Posts by fadedpuma7

melloworca6 said:From what I’ve gathered, that Aviv Clinic is part of General Mills—so this expansion into healthcare isn't exactly a shocker. 😁

I don't know what his endgame is here, but even if he gets the green light, I don't see this working. First off, the people who might actually be his target demographic—older folks who need regular testing—aren't going to run to him when they can just go to their primary care doctor for free. Then there’s everyone else who uses private providers; I seriously doubt they’re going to head to a Walmart to get blood drawn. Personally? No way. If I'm paying out of pocket, I want to go to an actual clinic like a normal human being—not get poked by someone at a Walmart. The very idea is repulsive; I'd much rather pay a premium at a proper medical facility than have my blood taken in the middle of a grocery store.

Besides, I can't even remember the last time I had to rest my arm on a table for a draw—usually, I just lean my arm on the chair or a nurse holds it steady while they do the job. When I was hospitalized, they'd just poke me wherever, sometimes even while my arm was strapped down—no fancy black tables or specific surfaces required; it felt like they were practically drawing blood mid-air. 😁

Honestly, let them ban it... what Croesus is pulling here is the absolute bottom of the barrel. Even the Medical Association is up in arms about this. Sure, the guy owns Aviv Clinic, which covers a decent amount of ground including lab services, but this is a total degradation of the profession. It makes it look like any random person could pull blood and run lab tests—work that people spend years studying for. And this whole scheme to collect samples inside Walmart stores? Those spaces aren't remotely adequate for medical procedures. Every test follows a strict protocol—you might need to fast, or stay still, or follow specific steps depending on the test. When I hear stuff like this, it feels like we might as well just shut down nursing schools, trade schools, and medical colleges altogether. It implies that everyone is smarter than the professionals—that people would rather trust "quasi-experts" and flashy marketing campaigns than the actual educated specialists who actually know what they're doing. 🙂🙂🙂

mellowmoose11 said:Could someone please walk me through this urine culture report?
The test was ordered because I’ve been dealing with frequent urination.
Result: Morganella morganii
AM AMC CTB GM CIP NOR SXT FM LVX CFM CN
0 0 3 3 3 3 3 0 3 3 0
Thanks in advance!

It looks like they found a Gram-negative bacterium in your urine—specifically, Morganella morganii. That list of abbreviations underneath is essentially an antibiogram—basically a cheat sheet showing which antibiotics actually kill that specific strain. You should take these results to your doctor; they'll pick the right prescription based on those numbers, and once you start it, make sure you finish the whole course.

ironcyclist44 said:Hi everyone! So, I ended up in the ER the day before yesterday because of some intense pain in my lower right abdomen. The doctors ran some urine and blood tests and basically told me it "wasn't their department" and that I should follow up with my primary care physician instead. I was in agony yesterday too, though today it’s finally dialed back—I can barely feel it now. The pain tends to flare up right after I eat.

The catch is that I don't have health insurance at the moment—I missed the renewal window. I'm currently buried under a mountain of work, so I haven't had a second to get my coverage sorted out, which means I can't just head straight to my doctor. However, the physician at the hospital did mention that something in my results looked off. What do you all think? Is this something serious enough that I need to scramble to fix my insurance and see a doctor immediately, or can I afford to wait a few days? Honestly, I'm spiraling a bit, especially seeing that amylase level...

I'm 20 years old and generally healthy otherwise.

Image of results: View on imgur

Thanks!

Looking at those urine results, it looks like there's some kind of inflammation going on—maybe cystitis—even if the bacteria and nitrites are coming back negative as far as I can tell. Now, elevated serum amylase is typically a red flag for acute pancreatitis, so regardless of the other stuff, you really ought to see a doctor as soon as possible. You'll need them to order an ultrasound or further diagnostic testing just to make sure you aren't dealing with something more significant.

analogangler61 said:I have a question—hopefully someone can shed some light here.
Over the last two years, my iron levels have absolutely cratered. Back at the start of 2014, I was sitting right at the top end of the range, around 30. Fast forward one year, and it dropped to 8.5. After another seven or eight months, I’m down to 5 (my current level). My hemoglobin is fine—well within the reference range—and my red blood cell count looks great.
My GP tells me everything is perfectly normal as long as the ferritin and hemoglobin stay steady, but honestly... something feels off about this.

It’s pretty obvious your body is losing iron somewhere along the line... we're talking anything from an underlying infection to GI bleeding, or even just a serious dietary deficiency. You really need to get your ferritin checked—that’s your actual iron storage. It's a common trap where iron might look "fine" on paper, but ferritin tanks due to inflammation, an infection, or even hypothyroidism. If I were in your shoes, I’d go back in and demand a full panel: ferritin, iron, and hemoglobin.