Posts by Jacob Fox6

Raymond Nguyen5 said:👎

Look, I don't know what your background is or if you've dealt with any major health issues before—which maybe isn't even relevant here—but what really matters is whether someone actually possesses that sense of basic human compassion...

If the system worked the way you’re describing—where you see a specialist who guides you, asks what you need, and stays on top of things, or you go to an association (not the one over in Laginja, but whatever) and get the answers you need without ever having to touch a computer because you're talking to real people face-to-face who are actually paid to do their jobs instead of just volunteering—well, then this country wouldn't be called America, it would be called UTOPIA...

But, there are a few, actually several, BUTS, and that's just not how it works, which is why those of us struggling with all these different illnesses are out here hunting for answers in every corner, when we probably should have just used all that energy to dig a hole for the system and all these "helpful" people to toss us into so they don't have to get their hands dirty helping us...

As for understanding how this forum works, maybe you should open a PDF and explain to everyone that you think you should be allowed to ask questions and expect answers only when you feel like it, while letting just a tiny handful of people actually participate... I honestly thought a forum was meant to be a FORUM, where you have rights, but I guess I have no idea how things work here...😁

Just to be clear, I wasn't looking for advice from some "doc" on the internet, nor should I have needed it; I was just making the point that doctors in real life often act exactly like the "docs" on these boards—arrogant, ego-driven, uninformed, and playing God, with a few exceptions of course...

I honestly don't even know where to start with you, but I'm going to try to tune out your tone for the second time...

1. A forum is a place for discussion, which means it's definitely not a place where you're going to get the hyper-specific medical answers you're insisting on...

2. Even fadedmarlin402 told you the same thing I did, so I'm not going to go back and forth about the moderators again...

3. Just like with any specific condition, patients desperately grab onto any little shred of info they hear from someone who heard it from someone else... Your specialist is informed, trust me, they stay updated on everything, but if they haven't brought it up (and I don't even know if you asked), then it's not important enough to focus on right now, otherwise you'll just end up with false hopes... Seriously, you have no idea how much news gets blown out of proportion just because patients hype it up, even when it has zero actual impact on the disease itself...

4. All I can say is that if I were in your shoes, I definitely wouldn't be taking my anger out on the whole world; I'd just accept life as it is, with all its limitations, and try to live it as best I can instead of lashing out at everyone, and honestly, your attitude lately has been pretty rude, and being sick isn't an excuse because there are plenty of other people in the exact same or even worse situations than yours who still act like normal human beings. It feels like you're just pointing fingers at everyone because you're angry about having MS. I know it's hard, but the way you're acting is literally pushing people away, and instead of getting sympathy, you're just annoying everyone with your behavior. Maybe just think about that for a second...

Kate James50 said:I had a full blood panel done because of my birth control pills and everything looks totally fine except for my INR, which came back at 0.97...
So, what does that actually mean? And how can I even fix it... I was browsing online and saw that if it’s under 2, there's a risk for a stroke... and that’s definitely not something I want to be worrying about...

You didn't mention if you're getting these tests because you're already on hormone therapy and just checking in, or if you're thinking about starting them soon. There's a massive difference there...

A result like that suggests your blood might be clotting too easily, which opens the door to thrombosis risks. So, if you aren't on hormones yet, I highly doubt anyone would clear you to start with those numbers. Hypercoagulability isn't just a brain issue either—it could lead to a pulmonary embolism (like what happened to Yasmin), or even a heart attack or damage to other organs...

Basically, if you aren't on hormones right now, you absolutely need to talk to a doctor about managing this current situation... they might even put you on some preventative anticoagulants if they see a need... you definitely need to get a full coagulation profile done so everything can be looked at in detail...

The only thing I can tell you based on this one number is that there isn't anything you can do on your own to change it. You really need professional medical intervention here... and starting any kind of hormone therapy with results like this definitely takes a backseat... 🙂

And if you are already taking hormones and seeing these kinds of results, then you should probably stop taking them as soon as possible... 🙂

Jason Howard9 said:You forgot to mention:

Once the consultation ends, do not offer us envelopes; we do not accept them. ☕

Okay, so now I’m thinking Kate Collins67 was actually a guy, just like most of the recent posts unless his wife is typing in the masculine form...🙂

Blah, blah, envelopes... when did you even deal with that? I have never, ever been in a situation like that in my life. Honestly, I wish those little "gifts" didn't play such a huge role with local town halls, or instead of envelopes, people weren't handing out favors from $333, coffee, or boxes of chocolates and stuff like that...

With certain procedures, surgeons will actually tell patients straight up to buy their own supplies if they want higher quality materials than what the hospital provides. I know of a specific case, but that isn't the surgeon just lining their own pockets. As for the ones who actually demand bribes, just report them to the FBI, call a news station so they can run a story and ruin their reputation or at least cast doubt on them... rather than just talking generally and dragging all doctors through the mud. In all my years, I have literally never once been in a position where I had to give anyone anything extra or pay under the table—not me and not anyone close to me. And if what you're claiming is really that common, then I should have run into that opportunity at least once by now, don't you think?!

