Posts by Linda Gonzalez16

Frank Moore4 said:Yeah, I lead a totally low-key life. I haven't even had blood work done in two and a half years, and I haven't stepped foot in a dentist's office in that same timeframe either.

My red blood cell count is just slightly over the upper limit, and my uric acid is up too.

Can you drop the actual numbers? Guesswork is just bad advice 🙂 .

Jacob Lewis said:The tests were triggered by some high blood pressure I’ve been dealing with lately. I actually went to see a cardiologist for an ultrasound and an EKG because I was getting these weird little chest pains, but the doc said my heart is fine—it's just the blood pressure that's the issue. It's sitting at 150-170 all day and night, even with the Holter monitor tracking it. Since I'm only 23, the whole situation feels a bit more "sketchy." There’s also a small chance my kidneys might be involved, so after checking my blood work and urine samples, they sent me for a kidney and adrenal gland ultrasound. I haven't gone yet because I'm debating between that or a CT scan. A CT might give better results, but then there's the radiation to worry about, which sucks...

In a small percentage of cases, high blood pressure is caused by kidney issues, problems with the vessels supplying the kidneys, or certain adrenal gland adenomas (like pheochromocytoma or aldosterone) that leak substances into the system that spike your pressure. Definitely get the ultrasound done; once you have those results, your doctor will tell you if you need to follow up with a CT or an MRI. My suggestion? Ask for a test for vanillylmandelic acid, catecholamines, and metanephrines—that can help pinpoint those specific issues mentioned above. Also, take a quick scroll through the forum; we’ve got several threads on high blood pressure, so give them a read.

jadesailor14 said:I actually thought about that too,
but then I figured, hey, hopefully the person actually knows their own diagnosis.

Honestly, if there’s a doctor out there just scribbling nonsense on a chart, I totally get it. People are just happy when they don't have to stress over a bunch of weird medical jargon they can't pronounce...

Lisa Scott42 said:Could be liver inflammation, based on those bilirubin and white blood cell levels.

Good grief, save us from statements like that. There isn't even a hint of hepatitis here.
It honestly smells more like some kind of bacterial infection. Why were the tests even ordered in the first place? What symptoms are we talking about?

Plus, a slightly elevated bilirubin could just be Gilbert's syndrome—which is totally harmless and super common—or it could even be a false positive. If you're worried, you should get the tests redone, making sure they check both direct and indirect bilirubin fractions, then go from there.

placidhound13 said:After seven months of feeling like garbage and bouncing from one specialist to another, I finally got a diagnosis yesterday.
I don't hang out on this forum much and haven't dug through many threads yet, so if anyone here has dealt with this before, please hit me up.

The condition is ulcerative colitis. Try searching the forum under "ulcerative colitis."

Kimberly Scott95 said:The Holter monitor didn't catch any of those random bouts of tachycardia I get out of nowhere. Still, I guess it's probably nothing major, just super annoying...

Exactly...👍

Kimberly Scott95 said:My hormones are basically bottoming out right now :/ so my palpitations shouldn't have anything to do with my thyroid. How exactly do they diagnose LGL?? I've had two EKGs show a PQ of 0.08-0.10, and there's no delta wave.

Exactly. You've got short PR intervals (pre-excitation), a normal QRS (no delta wave), plus bouts of SVT—which pretty much rules out AFib or flutter.

Sam Hall15 said:A triglyceride level of 2.2 is definitely not normal. Even if different labs have slightly different ranges, nobody sets the upper limit higher than 1.7 mmol/L.
But look, 2.2 isn't low enough to just "try a diet" and hope for the best. Usually, doctors give you about three months to fix it through lifestyle changes; if that doesn't work, they'll start pushing a statin on you.
You’ve gotta cut back on fats, but the golden rule is no eggs—well, at least skip the yolks—and get moving with some physical activity.
If things don't drop within three months, you're probably looking at being on a statin for at least two months... honestly, it's not a huge deal. You'd likely just take one pill at night. Sure, the meds cost a bit more, but my God, it's worth it for your health.

Just a quick side note. While statins do help lower triglycerides a bit, their main job is tackling cholesterol. If you're dealing strictly with high triglycerides, there are other options out there (like niacin, gemfibrozil, or clofibrate). Dieting is non-negotiable here. On top of what was already mentioned, you really need to cut out alcohol and watch those carbs.

Kimberly Scott95 said:What would that mean?

So, I saw this note on a 24-hour Holter monitor: 60 individual premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). Honestly? That sounds like a lot when you read it on paper, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s actually pretty minimal. Most doctors aren't even going to blink at that number. It’s just one of those things where the data looks more intimidating than the reality.

VES are basically just ventricular extrasystoles—that "skipped beat" sensation people always talk about. Honestly, if you're clocking around 60 of them in a 24-hour period, it’s nothing to sweat. As long as they aren't hitting in rapid-fire bursts, it's totally harmless. You just live your life and don't give it a second thought.
Look, on the other hand, you’ve got LGL—that's the Lown-Ganong-Levin pathway. It basically acts like a shortcut that bypasses the AV node entirely. Since there’s no natural "pause" or delay like you'd normally get at the AV node, the electrical signals just race through, which leaves you wide open to those sudden bouts of tachycardia (racing heart). Definitely make sure you're keeping an eye on your thyroid levels, too. When those hormones spike, they can trigger tachycardia out of nowhere. I usually suggest beta-blockers like Atenolol to help slow down that conduction speed and get things back to normal.

Kenneth Sanders97 said:Metamizole was my absolute lifesaver after getting my wisdom tooth pulled. Seriously, it was the only thing that worked. I tried basically every other painkiller out there, but they'd only touch the pain for maybe two hours tops. With this stuff, I managed to get through about 6 or 7 hours...

