Posts by Frank Booth9

melloworca6 said:Which kind of specialist asked for those (not asking for a name, just the field—like an immunologist, cardiologist, etc.)?

I get what you mean.😁
Gastroenterologist.

restlesspanther1 said:How did you even manage to get a referral for those specific tests?

The specialist wanted a more extensive panel done... it wasn't just vitamins and minerals, there was a lot more to it. My primary care doctor wrote the referral, then I had to head over to the lab myself to get everything ordered. Didn't have to wait long. That's pretty much it.

I had my full vitamin and mineral panel done at Mount Sinai in New York City. They took quite a bit of blood, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do 😁.. I just had to wait forever for the results, but it was fine...
they never seem to have enough reagents on hand -.-

hiddenheron292 said:Where can I get AST and ASTA blood work done in the US area?

I had mine done at the local clinic. Just so you know, I had to go there in person to set it up. They won't take orders over the phone, so you'll have to head down there yourself...

Sam Hall15 said:You will still be able to apply what you have learned, though the specific lessons will differ... 😉

I'm not so sure about that. 🙂The master's degree holders I work with keep complaining they're wasting their brains because there's nowhere to actually apply their expertise. Everything basically boils down to retail...

Sam Hall15 said:I agree with Angela Wright that seeking medical attention at an urgent care clinic or hospital—specifically seeing an anesthesiologist—is necessary for managing pain. If the issue involves back pain, a peripheral nerve block might be an option to reduce the reliance on analgesics, or at least help stabilize the medication regimen...
Regarding this situation, I find myself agreeing once again with Angela Wright that you should have sought professional medical help. I don't mean to diminish anyone's expertise, but even a pharmacist isn't trained for these specific clinical scenarios; this is a matter of medicine rather than pharmacy. While they may seem similar to a layperson, they are two distinct fields of study designed for different purposes. That said, based on what you've described, this doesn't appear to be a life-threatening emergency. Ensure she stays well-hydrated, avoid giving her any sedatives or extra painkillers aside from Tylenol if absolutely necessary. If you have a blood pressure monitor handy, please check her levels. And again, prioritize plenty of fluids...

You don't need to call me "ma'am," I'm still young.😁 I'm new to all of this and just finished high school, so most of this is pretty new to me. I still have a lot to learn... 😁
She barely drank anything because she was nauseous and vomiting. She wouldn't drink, and she won't listen to me. It would have been much easier on her if she had just stayed hydrated, but she’ll learn her lesson now. She’s back to her old ways, and she won't be doing this again. My cousin got exactly what he deserved.

off topic:
I know the majors are different. I'm torn between med school and pharmacy. Both interest me equally, but I feel like after finishing med school, I'll be able to apply more than if I went the pharmacy route. So, I'm leaning toward medicine, but we'll see...

Angela Wright said:I’m not "choosing" the worst-case scenario; I’m just looking at how life actually works. The difference between us is that I recognize reality while you’re still playing pretend. Let’s be real: we don't control everything in this life, which is exactly why we have to manage the variables we *can* control and prevent the disasters we see coming. That's just common sense.
But then again, that kind of foresight usually comes with actual maturity. Unfortunately, some people never quite reach that stage.

@Frank Booth9
It sounds like your mom is dealing with chronic pain here. The smartest move is to have her primary care doctor get her a referral to an anesthesiologist. They can dial in the exact medications and dosages needed to actually neutralize that pain properly.

Thanks for the advice 😁
Yeah, she even took some because her PCP won't prescribe anything stronger. But that's a whole other issue. The guy honestly doesn't seem to care about his patients at all.

Her heart isn't going to fail her. Sure, she had kidney issues and maybe she's dealing with stones right now, but she'll get through it. And she definitely won't be popping pills like that ever again. I hate seeing people do that. It just makes me wonder how much pain she actually was in to reach for those tablets, especially since nothing else—not even creams or other meds—was touching the pain. This won't happen again. In my opinion, it was just too much at once. A single massive dose caught up to her.