Laura Patel84 said:I was thinking more about diet, like B vitamins, zinc, or something along those lines... thanks 🙂

I totally get what you were getting at, but I think we were talking past each other...🙂

The liver is actually this incredible organ that can basically rebuild itself from scratch, but for it to really do its thing, you have to stop whatever is messing with it first. If your hormones are all out of whack, then that's what needs fixing, because just tweaking your diet won't do much if you don't address the underlying stuff that's throwing the whole system off balance...🙂

Karen Flores92 said:thanks for the info!
such a huge weight off my shoulders...😍

No worries at all, that's what we're here for... 🙂

Laura Patel84 said:Hey there!
I was just looking over some lab results and wanted to see if this looks alright
ALT 9 (10-36)
Democratic Party 41 (54-119)
I'm trying to figure out how to get that Democratic Party number up... I've been googling everything under the sun, but I can't find a clear guide on when these low levels actually become a reason to freak out...
Also, I've been on birth control for about a year now. Thanks 🙂

Honestly, I have no clue how you'd go about raising a liver enzyme level...🤷 🙂
But seriously, if that's the only thing you're taking, you might want to chat with your doctor about switching things up, since it clearly isn't playing nice with your liver... 🙂

Definitely worth checking in with your OBGYN to be safe... 🙂

mellowraven32 said:I'm literally just sitting here reading your stuff... keep it coming, you're doing great 🙂

Thanks! 🙂

So I did a little digging on this...

Basically, a normal PT (prothrombin time) should be over 70%. If someone is taking anything that acts as an anticoagulant, that PT number drops, which means the INR goes up—it's pretty much an inverse relationship where a lower PT leads to a higher INR.

Since Harvard Law School was on Tiquilar, it most likely messed with her fibrinogen levels, so there's a good chance that specific treatment just wasn't the right fit for her body in the first place...🙂

Wait, so Kate Collins67 isn't a guy? 🤔
...

Susan Rodriguez4 said:Yeah, exactly.
Generally speaking, principal amounts vary depending on the age group. For the 18 to 65 demographic, the figure sits at approximately... $67 Maybe bump up the annual coverage slightly for the older crowd.
OB-GYNs have some nerve. $29 Annual cost per patient: 86 / 12 = 7.17$2.50 Every single month!
Big Pharma is basically running the ultimate scam against hardworking primary care doctors. It’s a brilliant setup for anyone looking to dodge work—the less you actually do, the more money stays in your pocket.
It’s a joke, really. Nurses have their salaries locked in by collective bargaining agreements, yet I’ve walked into more than one clinic where the doctor’s paycheck at the end of the month is nowhere near what the nursing staff is pulling in.

Oh yeah... now that you mention it, you just reminded me... I heard that general practitioners make their biggest bucks from Medicare specifically by targeting older patients, so they try to stack their schedules with as many seniors as possible...

mellowraven32 said:That 0.98 value is likely the INR, and that range of 2-3.5 isn't actually a reference interval, it's more like a therapeutic window, so don't sweat it... there's also a chance 0.98 means 98%, which would be the prothrombin time, though I've never really seen a lab report mark PT that way since they usually stick to percentages)

Thanks for adding that context.🙂

I'm still hitting the books in med school, so I'm mostly just familiar with the baseline stuff, and those specific details you mentioned aren't exactly my daily bread yet, but I'll try to help out however I can... 🙂

Susan Rodriguez4 said:$45 for the whole year, or $3.75every single month.
That amount isn't just large—it's pathetic.

Man, that really is a tiny amount...😲
I had no clue.
And I mentioned someone more informed could jump in to clarify, but honestly, I thought we were talking about some serious cash... this is just straight-up pathetic, just like you said. It's honestly embarrassing...

Maria Ward said:Hey everyone!

My fibrinogen came back a little high, the normal range tops out at 3.5 and I’m sitting at 3.9.

Does anyone know what usually causes fibrinogen to spike like that?
I'm not pregnant and I'm not on any birth control pills.

Thanks.

Look... just because something is slightly outside the standard range doesn't mean there's something seriously wrong. That jump you're seeing isn't even close to being huge or alarming, so honestly, there's no need to stress about it... fibrinogen plays a role in how your blood clots, and it can tick upward for a million tiny reasons, with some kind of minor inflammation being the most common culprit by far. Either way, you should probably just keep an eye on it or maybe run a quick coagulation panel to see what's actually going on, since we don't have enough info here to make a real call. 🙂
And it definitely isn't a good idea to be taking oral contraceptives until you've done a coagulation test to get the full picture of your status. 🙂

Karen Flores92 said:can someone please help me make sense of these lab results (is everything okay or what?)...
erythrocyte sedimentation rate 3 (ref. interval 4-24)
prothrombin time-INR 0.98 (r.i. 2.0-3.5)
cholesterol 5.2 ( urine is dark yellow, quite a bit of mucus and leukocytes 2-3 (r.i. 0-2)

thanks🙂

Your labs look totally fine to me... That cholesterol is barely even up, honestly most doctors wouldn't even call that high... And the sedimentation rate is also looking good... things only get worrying when the numbers are way outside the normal range, which isn't happening here so you're actually doing great... As for the prothrombin time, that's just how fast your blood clots, and since yours came back a little low, it still isn't anything to sweat about... plenty of everyday stuff can lower it—anything from a simple aspirin to Tylenol...

