General Medical issues thread

others have GPs that want to physically examine them
Monday had a bloke who had surgery after coming to the attention of a vascular surgeon.
GP referred bloke to vascular surgeon. The abdominal aortic aneurysm was 6cm which in medicalspeak = high risk of bursting.
GP discovered that after a feel of the abdomen at a routine checkup. No pain.

By the way the medicare item number is the same whether your abdo is poked or not. So think of it as a freebie.
 
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Well, my GORD adventures continue.
Saw the GP on Fri 10th to discuss reflux meds, and how I was waking up at 3am some days and needing to prop myself up and having other unwanted side effects. Appreciated side effect is the ~8kgs I've lost since early Oct with the diminished appetite for food and fermented grape juice. :p

She upped my Nexium to 40mg, requested blood tests and said she might see me before Christmas if things weren't working with the new med level. Went straight to QML for the blood test.
Nexium is 40mg is working well - yay!

Monday 13th the clinic calls to tell me I need to see GP re blood test results. She's pretty much booked out, so I make an appt for Monday 20th, next available.
Tuesday 14th, the clinic calls again, uses the word "urgent", and manage to find a booking for me on Thursday afternoon. Luckily I was able to WFH for the arvo.

I log into My Health Register to try to see my pathology results, but they're locked until 18 Dec. I look at the tests requested, Dr google, and start slightly worrying I might have pancreatitis. Try not to think about it, because, well, I've been Dr Googling after all.

See GP on Thursday, turns out she's actually mostly worried about the sudden drop in my iron/ferritin levels. Lipase and everything else all OK. I'm kinda surprised since dropping iron levels are normal to me, though it's only been since June that I had my last iron infusion. So - she refers me for my first ever contract CT Scan of my tummy (well, first ever CT/contrast scan of anything IIRC). Had the CT Scan on Fri 17th.
I doubt the results will arrive before Thurs or Fri this week, and the GP's clinic will be closed from Friday anyway (closed 24/12-3/1). :(

So, trying not to tell anyone about the CT scan, because it probably won't be a mass or lesions, just my usual iron loss cause, and enjoy the Christmas period. Also hoping the QScan result will be available to me by the end of next week. Fingers crossed.
 
Well, my GORD adventures continue.
Saw the GP on Fri 10th to discuss reflux meds, and how I was waking up at 3am some days and needing to prop myself up and having other unwanted side effects. Appreciated side effect is the ~8kgs I've lost since early Oct with the diminished appetite for food and fermented grape juice. :p

She upped my Nexium to 40mg, requested blood tests and said she might see me before Christmas if things weren't working with the new med level. Went straight to QML for the blood test.
Nexium is 40mg is working well - yay!

Monday 13th the clinic calls to tell me I need to see GP re blood test results. She's pretty much booked out, so I make an appt for Monday 20th, next available.
Tuesday 14th, the clinic calls again, uses the word "urgent", and manage to find a booking for me on Thursday afternoon. Luckily I was able to WFH for the arvo.

I log into My Health Register to try to see my pathology results, but they're locked until 18 Dec. I look at the tests requested, Dr google, and start slightly worrying I might have pancreatitis. Try not to think about it, because, well, I've been Dr Googling after all.

See GP on Thursday, turns out she's actually mostly worried about the sudden drop in my iron/ferritin levels. Lipase and everything else all OK. I'm kinda surprised since dropping iron levels are normal to me, though it's only been since June that I had my last iron infusion. So - she refers me for my first ever contract CT Scan of my tummy (well, first ever CT/contrast scan of anything IIRC). Had the CT Scan on Fri 17th.
I doubt the results will arrive before Thurs or Fri this week, and the GP's clinic will be closed from Friday anyway (closed 24/12-3/1). :(

So, trying not to tell anyone about the CT scan, because it probably won't be a mass or lesions, just my usual iron loss cause, and enjoy the Christmas period. Also hoping the QScan result will be available to me by the end of next week. Fingers crossed.
One thing I have learned is that if you have pancreatitis, you know it. Pain is unbearable.

Hopefully the iron issue is just one of those things and that a clear CT news is the result. Try to compartmentalize. I suspect the results are already back at the Doctors so you'd think if very significant they'd be calling.
 
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One thing I have learned is that if you have pancreatitis, you know it. Pain is unbearable.

Hopefully the iron issue is just one of those things and that a clear CT news is the result. Try to compartmentalize. I suspect the results are already back at the Doctors so you'd think if very significant they'd be calling.
Ouch!

Just checked the QScan app. The results were uploaded/sent on Saturday. They'll be available to me next Saturday afternoon in the app.
Nothing from the clinic yet. Generally, we get an SMS for non-urgent test results to say "make an appointment", and from what I experienced last week, a phone call when the doctor really wants to see you soon.
So, next stage of waiting ...

Oh, and I thought the results would take longer as I heard another receptionist telling someone their results would take 3-4 days and there were delays. But that might have been for a different kind of scan.
 
Ouch!

Just checked the QScan app. The results were uploaded/sent on Saturday. They'll be available to me next Saturday afternoon in the app.
Nothing from the clinic yet. Generally, we get an SMS for non-urgent test results to say "make an appointment", and from what I experienced last week, a phone call when the doctor really wants to see you soon.
So, next stage of waiting ...

