Look, let’s get one thing straight: this forum isn't a clinic. We aren't here to hand out diagnoses or prescribe treatments. Sure, we can speculate on potential causes—that's what happens in online communities—but anyone reading needs to understand that this is purely guesswork. It is entirely up to the individual to seek out actual medical professionals. A suggestion from a random person on a message board can never replace the advice of a doctor who actually examines you and manages your care. That goes without saying, regardless of whether the person posting has an MD or not.
Lithium carbonate is notorious for causing significant weight gain in patients. Based on the photos provided, the lady seems to be carrying most of her weight in her abdomen, though she doesn't look "overweight" everywhere else. Still, we shouldn't play games with health by blindly blaming medication without running the proper tests. In a situation like this, you have to rule out liver issues or thyroid problems first, both of which could potentially be side effects of the meds themselves. She needs a full blood panel (including liver function tests), T3, T4, TSH levels, and an abdominal ultrasound. An ultrasound would also clarify if we're even looking at adipose tissue or something else entirely. Bottom line: ignore the speculation and get a second opinion, even if both doctors involved are likely correct.
placidranger6 said:The biopsy results just came back, and it turns out the tumor was actually malignant after all. The previous tests had flagged it as benign. It was quite a shock to find out—honestly, I'm almost relieved I didn't know it was cancer before they went ahead and removed the kidney. Maybe it’s better this way. Best regards from the two of us—me and my one remaining kidney. 🙂
Unfortunately, most kidney tumors end up being malignant. I really hope yours was caught and removed early enough so that everything turns out okay. Best of luck.
Jesse Sanchez90 said:Managing DM is one thing, but trying to dodge hypertension on your own is a much tougher battle—about 90% of cases are essential hypertension, meaning there isn't even a specific underlying cause you can just fix.
The phrasing there is a bit clumsy. You might not be able to avoid hypertension entirely, but you can certainly catch it in time and keep it under control.
fadedmarlin402, thanks for getting back to me. I'm finding out she actually hasn't had a ultrasound done, mostly because both her GP and her psychiatrist told her that this is strictly a side effect of the meds she's taking for bipolar psychosis.
Aha, okay, that picture makes much more sense now. If we're looking at a clear case of abdominal fat, there's really no need for an ultrasound. I don't know specifically what her cocktail looks like, but the reality is that certain psychotropic drugs used to manage bipolar disorder—think lithium salts, antidepressants, and so on—are notorious for causing weight gain. So, the medical advice you received actually holds water. If the patient is on lithium-based medications, you also have to keep the thyroid in the equation; those types of drugs can trigger hypothyroidism, which leads directly to weight gain.
Look, it would be helpful if you provided a straight-on photo of the abdomen, but even then, we wouldn't be able to give you a definitive answer. Abdominal swelling can stem from a massive variety of issues. Just looking at a picture, my first suspicion would be ascites—fluid buildup within the peritoneum. As for the underlying cause? It’s often linked to liver cirrhosis, but it could just as easily be congestive heart failure, nephrotic syndrome, metastatic cancer, or even tuberculous peritonitis. Like Betty Edwards22 pointed out, the first step is always a physical exam involving palpation and auscultation to get a baseline idea of what we're dealing with—whether there's a solid mass or just fluid accumulation. From there, you'd need imaging like an ultrasound or a CT scan. You also need blood work (specifically liver function tests) and potentially a diagnostic paracentesis if fluid is present. You can't say anything concrete without those results. Trying to diagnose this way is simply impossible.
I’m asking the author to be more specific and provide more details—personally, I really want to know where she got this image from—otherwise, I'll have to delete the thread.
By the way, if you ask me, the picture looks doctored.
Daniel Bailey39 As specified by: Does anyone know if this is something you can just handle at a standard hospital, or am I going to have to shell out for a private clinic? If you're looking to go through a private provider like the Mayo Clinic, how much is that actually going to set you back?🤷
Take a look. Right here.There’s still plenty of material on that topic over in the subforum... Just use the search bar.
A fever on its own doesn't really mean much, not unless you're also dealing with weakness and body aches. Most likely, you're looking at some kind of inflammation, but we can't just play doctor and speculate on a forum. Are you noticing anything else—sore throat, congestion, chest pains, stomach issues, or maybe any burning when you pee? You should go see a doctor at a local clinic or urgent care without overthinking it.
Sure, reduced blood flow can definitely be linked to headaches, including migraines. Did you actually have an episode happening while they were running the TCD and EEG? Regarding the MR, I don't know the specifics of your case, but you could always call a clinic in Boise to see if they can give you more info. You might also want to check out other hospitals around Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area. Some private clinics will even take your insurance or Medicare coverage. There are plenty of options out there. Honestly, just do some digging on this subforum—I know people have posted about this before.
Jack Lopez63 said:I've been lurking on this health forum for a while now. You find some decent advice occasionally, but I’m getting tired of how every second suggestion is just "go see your primary care physician." We all know that if you're sick, you need a doctor. We don't need a forum for that. The problem is, everyone knows that means endless patience—waiting months for even the smallest thing—and a lot of money. People come here because they want to avoid that or speed things up by asking others for help. It's like someone asking why their car won't start and you telling them to go to a mechanic. I get that diagnosing anything without an exam is tough, but if someone says their stomach hurts, they’re looking for someone who dealt with the same thing and found a solution. Getting told "see your GP" or "get a million tests that you'll be waiting for until you die" is just irritating.
