Posts by wearyorca472

So, here’s the situation—I first felt this tiny, millimeter-sized sensation right in the center of my upper lip, almost like a painful pimple was about to break out. By the next morning, my lip was swollen. It eventually went down after a few hours once I applied some ice. Fast forward three weeks, and the swelling returned again this morning. I used ice again, which helped it subside after a few hours, but when I touch the area, there’s this small bump inside the lip—and just above it, the skin looks red, almost like an acne flare-up.

help

Here’s the photo and what she wrote in her medical history—some paperwork (I’ll transcribe what I can make out):

Recovered from tonsillitis and a sore throat—it wasn't too severe, and there were no allergies. EKG: sinus rhythm 100 bpm [pro18, at 0.34] (my resting heart rate is usually 78), electrolytes 60, no hypertrophy. Heart action is rhythmic, normal tones, no (significant) murmurs. BP 130/75.

Heart Echo (something like this):
Normal segmental structure, continuous septum (God knows what this part actually says), normal velocity of great vessels.

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4415/photo039n.jpg

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So, I found myself back at the hospital again.

I had another EKG—this time with a doctor right there to review the results immediately, which came back normal (see the image below). After that, I went in for a cardiac ultrasound; she mentioned my heart rate was running a little fast, but everything else looked fine. They spent about half an hour running probes over my heart and up near my thyroid. A chest X-ray followed, also clear. On a side note, my legs have become quite developed—thick muscles, actually much thicker than most of my friends who are taller and heavier in the torso—whereas my upper body is pretty lean by comparison. It’s possible my lung capacity or upper body development just hasn't kept pace with my lower half. I managed to squeeze all of this into a single day since the facility was practically empty—perks of knowing the right people. She also scheduled me for an abdominal ultrasound (kidneys), spirometry (to check lung capacity), and an exercise stress test (running on a treadmill to see how the heart handles exertion).

Some of the results already came back:
Throat swab - Normal flora
AST - 80 (ref. Monostikon test - negative

Now I'm just waiting on the blood serum results I sent off to NYC (CMV, Fidelity, Toxoplasma).

Sam Hall15 said:I wasn't quite expecting this level of hypertrophy. It could certainly be linked to your athletic training, though such pronounced hypertrophy is typically seen in professional athletes; however, three hours of intense physical activity could definitely be a contributing factor.
It might not be a bad idea to schedule a cardiac ultrasound just to be safe. By the way, what were the findings from your heart auscultation? Did they mention anything regarding a murmur?

By "physical exam," I assume you mean that standard checkup where they put the stethoscope on my chest—she didn't mention anything about a murmur. I should be getting some results back on Monday, which will hopefully determine if I need more testing. Is this actually dangerous?

Here are the ECG readings:
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/9905/photo000ky.jpg

Sam Hall15 said:Do you deal with high blood pressure? Are you active in sports?

I’m active—nothing professional, obviously—but I hit the gym or play sports with friends for about two or three hours every week. As for those heart rate spikes, I think I was just a bit rattled by the equipment itself. 🙂

What I actually want to know about is the left ventricular hypertrophy and the IV conduction disturbances. What does that actually imply? Is there treatment involved, and if so, what kind?

Thanks

So, I just got my ECG results back:

Sinus rhythm, 91 bpm—some intermediate electrical findings, left ventricular hypertrophy, and some conduction disturbances in the IV area.

Yeah, an infectious disease specialist ran the tests. I had five vials of blood drawn, plus she did what looked like a throat swab. Two vials and the swab went to one facility, while the other three vials and a urine sample were sent off for some kind of serum work—the referral specifies serology for CMV, EBV, and Toxoplasma. Once those results are back, they have to send them over to Washington, D.C., and then they'll mail the final report to my house. There’s also another referral for follow-up labs: AST-O, a Monosticon test, and a bacterial throat culture.

The specialist mentioned it could be strep or perhaps a mild case of mono—not anything severe, though, since I don't have a fever or any actual pain. I was also referred for an ECG, which I already went in for; I should have the results by tomorrow. Hopefully, nothing's going on with my heart.

My MCHC is slightly elevated at 354—the reference range is 304 to 346—but the doctor didn't mention it, so I assume it isn't a major concern.

MCV - 82.7 [76.5-92.1]
GGT - 16 [10-27]
AST - 25 [11-38]
bilirubin - 9 [7-30]

So, I just finished my exam. The diagnosis is Acute tonsillitis. They pulled five vials of blood—standard procedure, I guess—and ran an ECG as well. My chart says the tonsils are outside the arches, hypertrophic, and uneven, but there's no exudate. It also notes a "scaphoid abdomen," which is soft and painless. Now, what exactly does a scaphoid abdomen mean? Is that actually a good thing or should I be worried?

So, my thyroid hormone results finally came back—everything looks great. All within the normal range. Just wondering, would mononucleosis have shown up on these specific tests?
I also have a referral for an infectious disease specialist for a full workup. Does anyone know what that actually entails?

So, my results finally came in. My doctor says my blood work looks great—no issues there. She did hand me two referrals, though: one for thyroid testing (T3, T4, and TSH) and another just for a follow-up exam.

thanks 🙂

I went in for bloodwork this morning—waiting until Thursday for the results, then I'll let you all know. Honestly, I'm starting to suspect it's just anemia; I've got all the symptoms, minus the shortness of breath. I was bracing myself for kidney issues, though I’d much prefer it to be 🙂. If it does turn out to be anemia, does anyone know how long treatment usually lasts? And more importantly—can I still play soccer while I'm dealing with this?

I have a doctor's appointment this Monday, so I'll be playing the waiting game for my results... Does anyone have any inkling of what might be going on? I realize it could practically be anything at this stage...

So, lately I’ve been feeling pretty wiped out—just constant daytime fatigue despite getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night. A few days ago, while riding a bus with the windows shut, my vision started fading out. It went totally dark for a second—I could only make out dark shadows—and once I stepped off at the next stop, things slowly cleared up, though my ears were ringing a bit. Sometimes, even just walking up ten stairs leaves me winded and gasping. Then yesterday, I stepped out onto the balcony, came back inside, and as soon as I hit the bed, my heart started racing and I felt short of breath... Honestly, I have no idea what's going on. I'm 17, and I already went ahead and got a referral for some blood work.

Here is what the doctor ordered: CBC, BUN, Creatinine, Uric Acid, Total Bilirubin, Kali, Sodium, Iron, UIBS, TIBC, AST, GGT, CRP, ESR, and microscopic sediment analysis.

Thanks...