I’m looking for a private ENT specialist. Private is the way to go—I really don't want to deal with those massive wait times at the public hospitals, and honestly, I don't mind paying out of pocket to get seen faster.
Ideally, someone who specializes mostly in throat issues.
Andrew Bailey3 said:Can someone please walk me through what these UIBC and TIBC abbreviations actually mean on a blood test? What are we looking at here???
These are just measurements for serum iron-binding capacity and total transferrin (UIBC and TIBC).
A buddy of mine actually went to the hospital for free back when we were still in high school.
Man, listening to him tell the story was pure comedy. The "sterile" conditions were a joke—they were basically operating on him right next to an open window. And the stitching? Absolute disaster. The wound kept popping open two or three different times. He told me once, after he’d already been discharged, the gap near his ear opened up so wide you could practically shove a pencil in there.
Back in high school, we thought the whole thing was hilarious because he wasn't even in pain, but honestly? Looking back now, that sounds pretty terrifying. 😢
Anyway, he made a vow: from here on out, he's strictly seeing private doctors.
I mean, I know it’s not always the case, but sometimes a doctor might take it personally if you switch up, yet here we are. It really happened.
jadesailor14 said:it was just like that with my roommate too
Maybe try seeing a neurologist? Honestly, maybe look for someone over at Mount Sinai The department head there actually runs a private practice, so if you can get an appointment through her, you might actually get somewhere in the system. Once they get you moving, things usually start clicking into place.
We went to see a neurologist together at Mount Sinai. They did their thing and told us we needed to see a surgeon next. Then the surgeon sent us off for more tests before scheduling a follow-up. Sadly, they didn't really give us any helpful advice.
How did your roommate handle the surgery? How long was the recovery? Any complications? Do you happen to know who performed the procedure?
That’s probably why she had the upper hand—because she’d already suffered a stroke. 😢
My mom deals with bad days constantly. Every other day she’s feeling terrible, sometimes she can barely even stand up. But the surgeon was able to jump in immediately and clear out about 90% of her blocked arteries because she hadn't had a major stroke YET. They told her one could happen any day now. If that had happened first, she might have actually had an advantage in terms of urgency. What a nightmare.
jadesailor14 said:I honestly think you should pick a surgeon or a hospital first, book a consultation, and then just follow their lead. In my experience, if you spend all this time running tests at every single clinic in the city and finally end up seeing a surgeon at, say, Mayo Clinic, they’re probably going to make you redo everything anyway. You're basically just wasting your breath and time. Sure, you can get everything done privately, but the real question is how much that's going to drain your bank account.
We already had a consultation with one surgeon, and man, he was incredibly rude the whole time. He gave us a list of tests we need to do, but then added that because of my mom's allergies, she can't get everything done at one facility since no single hospital here handles every specific test! He basically told us to just go schedule them ourselves at different hospitals, and once we've managed to get it all done, then come back to him and an anesthesiologist for a second opinion. As for him? Well, he said since he's "overworked," we could just go see someone else entirely. So now we're stuck running around doing these tests exactly how he ordered, which is honestly the worst part!
Good grief, it's not like we're supposed to be playing doctor and deciding which tests to take! 🙂 To be honest, our family isn't exactly big fans of the hospital system either. 🙂
Her doctors told her she needs to stay hydrated to help with the poor circulation in those veins.
Casey Cook10 said:I see you guys are still hunting for a surgeon. Honestly, you’re just delaying the surgery, which only ramps up the tension and pushes the solution further away.
We’re actually looking for a surgeon while we wait for all these other tests to wrap up—and man, it’s taking forever. We've been stuck in allergy testing for nearly a month now and it's still not done. Not to mention some of these scans have a two or three-month waiting list! 😢! Regardless, I really don't want her ending up in the hands of an inexperienced surgeon. Maybe my anxiety is getting the better of me, but you have to understand, I worry about my mom way more than I worry about myself.
It blows my mind that someone facing surgery has to chase down ten different tests across various hospitals in the city. Why can't they just admit the patient to the hospital and get everything done in one go? Let them charge us! This whole runaround is costing our family more in stress than any bill would. I will never understand how this American healthcare system works.
Sarayman said:A few months back, just because I was being curious (and maybe a little paranoid), I had my apartment scanned. The guys who did it told me there were several types of harmful radiation present. They suggested moving my bed, or if that wasn't an option, buying some total protection through Western Digital therapy—which basically means a mattress that costs an absolute fortune. So, that’s the backstory, in a nutshell.
The whole idea of harmful radiation from things like Hartmann's lines, Curry lines, underground water, and technical EMFs... honestly, it's all pretty new to me. I’d love to hear from anyone who has actual experience with this. If you can provide some solid arguments, please weigh in—either confirm or debunk these claims about how much damage this stuff does to the human body, especially those "cross points" where all four types of radiation intersect.
What are your thoughts? I'd really appreciate any insight you can share! 🙂
This is super interesting. I’ve had all sorts of experiences, but I’ll just stick to the big ones. Honestly, even now, I still struggle with whether to believe it or not. I’m definitely more of a science guy—I need the proof. 🙂
Here’s my deal: I’ve been a sleepwalker since I can remember. I’ll get up in the middle of the night, wander around, and just pass out somewhere else in the apartment. After years of this, it turns out I was sleeping right on top of three different radiation nodes. Every single place I wandered off to and fell asleep happened to be what they call a "clean zone." When I actually managed to land in a clean zone, I wouldn't even walk or talk. It’s not some psychological thing, either; for years, I had no clue where anything was, and I didn't say a word to the three professionals who scanned my place.
