smithn
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Apr 4, 2006, 5:30 AM
Post #5 of 7
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I think a Vascular surgeon is your next step. You have unexplained swelling in various areas, and suffer from leg pain. These are signs of poor circulation. A vascular surgeon will assess you for circulatory problems. He will listen to the pulses in your legs, ankles and neck and will tell you if they are of good or poor quality. He can also order proper subsequent studies if necessary. They are good. Your family doctor told you he "isn't sure" if the swelling is lymph node-related or not. That is because it is not his speciality. He should be concerned enough to want this thoroughly checked out for you. A vascular surgeon can help with this. You don't always need a referral to see one, you can call and make this appointment on your own. However, because I don't know how your insurance works, you should first try to get a referral from your family doctor just in case this is the only route that your insurance will cover. Your family doctor shouldn't give you any trouble at all - it would be ridiculous for him to deny your interest in an opinion from a specialist. I'm sure he will give you the referral.
You have recurrent abscesses as well. Some people just develop these - it doesn't necessarily mean that there is anything wrong with you in that respect. They are infections caused by bacteria and bacteria is found in and on all of us. Sometimes however, abscesses can be indicative of an immune disorder but if that was your case, this would show up in your lab results which, I'm assuming were good or you would have been told otherwise. I see where your urologist said that he thought your immune system should be stronger than it is but you never said that it was proven that your immune system is weak. Remember that a Urologist is limited in specializing in Urological disorders/diseases. Also, you mention that you have a family history of protate cancer. For this reason, you should have your prostate checked on a yearly basis. Prostate cancer and your scrotal abscess are unrelated so don't worry about that. Keep your scrotal area as clean as possible and you can possibly help to prevent a recurrent abscess in that area.
You mention that you have a strong family history of heart problems/disease. Actually, most of us do! Are you short of breath? Do you have chest pain or heaviness? Do you sweat profusely upon slight exertion? Do you have swelling in your ankles and hands? The best thing you can do with a family history of heart problems is to make changes in your life to take better care of yourself. If you are overweight, try to take control of that and lose some if you can. If you are eating improperly, make a change there. Your fatigue could be due to poor eating habits, lack of sleep and stress. You are worried about a lot of things. You are worried about developing conditions that you don't even have. However, it's also understandable that you are worried because you don't have good answers yet.
You say you have a kidney mass and then later mention that it was a cyst. There's a huge difference between an unknown mass and a cyst. Many, many people have cysts on their kidneys. These come and go as well and aren't alarming. Your radiologist is recommending a repeat CT in a few months from now. Do it. It is to your benefit. Radiologists are the ones who read and interpret the images for your physician, not vise versa.
In regards to your obtaining your records... you have every full and legal right to your own medical reports. Just ask for them. You will have to sign a release for them but they belong to you. You can get these from your doctor's office or from the hospital where your studies were done. And, there is no reason why you should not be able to obtain these within a few days if not immediately.
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