Posts by swiftpilot7

jadetinker85 said:Thanks to your advice, I headed over to the hospital for some rib issues today and honestly, the doctor was a lifesaver.

Well, now I see—glad to hear the tip actually worked out for you. 🎉
As for me? They won't be saving my skin until my surgery date next year... assuming I don't kick the bucket from something else before then. 🙄

So, I finally sent off my referral to get scheduled, and they actually gave me an appointment for tomorrow. Since we’re looking at a possible melanoma here—it’s definitely not something I wanted to leave to chance or wait around for. 🤷

Eric Fox12 said:Hey, looking for an ENT specialist—preferably someone pretty decent who actually takes Medicare.
Thanks

Check out Dr. Joseph Markesh over at the Rib clinic.

Hey there,

Quick question—do I actually need to book an appointment if I have a C2 referral (the emergency one)? The specialist I’m seeing tells me I should schedule it, but says I shouldn't be stuck waiting nine months—that I could probably get in within a month. My primary doctor is just playing it vague, basically saying, "I don't know, but they should probably see me within a week." Of course, Medicare has zero clue about how these referrals work, and the clerk at the hospital told me they don't even have an urgent care track, so I'm looking at a nine-month wait unless I try a different facility.😵

Also, does anyone know how diagnostic procedures work abroad through Medicare? If my request actually gets approved, am I expected to pay upfront and then get reimbursed, or how does that whole thing play out?

A friend of mine went to Drašković, while I headed over to Baštijanov. Since we were both getting pretty much the same treatment, I don't think there's a huge difference between the two. Honestly, I can't really speak to the quality since I've only dealt with Baštijanov—nothing else to compare it to. 🤷

redangler2 said:I had a nasty break on my first metacarpal, and after they finally took the cast off, my joint is still misaligned by a few millimeters—it’s actually making my finger function pretty sketchy. My doctor prescribed physical therapy to fix it. Does anyone know where I should go in Chicago? What are the waiting lists looking like right now?

Thanks in advance. I'd really appreciate any leads... it's my dominant hand, and I'm a musician, so I seriously need this finger back in decent shape.

If you head over to the clinic on Drašković, I don't think the wait is too bad. As for the one on Baštijanov, from what I know, you can usually grab an appointment with the doctor immediately and start therapy as soon as you show up with your referral.

Not sure if you can use your Medicare at Medikol—I can't quite remember what a friend told me about it—but honestly, your best bet is just to give them a call and ask.

Honestly, I’d probably just shell out for a private specialist—waiting four months for a gastroenterologist at a public hospital is just ridiculous. 🤷

If by "checkup without a referral" you’re talking about Melanoma Awareness Day, I spent about three days trying to get a hold of them. I ended up complaining about that free health department hotline and sent an email over to the Vineyard district office—since they were the ones organizing it—and only then did they actually bother to call me back. 🙄

wearydriver13 said:Uh, thanks for the info, I'll give them a call.

So, the operator patched me through to this lab where some incredibly pissed-off guy 😁 told me I could just swing by—but now I'm sitting here wondering if he meant the Arlington location or the Rockefeller one 🤷 Does anyone even know where that Rockefeller spot is?

If you're heading from Gupch Star toward Arlington, take the first right immediately—before you even hit the CDC area. That's where the CDC lab is, tucked away in this tiny, sketchy little building right across from the infectious disease unit. Honestly, when I went in, I thought I'd totally misunderstood the directions because the place looked so miserable.

And just a heads-up: be prepared for it to be pretty awkward. They pull your lower eyelid down and start scrubbing away with a Q-tip. I thought they’d just do a quick swipe, but this person wouldn't stop. 😢

wearydriver13 said:Has anyone actually dealt with getting an eye swab done at the Mayo Clinic?
Turns out only certain facilities even offer them—not every community health center like my doctor claimed 🙄. I called them this morning, and they told me to just show up whenever, but everyone was so high-strung and I was so flustered that I didn't even think to ask which department...

Your best bet is to call them back and double-check if you need to head to the Arlington location or the Rockefeller one. If I remember correctly, they do the swabs over at Rockefeller (that's where I went both times), whereas at Arlington, you're basically just dropping off samples if you had the test done somewhere else.

wearydriver13 said:Hey everyone!