After that, I moved to a new place. Once again, the placement of my bed was bugging me, so we kept shifting it around, and now I sleep like a baby. As it turns out, the spot where I said I was having trouble turned out to have underground water running along its entire length.
You’ve got a perfect experiment on your hands. Try letting a child under six sleep in a large area. Usually, within just a few nights, the kid will instinctively find a clean zone.
There’s plenty more where that came from. If you’re interested, I can shoot you a DM with some extra details.
Walter Brown12 said:My Pap smear came back with some changes linked to HP, and I'm wondering which vitamins actually help? And honestly, how do I get through this fast? My life is basically total chaos right now and I still smoke...
Did you go in for specific HP typing?
I had a Pap smear that showed "changes associated with HP," but my doctor told me it doesn't necessarily mean I have HP right away.
So I went ahead and got the HP typing test done, and turns out it was nothing! It was just some inflammation that looked similar on the results. 😢
Finally! Someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. I was really hoping someone would jump in here. 👍
My mom is facing surgery soon. On top of everything else she's dealing with regarding her carotid arteries, she's allergic to most painkillers and anesthetics. Her cholesterol is also through the roof due to genetics, so she can't even take standard stuff like Lipitor or similar meds that are usually recommended for these cases.
We’ve been asking around about how these procedures actually work, and honestly, what we've heard is terrifying. They told us it's an incredibly heavy, high-risk operation. Apparently, if a surgeon is lucky enough to have only 40% of patients suffer a stroke or permanent disability during the procedure, that's considered "good." They said there's a huge percentage of people who don't make it at all, while only a small slice gets through without issues. Basically, they implied the success rate is way below 50%.
We are absolutely terrified. 😢 We already went in for a consultation with a surgeon at a major hospital in Chicago 🙂, but he wasn't exactly eager to explain the risks or walk us through the process. To be blunt, we walked away with almost zero information. I get that doctors are slammed, but he seemed genuinely annoyed that we even showed up when he had so much on his plate. In my opinion, that's just not how you treat a scared patient.
So many people are speaking out against this surgery, but my mom is constantly feeling unwell because her brain isn't getting enough blood flow. She’s made her decision—she wants the surgery, and we are respecting that. We haven't shared the scary statistics we've heard with her because we don't want to freak her out more. I'm stuck and honestly don't know what the right move is.
Like I mentioned, I know of one doctor who is legendary for being amazing. If he had a private practice, I would give him every cent I own just to ensure she's in capable hands and treated like a human being rather than just another body on an operating table.
If any of this sounds wrong, please set me straight. Everything I’ve gathered so far has come from different doctors working at various hospitals, and it's all over the place. I'm confused, we're scared at home, and we are desperately looking for any reliable info you can share.
We checked in at the local clinic in Springfield, but they basically told us that specialists from the big city hospitals are heading their way soon, so things aren't going to be quite as top-tier as they are elsewhere just yet. Apparently, it’s not exactly their primary specialty. 😢
My mom actually deals with genetic high cholesterol too, so we’ve been fighting this battle together for years. She used to be around a 9, and now she’s dealing with some pretty nasty complications.
She takes Sors, which helps a little bit, but honestly, diet isn't doing much to help her numbers move. My cousin ended up inheriting it as well. It sucks. 😢
So, what are you all curious about? I feel like I’ve read just about everything out there—from the latest stuff in modern medicine to all the alternative remedies. 🙂
Back again with more questions about carotid artery surgery.
What’s the word on this? Any specific recommendations on where to get this done?
The main referral center here is Mayo Clinic, and most other hospitals either don't have the specialists or they just bring surgeons in from elsewhere. Now, when it comes to Mayo, I've heard both good and bad things.
One woman who works over at Mayo claims we should stay far away from those doctors because they’re terrible, regardless of the hospital's reputation.
I've also heard whispers about Johns Hopkins or maybe another major medical center doing it, but I don't have any solid info...
Does anyone actually know? Has anyone here gone through this? Maybe a parent, a child, or a relative? Please help—this surgery is HIGH STAKES. I don't want just anyone performing it, only to have things go wrong on the table. 😢
If I could find a top-tier private specialist here in the States, or even over in Canada or Europe, I would pay whatever it takes.
Looking for any information you can share. Thanks!
darksurfer39 said:The only thing is, if you really boost your immune system, your typing tests might come back negative even if you actually have HPV. That’s because you can't ever truly get rid of it—once it's in your system, it stays there for life. There isn't a cure yet. But if your results are negative, it just means your body is doing a great job fighting it off and keeping the virus "dormant." If your immune system takes a hit later on, the HPV could resurface, and then the typing test would pick it right up again. Basically, you can't prove the virus is there when it's in that latent stage, whether it's through a Pap smear or an HPV typing test!
Thanks! 🙂
I'm asking because my doctor was honestly baffled by my recent test results. She was almost 100% certain I had HPV, but then the lab work came back totally clear. Of course, I was over the moon about it, but I still have this tiny little nagging doubt in the back of my mind. So, I'm just looking for answers. 🙂
Just a quick question here—I see there are some folks in this group who actually know their stuff.
What are the odds (and does anyone here know someone this happened to) that an HPV typing comes back negative, but the virus is actually still hanging around? Is there a chance a doctor could mess up the swab, or is it possible the test just misses it entirely at certain points?