I deal with migraines and bad cramps from time to time, but nothing compares to that kind of pain... 🙂

Metamizole rules 🙏 👋 🙂

Watch out with Metamizole, though—it can really wreck your liver!

My bad then. I honestly thought I was in a "debate" with some medical expert trying to push their own agenda, so I got a little carried away. Gotta admit, for someone who isn't a pro, you clearly know your stuff. Forgive me, I'm still finding my footing here.😬

Angela Wright said:Maybe trepanning isn't actually that hard to pull off, but you've gotta consider the massive infection risk when you open up someone's skull. If they were skilled enough to keep people alive long after the procedure, and smart enough to realize head trauma can cause hydrocephalus that needs draining, then I’m betting they knew exactly which artery to pinch to stop a woman from bleeding out. They probably knew which herbs to brew or poultices to use to dodge sepsis. Most likely, some old-timers learned the ropes on livestock—trying not to let a cow die since that was basically their bank account—and maybe used a few slaves to practice before moving on to the nobility.

I've got one big issue with your logic here: the reasons people wanted trepanation back in the day (migraines, epilepsy, mental issues, mystical stuff, or even making love potions out of skull shavings in ancient Egypt) are light years away from modern medical indications. Also, do you have any idea when people actually figured out what an infection is or that germs exist? You should really look into when humans started studying anatomy without being terrified of divine punishment, or when we finally understood how the circulatory system actually works. Even a C-section isn't some trivial little procedure, even by today's standards. Let's not mistake "gut feelings" for actual arguments. There's plenty of medical history out there—from ancient China, Egypt, and Greece, all the way through the Golden Age of Arabic medicine—that tells a much more complex story. I'm not saying people weren't trying to help, but their logic and worldview were nowhere near where we are now.
On the flip side, it's true that a ton of skulls found at archaeological sites show signs of trepanation, and some even show bone healing, which proves they survived the surgery. I can only imagine what life was like for them afterward 🙂. Even today, people survive sometimes because of doctors, and sometimes despite them.

Angela Wright said:Why? I mean, they found mummies in Egypt where CT scans showed actual marks on the skull bones proving they performed open brain surgery—and the people actually survived and lived for quite a while after the procedure. Ancient civilizations were way smarter than we give them credit for today.

Look, trepanning is one thing, but an open uterus surgery is a whole different ballgame 😬. Nobody was surviving a C-section back then (for a million different reasons), which is why I find it hard to swallow that Caesar was born that way with his mother still breathing afterward. On the flip side, the history of trepanning—basically drilling holes in skulls for all sorts of ritualistic or medical reasons—goes all the way back to the Neolithic era, long before any "official" civilizations even started.

Kate Cox2 said:this isn't really a medical question so much as a history one, though I guess doctors would be the ones to know best...
so... when did C-sections actually start (historically speaking), and were they performed in ancient cultures? For instance, did the Egyptians know how to pull this off?
And was anyone even smart or skilled enough to perform a C-section 2,000 years ago (back in Jesus' time)?

is there any actual evidence or written records about this?

Supposedly Caesar himself was born that way, though honestly, that sounds pretty hard to believe.

Nicole Nelson55 said:Nah, artichoke leaves don't actually lower prolactin levels. They just detox your liver, which you really need to do before you even start messing with supplements designed to drop prolactin.

No comment.

Sam Hall15 said:Syncope—basically what you experienced—happens when your brain doesn't get enough oxygen. It could be from low oxygen levels in the air (like being in an enclosed space), combined with something like anemia making it harder for your blood to carry that oxygen. It could also be a sudden drop in blood pressure due to illness, dehydration, or orthostatic hypotension. Honestly, your blood sugar might have just bottomed out too.

I’m with them on this. It sounds like vasovagal syncope. It’s not really a disease; it’s more like an oversensitivity in the Vagus nerve (indirectly via the medulla oblongata) to certain triggers—stuff like heat, hunger, or stress. When that happens, the Vagus nerve works against the sympathetic nervous system, causing your blood vessels to dilate and your heart rate to drop. That sudden dip in blood pressure starves the brain of oxygen and energy for a second. Usually, you'll feel a wave of weakness, nausea, or that "faint" feeling right before it hits. It can happen repeatedly, so you really need to watch out for triggers. Avoid cramped spaces or huge crowds, stay hydrated, and for crying out loud, don't skip breakfast. The real danger is that it happens while you're standing or sitting, and if you don't catch it coming, you’re going to take a nasty fall and potentially hurt yourself. If you see someone going down, lay them flat and prop their legs up to help blood flow back to the heart. Don't try to make them stand up right away.

Nicole Nelson55 said:There are certain natural substances that work really well at lowering prolactin levels. I'm talking about artichoke leaf...

Oh, look, artichoke leaf again. On one thread, this stuff was supposedly detoxing the liver and spiking blood pressure, and now it’s the magic cure for prolactin. Make it make sense.👎 👎

I'm honestly holding back from getting too snarky this time.

Nicole Doyle88 said:Check your pulse... mine jumps between 95 and 130 bpm, so I’ve gotta watch my heart. (I think those MCV or MCHV things—sorry, can't remember the acronyms—that you mentioned above point to heart muscle damage since mine are slightly off the charts, but I'm not 100% sure.)

MCV and MCHC have zero to do with your heart muscle. Those are just metrics used to describe red blood cell characteristics.

Only if they run a targeted toxicology screen. Otherwise, it’s not part of the standard panel.

A Blue Moon. Seeing two of them in a single month? It definitely hits different. I honestly think it messes with your physiology and just changes your whole vibe. And if it doesn't actually affect you, at least it's the perfect excuse to blast that song...