I'm hunting for a private ophthalmologist here in Chicago! I've been scrolling through old posts from the last few months, and it looks like Dr. Vukas over on Fifth Avenue isn't really anyone's favorite—and apparently, there's some creep from the Spanish community to avoid too. 😁 Someone mentioned Poliderm Clinic, what's the damage like there in terms of prices? My main issue is this damn conjunctivitis that keeps flaring up (like, right now 😢), so I probably need an eye swab 🙄 too. Anyway, I live right in the heart of downtown Chicago, so if anyone can point me toward a solid eye doctor, I'd really appreciate it. 😉

Actually, I was the one who recommended Vukas—mostly because nobody else could get my conjunctivitis under control. Maybe he worked for me because his buddies referred me, who knows? 🤷 He doesn't do eye swabs, though; not sure about the others. I ended up getting mine done at Rockefeller using a referral.

redmoose22 said:I went in for penicillin allergy testing. First, they inserted an IV, then set a crash cart right next to me just in case things went south. Next, they rubbed some powder—probably crushed pills—onto my forearm. Then came the oral doses: a quarter of a tablet, presumably Stephen, followed by a half an hour later, and then a full dose. Once they were sure I wasn't reacting, they moved to injections. One after another, lasting until the afternoon. Luckily, nothing happened, and I was cleared to head home by evening. Still, I’m staying far away from Stephen.

Thanks for the heads-up, but honestly? No thanks. My dad's been allergic to penicillin his entire life, so I don't see much reason to believe mine would just magically disappear.

Honestly, I have zero clue—I think I did pretty much everything except touch the meds.

My parents drilled it into my head from day one, so I make sure everyone knows—loud and clear—that I’m allergic to penicillin.

My doctor barely even glances at my medical records, yet he still asks if I have any drug allergies every single time. He looks all surprised when he sees I actually had testing done back when I was just an infant, then turns around and offers me a referral for more allergy tests. Look, I’ve been through plenty of allergy tests in my life, but my reaction to legumes was such a nightmare compared to how I handle penicillin—which, by the way, is a thousand times more intense—so there is absolutely no way I'm signing up for that again.

mistyjackal842,

Look, I get what you're saying, but in my experience, that stuff only works on paper—unless you start screaming about your right to a second opinion or choosing your own treatment plan. My primary care doc won't even hand over the referral I need until I'm practically losing my mind. And don't even get me started on the folks at the local hospital—they kept trying to pressure me into staying at Vineyard Hospital. Honestly, everyone was looking at me like I had two heads just because I wasn't thrilled with the ophthalmologists over at Vineyard.

mistyjackal842 said:Personally, I swear by the doctors at the Mayo Clinic—they’ve got the best ophthalmologists, hands down. The only catch is the wait times; the backlog is insane because people travel from all over the country just to get seen there, not just folks from around Washington, D.C.

My GP wouldn't even listen to me when I asked for a referral to the Mayo Clinic—apparently, since I'm in the Vineyard district, that's "out of bounds." Then I tried Holy Spirit, but they turned me away too, even after I explained that the Vineyard clinic was totally useless and things were getting worse. They only finally took me in once I pulled some strings, and even then, they acted like they were doing me a massive favor.🤷

Megan Watson79 said:If you’re hunting for a solid private ophthalmologist in Washington, D.C., honestly—just go see Dr. Vukas. Seriously, at any cost. You won't regret it. People aren't even bothering to show up to Dr. Vukas’s eye clinic over on Broadway anymore.

Look, for all that cash you're dropping on private care just to get a little extra attention—you're still not going to get what you actually want, let alone what you truly need. It’s a joke. You think paying a premium guarantees better quality or a more holistic approach to treatment? Think again. You'll be left wanting more while they just take your money.

mistyjackal842 said:I'm right there with you on that one. Don't even think about going to them. Heading down to Dr. Vukas’s eye clinic. So, this doctor completely missed a retinal tear on my periphery—totally blind to it—and actually had the nerve to tell me to just come back for a checkup in a year. Thank God I went out and got a second opinion, because I ended up having to rush into an emergency laser procedure at the hospital. I spent my whole weekend stuck on bed rest too. Honestly, Dr. Vukas didn't even bother looking at my peripheral retina, even after I specifically told him exactly what kind of vision issues I was dealing with. Just typical.

Honestly, my experience was... alright, I guess. I only ended up seeing him because the folks over at the MTA, the Vineyard clinic, and Holy Spirit kept insisting my entire issue was just caused by mascara—which is hilarious, considering I hadn't even touched the stuff in six months! They just kept looping back to "it's the mascara" like a broken record. And get this—all those drops and ointments they gave me? Not only did I see zero results, but my eyes actually felt way more inflamed and I started feeling physically sick. To top it all off, they wouldn't even entertain the idea of doing an eye swab. Total joke.

Honestly, I wasn't exactly thrilled that Dr. Vukas charged me full price for a checkup that lasted maybe two or three minutes. Total rip-off. $83Man, those two bottles of eye drops cost me nearly as much as a decent dinner out—ridiculous, right? But honestly, they were worth it because I felt way better in just a few days. I went back for one last follow-up, grabbed a private prescription for some different drops (which were *way* cheaper, thank god), and I haven't had a single issue since.

Honestly, I’d take a trip back to see him again in a heartbeat before even thinking about stepping foot in a hospital or some local clinic. 👍