In my opinion, running to a doctor for every little thing and demanding complex testing has made the whole system counterproductive. Nowadays, doctors can barely deal with a bruise without ordering a CT scan. How did people manage 10 or 20 years ago before CT scans were everywhere? Does every minor issue really require a hundred expensive tests? Nobody seems to realize that this overloads the system, driving up costs, breaking equipment, burning out doctors, and ultimately making sure those who actually need care can't even get it. When you have a system where people sue doctors because they couldn't save a 90-year-old grandmother, and a doctor gets fired for simply saying "someone has to die," the healthcare system becomes a cancer on society. This isn't just us. From what I hear, it's even worse in the West, though they charge premium prices, so only those willing to pay get the expensive tests for trivial issues. Here, people immediately label that as inhumane and start forming all sorts of activist groups. It might look inhumane at first glance, but you have to look at the bigger picture and how these decisions impact society as a whole.
We need leaders who actually know what they're doing and have the guts to slam their fist on the table and say, "this is how it's going to be." That kind of decisiveness worked well back when Tomasi was in charge of the police (even if he faces pushback, the man knows his business and provides clear, reasoned arguments). You can't please everyone, no matter how hard you try, and weak management is exactly what led us to this crisis. Just look at Russia. While Yelcinj was in power, we were nearly pushed into a nuclear war. Once Putin took control with a firm hand, it became one of the world's great powers again. Granted, you don't need to be as iron-fisted as Stalin.
Honestly, telling someone to "go see a doctor" is probably the single most sensible piece of advice you can give on a health forum. I get why you find that suggestion irritating, but personally, I find it just as frustrating when someone starts a thread with nothing but "my stomach hurts" or a random lab result, expecting us to play diagnostic physician. I noticed you brought up that classic abdominal pain issue too. There are a million different reasons why a stomach might ache—anything from a mild case of indigestion to something genuinely life-threatening. Because of that, even if two people walk in with the exact same symptom, they aren't necessarily going to end up with the same diagnosis. And even if they do share a diagnosis, that doesn't mean the treatment will be identical for both. The purpose of a forum like this is to point people toward potential causes, help explain what a specific test result might mean, or swap personal experiences. That’s it. The very first stop for anyone feeling unwell has to be their primary care physician. From the way you wrote your post, it seems like you actually understand that. So, isn't it a bit contradictory of you to complain about the advice when you clearly agree with the principle?
When it comes to people seeking medical attention for every little thing, you really have to tread carefully. You see these two extremes: people who obsess over every minor symptom to an exhausting degree, and then those who completely ignore their health until it's too late. You mentioned that people go running for expensive diagnostic tests over every tiny thing, but I don't think you realize that what seems like a "minor" issue could actually be the first sign of something serious. In my view, a responsible doctor’s job is to investigate even the smallest detail a patient brings up. If it’s clearly nothing, they won't waste resources on tests; they'll just tell you to head home. The much larger issue here is how primary care in the US is becoming more about filling out paperwork than actual medicine, essentially offloading all the heavy lifting onto specialists and hospital systems. We can certainly agree that the healthcare system is being bogged down by trivialities, but the fault doesn't lie with the patients—it lies with the way the entire system is structured.
Everything looks fine, with the exception of these periodic sharp occipital theta complexes. Based strictly on the FBI results, there's no way to tell if we're looking at an actual structural abnormality in the brain. We'll need an MRI to get a clear picture of that. That said, if these waves are popping up infrequently during the theta phase, the likelihood of finding a structural lesion is significantly lower. Migraines can also trigger this kind of activity. Ultimately, the goal here is simply to rule out any other cerebrovascular issues.
Casey Perez8 said:I've got an MRI scheduled for my knee in San Diego next week. It took me 11.5 months of waiting through Medicare to finally get this appointment booked.😁
A few questions: - Once the MRI is done, will they just give me a written report, or do I actually get to see the images too? - In your experience, can you ask them to burn the scans onto a CD if you bring one with you?
Thnx👍
You’ll definitely get the actual images along with the radiologist's written report. Honestly, most specialists don't even care about the written summary; they want to see the raw data.
As for the CD, you can certainly ask, but it isn't standard procedure. These MRI images are saved digitally in DICOM format, which requires specific software—something like DicomWorks—just to view them properly. Medical facilities are legally required to archive those files for a set amount of time, so they aren't always jumping to hand over physical copies.
Bradley Kelly7 said:Please, if anyone knows—what could this be... So, I was just feeling around and stumbled upon this lump on my lower back—off to the side, near the shoulder blade area... I'm wondering what it might be. You can't really see it, but I can feel it when I press down, and honestly, it doesn't even hurt me...!
I have no clue what it is... Do you think there's any chance it's adrenal gland cancer?!
Are you seriously trolling us on the Health Forum? 😲
Well, you’ve managed to dig up a thread that’s been gathering dust for over seven years. If you’re actually looking to vent about the state of the American healthcare system, you might want to use this instead—it’s a much more relevant topic these days.
coastalbison10 said:Look, I've got a situation. I play soccer pretty actively, and lately, every time I go for a big kick, my hamstring starts acting up. If I just take a 10 or 20-minute breather after a strike, it feels fine. But if I try to kick it again? The pain hits hard. Sometimes it’s so bad I can barely even stand, like what happened earlier today... If anyone has any idea what might be going on, I’d really appreciate the help. Just to clarify, this has been happening for quite some time now...
And what exactly do you mean by "quite some time"? It's entirely possible you're dealing with a muscle tear or strain that requires a much longer recovery window than you think. You really ought to go see a physical therapist.