Susan King6 said:Oh, please, stop freaking out. Tramadol isn't even close to being some massive, heavy-duty opioid; it just happens to hit those opioid receptors, blah, blah, blah...
Mom just got a little too relaxed, and once she starts coming down from it, she'll be just fine. 😁

I don't know. 😁 She's just being stubborn. Won't listen to a word I say. 😁
She'll feel better eventually. It’s just going to take some time before things actually start looking up.
Honestly, I just hopped on here hoping it might make things feel a little easier. XD

Jeffrey Chase43 said:Go to another room (so your mom won't actually hear you) and call 911 to ask for instructions. Honestly, it's better to let them monitor her instead of you trying to handle it, even if you are a pharmacist.
My mom once did something similar—she took some Tramadol because a neighbor swore those pills were "just amazing." She was a total mess all day, dealing with nausea and dizziness. No itching, just constant vomiting. She went to see her doctor the next day, explained what she’d taken and how awful she felt, and the doctor told her she should never touch that stuff again, not even in her wildest dreams.

Mom says she feels better now than she did before. But I can't lie to her and say I didn't call 911. Dad will drive her if it becomes necessary when he gets home from work. My mom won't ask for it anymore either once she realizes the dose is too high. I didn't realize she took two tablets, which shouldn't happen, but she'll be fine...

Also, Mom usually takes Advil, but she last took it yesterday, so there isn't a contraindication with the Tramadol.

Angela Wright said:I can give her something to counteract the effects.
It honestly surprises me that as a pharmacist, you aren't already familiar with everything I mentioned, nor do you realize that some medications she might be taking could have serious contraindications with Tramadol and cause major issues.
What's the big deal with calling 911 and asking for professional advice?

I know all that. It’s just that I’m not a PharmD, and as a technician, I'm not authorized to dispense those kinds of meds. I didn't say whether I was familiar with those things or not...
It doesn't cost me anything, but why bother calling 911 for no reason?

Angela Wright said:Do whatever you want, but if I were in your shoes, I’d be making that call. Neither you nor I have the medical training to sit here and guess whether this situation is going to stabilize or spiral. Your mom is being completely reckless here, and you need to be smarter about this—call 911 and at least get some professional advice. Don't play games with someone's life!
It would actually be a good thing if she could throw up. If you happen to have activated charcoal at home, give her some.

Actually, I am an expert. I'm a pharmacist, but my mom just won't listen to me...
And look, vomiting won't help anything since the pills have already been absorbed. At the ER, they'd probably just watch her.

Angela Wright said:Call 911, right now! This could be extremely serious because she wasn't prescribed this medication, so there is zero way to know if it's even safe for her body type or condition.

Honestly, what that relative did is basically a criminal act involving the distribution of controlled substances. Tramadol is a heavy-duty opioid that requires a prescription for a reason. Messing around with that kind of stuff is a serious offense that can land someone in prison.

I'm not calling 911. My dad is at work right now. I don't think the vomiting really matters much. Just hoping this passes...

My mom's dealing with hip issues and gets hit with intense pain quite often. She did something I really can't stand, though—she complained to this distant relative of hers, and of course, since a pill works for him, he suggested she take some too. He even told her to take two tablets. So, she popped two 150 mg Tramadol ER pills all at once... Now she’s dizzy, nauseous, looks pale as a ghost, and says she's itching. She feels terrible. Sure, the hip pain is gone, but what can we do to ease these side effects? (She's refusing to go to the doctor...)
Will this settle down on its own?
Thanks in advance for any help

Maria Fisher46 said:Looking at your blood work, everything seems to be within the normal range, except for a slight deviation in your MCHC.

MCHC measures the average concentration of hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying molecule) inside a red blood cell. Generally speaking, MCV, MCH, and MCHC are grouped together as red blood cell indices. These values describe specific characteristics of your red blood cells. Any changes here should always be looked at alongside your actual red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels.

Since both your red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels are normal, and your MCHC is only marginally elevated, I don't think there's anything clinically significant going on there. In my opinion, you shouldn't worry about that part.