Your urine looks pretty normal too... having some mucus there shouldn't be a big deal... it really depends on where you were in your cycle when you gave the sample, because that can definitely change things... and that dark yellow color isn't a huge concern either, it could just happen if you had a ton of protein the day before or if you've been taking some B-complex vitamins...

All in all, everything looks solid and I don't see anything to worry about at all... 🙂

hiddenraven7 said:Of course—it’s entirely her mistake—and I suppose I shouldn't really be expected to manage their paperwork myself—though, well, I did pay for a few months. $5.00 I suppose there was some sort of co-pay required before my supplemental insurance kicked in—but that's about it. It’s not like they made a fortune off me or anything—not really.

Honestly, better that way.🙂

The only thing is that dentist you used was still getting paid by Medicare, and man, that's not exactly pocket change...

hiddenraven7 said:So, I ended up signing up with one dentist, but after just one visit—I wasn't really feeling her approach—I switched over to a different practice. Since nobody ever mentioned anything about transferring my records, and I honestly had no idea that was even a thing you had to do, I stayed on the old dentist's roster for a whole year while going to the new guy for all my actual work. Then, after a year of this, the dental assistant suddenly realizes I'm not actually an active patient there—she got so worked up! She basically snapped at me, saying, "She's been coming here for repairs while they're the ones getting paid for her membership!" I'm not entirely sure what that implies... but clearly, it's all about their patient count to them.

The doctors could probably give you a more technical breakdown, but from what I understand, it’s all because of how Medicare works... basically, they allocate a specific amount of money to whichever doctor you're officially registered with. So in the scenario you described, those first doctors were technically the ones getting that funding... though it sounds like a massive oversight on the nurse's part, since she's the one supposed to be handling all the registrations and cancellations. And honestly, that first doctor wouldn't have seen a dime if you were paying this other guy out of pocket for your work...🙂

dustymarlin10 said:I honestly think there’s a reason for that.
I mean, seriously.
If a vet is rude, you just go somewhere else. And that first vet? They lose all the money you would've spent there.
One client leaves, then another, then a third, and pretty soon that vet can't even pay the bills.
The whole practice goes under.
With doctors, regardless of how they act (and whether patients jump ship or not), the paycheck stays steady. A decent paycheck (for what we make here). They work less and pull in the same amount.

Until doctors aren't paid based on their patient volume and actual results, things aren't going to change.

There's definitely some truth to what you're saying... money has always been a motivator and it always will be... and obviously, any doctor—just like anyone else—would be way more driven to see fewer patients so they can actually give everyone the attention they deserve, provided the pay matches that level of care...

Casey Palmer5 said:I've got students coming in tomorrow morning 😁, so I can hang out for a little bit longer.

Honestly, I've been so impressed with the vibe of all the votes I've seen so far 🙂
They just feel... totally normal.

😁

You totally cracked me up 😁 because you reminded me of how cute my little guy's vet is...😍

It’s true though... they really are different... I haven't met tons of them, just a few students and some vets here and there, but they are such genuinely warm people...🙂

Casey Palmer5 said:And honestly, that’s perfectly fine. Just keep doing your job that way. If you hit a wall, just reach out to the more experienced folks for help and try to keep your sanity in this profession. Because—believe me—it's totally possible if you're a good person at heart...

I'm totally with you on that... 😉

Honestly... I really doubt she’d ever rush headlong into anything without checking first, because I just don't see that kind of ego in her, and I definitely wouldn't feel bad about asking questions if I was feeling stuck or unsure about something... I think it's actually pretty healthy to do things that way, kind of like how doctors at Mayo Clinic have their morning rounds to talk through everything together, so I'm totally on board with prioritizing quality, whether we're talking about the work itself or the people doing it... 👍

swiftbear86 said:Maybe it's just because they're terrified you'll start asking questions that leave them totally speechless...😛

Hey everyone... hope you're all having a good night. I definitely need some extra coffee to get my brain moving today. 🙂

I wouldn't say "maybe" if I were you... because it's definitely a sure thing... 😉

Night y'all 🙂

Casey Palmer5 said:I guess I see your point, sort of. But honestly, owners tend to talk way too much and (sometimes) get a little too demanding...

😁

That's just facts...😁
Whenever I’m taking my pup to the vet, I usually find myself just chatting with him to keep him calm and stuff, while only asking the vet the absolute essentials, but listening to everyone else ask a million questions, I totally get what you mean... Treating animals versus treating people is a whole different ballgame in theory, though I doubt that's exactly what you were getting at, since you were probably talking about the vets' actual personalities...🤷

It actually reminds me of that old saying—"the more you know people, the more you love animals"... and man, when I first heard that years ago, it just clicked for me immediately...🤷