96.6 and 97.3, but for the last couple of weeks, it’s been sitting between 98.0 and 99.5...
If you're trying to get an accurate reading by mouth, you really need to tuck that thermometer right under your tongue—sublingual style—and just let it sit there for maybe 3 or 4 minutes instead of just sucking on it like a lollipop.
Honestly, looking at those numbers, you're probably totally fine. I wouldn't even start sweating unless you start feeling actual symptoms alongside that tiny little bump in temperature.
Oh, and almost forgot... any chance you accidentally knocked someone up while sleeping naked? Because that would definitely explain why your temp is acting up...😁
Like I mentioned before, it’s pretty tough to call this without being there, so you really should lean on your doctor since they know your history best. Are we talking about a sudden UTI flare-up, or is this something that keeps happening to you? Have you dealt with kidney stones or noticed any blood in your urine lately? I know I might sound like I'm lecturing you again, but if it's a urology issue, you need a urologist—or maybe a nephrologist depending on the specifics. They are truly the experts when it comes to getting a solid diagnosis, so please don't feel awkward about asking your primary care doc for a referral to see a specialist.
So, if I’m reading this right, that yGT abbreviation stands for gamma-glutamyl transferase, which is basically just an enzyme—it's part of that same family as things like SGOT or SGPT. Usually, when those numbers start climbing, doctors look closely at what's going on with your liver, bile ducts, pancreas, or even your kidneys. Seeing that "63 H" on your report just means the value hit above the normal range (that's what the "H" is for). But honestly, you probably didn't just pull that one single number out of thin air, and without seeing the rest of the lab work, it’s impossible for me to give you a straight answer like "this is definitely what's happening." You really need to sit down with your doctor so they can look at the whole picture alongside how you're actually feeling before deciding on next steps. My take? If you’ve been dealing with any GI issues lately, it’s definitely worth booking an appointment with a specialist.👍
Alexander Phillips4 said:Is there actually some kind of pill that can fix this, or is it just something you have to live with forever along with all the other meds?😲 ??? man, I'm honestly just spiraling a bit thinking about this
Look, at the end of the day, you really need an accurate diagnosis before you even start talking about treatment. Everything we've been discussing here doesn't necessarily apply to what you're actually dealing with. See, those extra heartbeats could be a direct heart issue, or they could just be a side effect of something else entirely—like a metabolic imbalance with your potassium or sodium levels, or maybe even hyperthyroidism causing tachycardia that leads to those palpitations... there's a whole list of possibilities. If I were you, I'd head down to the nearest hospital and ask the staff if they can recommend a solid cardiologist, then grab a referral from your primary doctor (don't let them just brush you off without getting a specialist's opinion) so you can get scheduled for an appointment with a heart specialist as soon as possible.
Sometimes extra beats don't even trigger a physical sensation, which honestly makes things a bit tricky. It’s all pretty complicated stuff, and I’m sure a top-tier cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic would have way more insight than I do, so you definitely shouldn't skip seeing a specialist.
Basically, a heartbeat happens when an electrical signal travels through your heart's own little nervous system. That pulse starts at one spot—like the AV node—and moves through the cardiac nerves to make the muscle contract, creating that beat we feel. You can actually see this process mapped out on a graph using an IBM, which most people know as an electrocardiogram.
So, an extrasystole can happen if that electrical signal decides to pop up in a weird spot in the nervous system, causing what feels like an "extra" beat popping in between two regular ones, either by itself or in a little series. Or, it could be that this "off" impulse doesn't actually cause a physical thud at all, but it still shows up as a rhythm abnormality on your IBM (which doesn't necessarily mean it's harmless, though). There's also the chance that a "normal" signal just gets interrupted or fails to finish its trip through the system—kind of like a heart block—causing the heart to just "skip" a beat entirely... As for how it actually feels, some people say it feels like their heart skipped, or like Casey Palmer5 described, an extra thump, while others might deal with tightness, chest pressure, or just feeling generally off, like getting sweaty or pale.
At the end of the day, there are just too many moving parts and variables involved to ignore these kinds of sensations and skip a trip to the doctor. At least, that's my two cents.
You can really feel that weird sensation where your heart just skips a beat during an extrasystole, and if you actually take a second to check your pulse, you'll notice that one beat just completely vanishes from the rhythm at the periphery.
Casey Palmer5 said:Scott Allen10, you're totally right to bring that up... honestly, I was just reading about how CVI is actually one of those potential risks you have to watch out for when someone starts messing around with cervical spine adjustments.
I honestly wouldn't trust a chiropractor with my spine, even though I’ve always been super interested in manual therapy myself. I tend to be pretty cautious and overthink things before I ever touch anyone else, so I just couldn't bring myself to mess around with neck adjustments—everything else is fair game, though.