Your other results look fine too.

What does stand out is your very low BMI, which points toward being underweight. However, based on what you mentioned in your previous question back in July (when you asked about bone density and noted you were drinking Ensure shakes because your specialist ordered certain tests), it sounds like you're already under medical supervision. I hope that's still the case! Your bone density scan shows osteopenia, which means lower bone density. That can often be a side effect of being underweight. If bone density keeps dropping, it leads to osteoporosis. I'm not sure what's causing the weight issue, but it definitely needs active treatment under steady medical care.

Stay strong and stick to your doctors' advice.
Best regards 😉

Thanks so much for putting my mind at ease regarding the blood work. 😁
Yeah, I've been under medical supervision for five years now, but I was only prescribed Ensure a month ago. To be honest, I don't really like the taste, but I manage to get it down. 😁 I have no idea what's causing me to stay so thin...
It's not anorexia; I actually have a huge desire to gain weight, it just won't happen. 😢
Neither my endocrinologist nor my gastroenterologist seems to pay much attention to the fact that I have an irregular heartbeat that hasn't been managed for five years. Maybe that has something to do with my weight? I don't know...
Bye

I had some blood work done last week, and the only thing out of range is my MCHC. It’s actually keeping me up at night... if anyone could help me make sense of this. I'm 18 and pretty underweight for my height (BMI 15.8).

WBC 11
erythrocyte 4.90
hemoglobin 140
hematocrit 0.39
MCV 80
MCH 28.6
MCHC 358
platelets 191
leukocytes 5.9
CBC
seg. 0.49
non-seg.
eosinophil 0.02
basophil 0.00
lymphocytes 0.39
monocytes 0.10
prothrombin time 94.0
INR 1.0
GLUCOSE 4.8
bilirubin total 20
AST 26
ALT 15
GGT 13
ALP 68
Cholesterol 4.2

Thanks in advance

A few years back, I dealt with this weird allergy where one single mosquito bite would trigger about ten more right around it. I used a liquid topical anesthetic to help dry them up faster. Usually, I just stick to some hydrocortisone cream and take a B-complex supplement. Apparently, mosquitoes are drawn to the lactic acid in sweat. Also, there's this plant called Oman—if you burn its root, it smells like camphor and keeps the bugs away much better.

You should probably be taking antioxidants, like Vitamin E or C... there are also some specific supplements out there, I can't recall the exact names right now, but I'll check tomorrow 😁

Hey, I need some help looking over these results. Can someone tell me if I’m at high risk for developing osteoporosis?

Right forearm - BMD = 0.467 g/cm2. This value can't be commented on.
Left hip - BMD = 0.751 g/cm2; can't really say much about this value.

BMD is 0.774 g/cm2. This bone mineral density value sits 2.2 standard deviations below the population mean for people in my age group.

I have one more question regarding blood work. My specialist sent me to get the following tested: CBC with reticulocytes, iron studies, ferritin, total proteins with serum protein electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis, bilirubin, AST, ALT, GGT, LDH, CK, AP, Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Cl, Zn, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, folic acid, cholesterol, TG, HDL, LDL, glucose, HbA1c, PV, fibrinogen, APTV, and tTG.

So, my doctor wrote these on my referral: KKS, SE, liver panel, cholesterol, glucose, PV. I'm wondering—did he leave out iron, or is that already included in the CBC?
Just so you know, I've been drinking Ensure shakes. Should I stop two days before my blood work?

Thanks in advance for the answers!

Alex Moore62 said:What kind of doctor? Just a GP? Thinking you have an issue is one thing, but actually checking your hormones is what matters.
Stress always catches up with you eventually. It shows up through your kidneys or acts as a trigger for something else. Just make sure you catch it early.

An endocrinologist... yeah. Since I’m the type of person who gets worked up over every little thing, maybe it isn't nothing. School stress, exams, all that stuff—it mostly just seems to make me thin. Hopefully things improve. Maybe I overreacted about my hair, too. When I see what other people are dealing with, mine doesn't seem quite as bad...