Posts by restlessangler

Arthur Thomas13 said:Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone knows which hospital or clinic in the Chicago area has the shortest wait times for an MRI—specifically one covered by insurance... thanks!

For my last MRI, the wait at Northwestern was at least until July... so, what part of you needs scanning?

I was reading somewhere yesterday that Medicare is being forced to start putting out contracts again... I'm not entirely sure on the exact timing, though. It seems like they either just released the tender or they'll have to open it up very soon...

Does anyone happen to have any leads on a clinic that’s currently accepting Medicare?
The waiting lists everywhere are just getting ridiculous—I'm really hoping there's still somewhere out there that takes referrals...

I checked, and Saint Catherine is set to work with Medicare through March 31, 2015, but they're already completely booked up until then...

Adam Fox3 said:I'm looking for a solid immunologist—doesn't matter if they're at a public hospital or a private clinic. I'm open to the surrounding areas too, maybe even somewhere like Vienna... Thanks!

Word is that Dr. Bosnić over at Rebro Hospital is fantastic.
I actually tried to see her, but unfortunately, she was away on vacation right when I needed an urgent specialist opinion, so I ended up seeing someone else instead...

How long does a referral actually last?
To be more specific—I was looking for a referral for a neurologist for an initial consultation back in mid-July, and now that I'm trying to schedule the appointment, they're asking for the referral upfront.
Does it still count if it's been this long? And if not... can my doctor just cross out the old date and put today's instead?

Grace Alvarez said:Hey there—I'm not actually from around here, but I'm staying in the city at the moment. My primary care doctor just wrote me a referral for a dermatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital... does anyone happen to know who I should reach out to or which number I should call to get on their schedule? If someone could point me in the right direction, it would be a huge help... thanks in advance. 😁

Hey there... just checking in... Salad...You can find their phone number right there on the link... I’m not entirely sure how they handle orders—some people just head down there in person—but just a heads-up, they're located over in the West End area, not near the waterfront. They're still operating out of separate locations...

Maria Fisher46 said:Lymphocyte proliferation—basically, those cells that build up the lymph nodes. Honestly, seeing lymphocyte proliferation isn't surprising in itself... what we really need to pin down is *why* they're multiplying and what specific characteristics those proliferating cells actually have. Unfortunately, the cytology report didn't go into any detail regarding that aspect.

So, I’m going to proceed under the assumption that everything is fine, especially since the immunologist hasn't ordered any follow-up testing...

Thanks so much for the reply, Felix!

Maria Fisher46 said:To put it simply—the cytologist didn't really give a definitive opinion on what we're looking at here. They just noted what they saw... which is clearly an increase in lymphocytes, since those are what make up the lymph node in the first place. However, they didn't go into any detail about the actual appearance of those lymphocytes or offer a professional impression of what might be going on behind the scenes...

So, what does this lymphocyte prolif...

restlessangler said:Search: Axillary lymph node biopsy
Diagnosis: DLE, SCLE (lupus) + suspected SLE or Sjögren's (due to high SS-A and SS-B levels, though I don't have clinical symptoms yet—Abdominal Ultrasound, EKG, chest X-ray, etc., were all normal)

Results: (Waiting on cytology results)

- Left axilla ultrasound shows no obvious tumorous enlargement of the lymph nodes.
On the right side, there are several lymph nodes measuring up to 12 mm that are hyperechoic, with hypoechoic borders.
A cytological puncture was performed under ultrasound guidance.

The reason I went through this is because over two years ago, I ended up in the infectious disease ward with a really high fever. My labs indicated some kind of undefined inflammation, my lymph nodes were swollen, and the diagnosis was something along the lines of chronic lymph node inflammation. The antibiotics cleared the fever, but ever since then, I've had palpable lymph nodes under my armpit and on my neck (just below the ear)... they seem to swell up whenever my lupus flares... which, honestly, feels like it happens all the time.

I was wondering if someone could explain those two bolded terms in plain English.
My follow-up with the immunologist is in a month, and the cytology will probably be ready by then, so I'll ask the doctor—but I'm curious, what exactly is a hyperechoic node with hypoechoic borders?

Thanks so much for any info...

Updating my previous post:

Cytology results from the puncture smear show numerous lymphocytes, follicle center cells, a few histiocytes, and some small clusters of glandular epithelial cells from skin appendages (maybe sweat glands?). Impression: lymphocytic proliferation.

Can anyone translate this? 😬

hollowridge88, please accept my sincere condolences. I haven't really posted here before—I just tend to follow this thread every now and then... 😘

Maria Fisher46 said:Where he differs is that the size is just slightly larger than what it really should be—like, up to 1 cm on the neck.

Well, if that's the case, then it's fine... as long as the rest of the results come back normal, I guess that's that. They ran some tests because I've had these nodes for quite a while now—just wanted to rule out anything serious, you know?..

Thanks for the reply, Felix

Maria Fisher46 said:Hi there,

did you write down the entire Abdominal Ultrasound report, or just a part of it?