Look, I’ve heard people bringing up strokes as a potential complication, but honestly, I think that falls more into the "possible" category rather than something you see happening regularly, especially since a trained chiropractor knows exactly how to read a situation before jumping in. It's kind of like any other diagnostic test or procedure you'd run at a place like Mayo Clinic—there’s always a tiny margin where things could go sideways, but in this case, I really feel the risk is minimal. Plus, when you consider that the carotid arteries do way more of the heavy lifting for blood flow to the brain than the vertebral ones do, there's a certain level of safety built in regarding stroke risks. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s really a matter of personal preference, but I honestly feel like finding an educated chiropractor—not some random quack off the street, but someone who actually put in the work with a legit degree after six or seven years of school—is hands down the best way to handle any kind of spinal issues you might be dealing with.😉
You could try physical therapy or see a physiatrist, but if I were you, I’d hit up an educated chiropractor first. Honestly, those guys seem to dive way deeper into how everything connects than most MDs do, and they really know their stuff when it comes to spinal mechanics. If your mom is really against the idea, maybe stick to more conservative treatments for a bit like some folks have suggested, but whatever you do, please don't rush into any kind of neck surgery without getting a solid opinion from a chiropractor first. Only if they tell you there's absolutely no other way should you even consider going under the knife.👍
Henry Wilson48 said:Has anyone here actually dealt with filing a complaint against a medical ethics board before? I'm trying to track down their contact number, and honestly, I'm wondering if there are any other ways to hold doctors accountable when they start acting shady.
Honestly, not really. In the US, doctors are pretty much untouchable when it comes to actual accountability. It’s almost unheard of for someone to lose their job over a mistake, bribery, being straight-up rude, negligence, or even a death... and don't even get me started on jail time, because they are lightyears away from ever seeing a courtroom. The medical lobby here is just way too powerful for anything to actually change. So, as far as things stand in America today, you aren't going to find much help. Most of those oversight boards and committees are basically just window dressing to make everything look legit. 👎
Honestly, your body usually just pushes the splinter out on its own after a little while. If it’s not actually driving you crazy or causing a ton of pain, I’d say just let nature take its course and wait for it to "pop" out. But hey, if you’re feeling ambitious, grab some tweezers and a needle and go full surgeon mode on yourself.😁
I was just thinking, maybe it wouldn't hurt to run some hepatitis markers just to be safe. It might not be anything major, but seeing that mild lymphocytosis in your differential and those slightly elevated bilirubin levels... well, you know how it goes. It probably wouldn't kill you to head back to the lab for one more quick poke. While you're at it, getting your transaminases checked—you know, AST, ALT, and GGT—might give us a much clearer picture of what's actually going on with your liver function.
So, you've usually got T3 and T4 on one side of the lab report and then TSH on the other. Basically, those first two are your thyroid hormones, while TSH actually comes from your pituitary gland. Most of the time, they’re just dancing together in this negative feedback loop—kind of like how a thermostat works in my house; if your T3 and T4 levels get too high, your body dials back the TSH, and if those levels drop, your TSH spikes to try and compensate. But honestly, looking at these numbers is way out of my league, and even a regular GP shouldn't be playing guessing games with them; you really need to leave this stuff to an endocrinology specialist to get a real answer.
So, here’s a quick rundown of who you can actually reach out to for heart surgery if you don't have a massive pile of cash lying around. I'm not even counting the folks who might expect some under-the-table "extra" fees to get things moving. This list is just for the surgeons who can fly solo and handle cardiac procedures on their own in our public hospitals using Medicare coverage..
Dubrava Medical Center - Sutlic, Biočina, Rudež (though I'm a little iffy on whether they work totally independently)
Washington, D.C. Rebro - Jelich, Anic (maybe moving away? Heading abroad? Maybe to Indianapolis?), Ugljen (leaving soon? Moving to Indianapolis?), Coric (not entirely sure if he works alone)
Seattle Medical Center - Stimac (or something like that—they aren't really performing surgeries in Seattle right now)
And yeah, that's basically it. If someone needs emergency heart surgery, I guess they should just grab a gun and end it all. At least that way they'll save themselves both time and money.
Mark Lee65 said:He drank 15 liters... Man, grab a 15-liter bucket and just visualize how much that actually is... Where would even go?
I have no clue where all that liquid ends up, but honestly, he’s probably just dehydrated from drinking nothing but water, so it's not some wild sci-fi scenario. Plus, if you've ever had to prep for a colonoscopy, you know the drill—you basically have to chug about 10 liters of water mixed with those nasty prep powders just to get everything cleaned out before they look inside.