Oh, and I thought the results would take longer as I heard another receptionist telling someone their results would take 3-4 days and there were delays. But that might have been for a different kind of scan.
I think they always allow a couple of extra days so people don't start ringing the doctor too soon. Best wishes.
 
Ouch!

Just checked the QScan app. The results were uploaded/sent on Saturday. They'll be available to me next Saturday afternoon in the app.
Nothing from the clinic yet. Generally, we get an SMS for non-urgent test results to say "make an appointment", and from what I experienced last week, a phone call when the doctor really wants to see you soon.
So, next stage of waiting ...

Oh, and I thought the results would take longer as I heard another receptionist telling someone their results would take 3-4 days and there were delays. But that might have been for a different kind of scan.
A week is a very long time to wait to see results. My CT scans, X-rays and ultrasounds are always reported the same day, with a 24 hour hold so that the oncologist can check them first. Sometimes he has disagreed with the radiologist's report.
 
One day they will get rid of the anachronistic practice of not sending results to the patient.
They underwent the test, paid for it (via medicare at least), and so should have the option of getting the test result directly.
There are many people who are capable of intepreting the results at least on a reasonable level.
 
One day they will get rid of the anachronistic practice of not sending results to the patient.
They underwent the test, paid for it (via medicare at least), and so should have the option of getting the test result directly.
There are many people who are capable of intepreting the results at least on a reasonable level.
I agree absolutely with you, Quickstatus. I can remember the times when patients were never given a copy of any results, but having now to wait days or a week for results serves only to increase patient anxiety. Many people such as myself have access to family members who are medicos, or to the easily-accessible Dr Google.
 
Merry Christmas to all General Medical Issues contributors especially those of us who consider ourselves fortunate enough to see another. I expect to see quite a few more now and my thoughts are with those who might be struggling a bit this year. May the coming year see a lift in your spirits and improved health.
 
Ouch!

Just checked the QScan app. The results were uploaded/sent on Saturday. They'll be available to me next Saturday afternoon in the app.
Nothing from the clinic yet. Generally, we get an SMS for non-urgent test results to say "make an appointment", and from what I experienced last week, a phone call when the doctor really wants to see you soon.
So, next stage of waiting ...

Oh, and I thought the results would take longer as I heard another receptionist telling someone their results would take 3-4 days and there were delays. But that might have been for a different kind of scan.

The GP clinic called me as the GP didn't want me waiting over Christmas for my results. I think the GP squeezed me in on Thurs 23rd before they closed for Christmas and NY period.
Upshot: nothing worrisome in the CT scan as far as mass or lesion went. But she referred me to the gastroenterologist for an endoscopy to have a closer look. Also did some more blood work, as she's slightly concerned about hypercalcemia. My prior GP had said "oh, you have high calcium levels", but she didn't think it was worth chasing up.

Gastro has reviewed my referral, and decided to add in a colonoscopy as well. I'm going to torment him about that, as he said at my last one (barely 18mths ago) that I didn't need another until 2025! :p

Thanks to not opting out of My Health Record, I can see the pathology results of that blood test before Christmas. The clinic called today and asked me to come in for an appointment, the one I made for next Tuesday isn't early enough. So I'll go in on Thursday and see what the interpretation of results are.
My lay person reading has me googling hyperparathyroidism and wondering if I should ask my Endocrinologist rello in Sydney who he might recommend to see in Brisvegas.

BUT, the Nexium 40mg and Gaviscon twice a day is working well, overall. Had a minor upset episode yesterday morning, but I'm not sure what that was, as my gastro upsets don't normally send me to bed. I spent most of the day sleeping. *shrug*

Ongoing adventures in figuring out what's going on, and grateful for medical receptionists who create appointments for patients (that can't be seen in online booking systems!)
 
Rightio, GP has referred me to an endocrinologist re hyperparathyroidism, to assess if that's the primary or secondary issue. Hypercalcemia for a couple of years, which prior GP noticed but didn't follow up on, as well as low Vit D. PTH also rather high.

I've run my results past my endocrinologist uncle in Sydney, he isn't overly concerned unless my calcium is over 2.8.

Now waiting for the endocrinologist clinic to review the referral and offer an appointment.

Meanwhile, the last couple of days reflux symptoms have been coming back. Bugger. :/
 
primary or secondary issue
Secondary tends to be associated with low calcium and or severely low Vit D and is generally found in kidney failure patients, also after many years of severe Crohns, coeliac or gastric bypass surgery

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is almost never associated with high Calcium.

But endocrine referral definitely good idea.
 
Went to the local chemist yesterday to fill a statin prescription for cholesterol. Got home, checked on the cost and it was a shock. Filled the same prescription in early August last year - 30 tabs for 20mg dose, cost $16.90. Yesterday the same prescription - 30 tabs for 10mg dose, cost $21.49 ?? GP reduced to the lower dose (half strength previously) because I had muscle aches from the higher dose. Very strange that in 6 months, the cost has gone up 27% and at the lower dose strength! May fill the repeat prescription at a different chemist next time and see.
PS - Been struggling with health issues again - this time it was the devastating "C" [@cove and @kpc have been incredibly supportive again]
 
Did you go to Chemist warehouse, and ask for a generic brand? That will be the chaepest!
 

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