To put it simply—and I mean really simplifying things here(!)—those terms basically mean the center of the lymph node looks lighter while the outer edge looks darker. A healthy lymph node on an ultrasound usually shows a hyperechoic center (the hilus) and a hypoechoic rim (the cortex)... so that's why I'm asking if there was anything else mentioned in the report.

That’s everything that was listed. I just transcribed what was in the discharge summary.
So, does what they wrote in the translation mean this is a normal lymph node? Or did I misunderstand something... Is the description of the inside of the node different between a normal one and mine?

Search: Axillary lymph node biopsy
Diagnosis: DLE, SCLE (lupus) + suspected SLE or Sjögren's (due to high SS-A and SS-B levels, though I don't have clinical symptoms yet—Abdominal Ultrasound, EKG, chest X-ray, all came back normal)

Findings: (waiting on cytology results)

- Left axilla ultrasound shows no obvious tumorous enlargement of the lymph nodes.
On the right side, there are a few lymph nodes measuring up to 12 mm which are hyperechoic, with a hypoechoic rim.
A cytology biopsy was performed under ultrasound guidance.

The reason I went through with this is because over two years ago, I ended up in the infectious disease ward with a really high fever. My labs at the time indicated some kind of indeterminate inflammation, enlarged lymph nodes, and the diagnosis was something along the lines of chronic lymph node inflammation. The antibiotics cleared the fever, but ever since then, I’ve had palpable lymph nodes under my armpit and on my neck (below the ear)... they seem to swell up whenever my lupus starts flaring... which basically means all the time...

I was wondering if someone could explain those two terms (in bold) in plain English.
My follow-up with the immunologist is in a month, and the cytology will probably be ready by then so I can ask the doctor—but in the meantime, I'm curious what a "hyperechoic" node with a "hypoechoic" rim actually means.

Thanks so much for any info...

Melissa Stewart88 said:I need to get a tattoo removed—and since I've heard horror stories about dermatology leaving ugly scars behind, I’d really prefer to go through plastic surgery. Can I actually get a referral for that from my doctor?

Just wanted to chime in... I had a skin biopsy on my face less than a year ago, done by a dermatologist over at Mayo Clinic. He was incredibly careful about where he took the sample and his stitching was just flawless—honestly, you can't even see the scar today.
It really all comes down to the individual doctor—the department itself doesn't make much difference...
If you want the name of the specific doctor I saw, just shoot me a private message...

They’ve actually started including an American translation alongside the Rockefeller...
For the last few months, I’ve been getting them attached to the box with a little rubber band.
If you happen to miss out on that, though—you can just shoot an email over to Pfizer and they’ll send you a PDF pretty quickly—that’s what happened with me the first time...

Question:
I'm headed back for more bloodwork tomorrow.
On Monday, I had my fasting labs done, but tomorrow is specifically to check on some low white blood cell and platelet counts—that’s the main reason for the follow-up.
The clinic mentioned I don't strictly need to fast since they aren't checking glucose, but I just want to be absolutely certain... can having my morning coffee or a cigarette mess with the platelet or white blood cell readings?

Kevin Garcia12 said:It’s possible my colleague is looking at the potential for Lupus nephritis and its complications... Either way, I definitely need to get everything checked out...

Thanks for the reply.
Anyway, I guess we'll see what the next steps are tomorrow...
Since they're keeping a closer eye on things due to the possibility of this progressing into Lupus, I imagine they'll send me for just about every test imaginable...

vividsailor7 said:It would be a good idea to get a urine culture done at a hospital.
If there's a fever or painful urination, you could start something empirical—like Cipro, for instance.
Once the basic blood work comes back (creatinine, urea, urate, urine, CRP)...
You should also check BP and pulse, plus get a 24-hour microalbuminuria test and a kidney ultrasound.

Is it really possible that it's just some bacteria?
I'm seeing my doctor over at the Mayo Clinic the day after tomorrow, so I'll get everything sorted out then... but the curiosity is killing me.
I'm assuming she'll want more urine tests.
What exactly is a urine culture? And why do you suggest doing it in a hospital setting?
And what about the kidney ultrasound? To be honest, I've never even heard of that one...

What do you all think? I know without extra lab work it’s impossible to say for sure—and I don't want to speculate—but could this be just a "standard" inflammatory thing, or could it point to something else entirely?
I'm not easily spooked and I usually handle my own medical stuff, I'm just genuinely curious...

Just as a side note, since I've had traces of Urine Blood for nearly ten years now—this sample was taken on day 13 of my cycle, or seven days after my period ended.

Reasons for the blood and urine work,
: First off—things have flared up—specifically my Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (skin condition is acting up again)
: Second—I noticed this strange smell in my urine (really strong, kind of like rotten eggs or ammonia)... I didn't have any other symptoms except for that first day when I felt like I still had to go right after I finished, but everything else has been fine since then

Kate Campbell78 said:Does anyone know where I can get an ultrasound of my breasts using a referral? Like, somewhere with a relatively short wait time?

I called Blue Cross Blue Shield—the one over on the corner near downtown, you know, that old building right across from the AT&T office—about two years ago.
I managed to get an appointment within two or three days... just by using the referral.
You should probably double-check if they still handle things that way, though...