Guest guest Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Hi Jackie, You can always get your own hormone panel done through Canary Club which uses both Diagnos-Techs and ZRT labs. It's fairly inexpensive at around $149.00 I think. That would give you a starting baseline, and then any doctor you go to should accept these labs and/or redo them again at a lab of his choice for his own verification. I think Diagnos-Techs gives more information, from what I've seen people posting with their results. I used ZRT Labs before they joined with Canary Club and they were much more expensive on their own. Not sure what they are offering now through Canary Club, whether it's the entire panel or not, but you can go and look on the Canary Club website. As for seeing a doctor that is mentioned in SS's book, if you have the money sure why not? Probably a waiting list to get in right now, which would be good thing for saving up for it if you need to. In the meantime you could do the Canary Club test so you have a baseline to take in to the doctor, and you could even start self treating with OTC USP Bioidentical Progesterone if you need it, for instance, or whatever else the tests show you need that you can obtain on your own. I'd do the whole panel which I think Diagnos-Techs offers all of the following but ZRT I don't think offers Ferratin. Could be wrong, so check it out to make sure. 4x Cortisols, DHEAs, Testosterone (and later at doctor get tested for FREE Testosterone if these tests only offer regular Testosterone testing), Estradiol, Estrone, Estriol, Progesterone, Thyroid Free T4, Free T3, TSH, TPO antibodies, Ferritin, etc. Also, not sure what 1 grain is doing, if anything, and personally I would just drop it for two weeks or so prior to testing so I could have a clean baseline test. That's what *I* would do though, YMMV, and others may disagree with that. If you're going to look at going to an endo, I'd definitely FIRST get that testing done so you yourself know where you stand on thyroid, adrenals, and female hormones and will know whether whatever he says will address those results or not. Also to even avoid THAT, it's a good idea to pre-screen him/her before wasting your time and money going in. Call and ask whether or not he/she prescribes Armour for hypothyroid, whether he is familiar with Adrenal Fatigue (aside from Cushings or 's) and how to treat it, and the interactions between the female hormones, thyroid, and adrenals. I'd ask whether he treats to both symptoms AND labs, and doesn't just go by TSH for thyroid, too. If he said yes to all of that, AND took my type of insurance, I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven and would make an appointment asap, lol. But, if he can't answer yes with no reservations to all of these, then I personally wouldn't even bother wasting my time or money by going in. If the nurse or receptionist or whoever has a problem with you asking all these things, tell her that you are looking for very specific things and it's better to find out ahead of time what the doctor's views are on them rather than waste HIS time on something he is unwilling to use for diagnosis or treatment. That will usually get her to at least ask him your questions, if not get him on the phone himself. This is where it comes in handy to have already test results in hand and can SAY you do, briefly describe your conditions if necessary, and say that so-and-so is what you are looking for in the way of treatment. --- Ken & Jackie Reimer wrote: > Hi , > > What I need is a doctor who will do a full hormone > panel on me to > find out what I do and don't need. > > SS recommends a few doctor in her book, two of which > are actually in > my area. My thoughts are, would it be worth > my own hard earned money to see one of them? My > insurance is kaiser, > they will definitely NOT cover it. > > Right now my doc Rx me for 1 grain and I haven't > physically seen him > since July I don't think he really cares. > > I would like to do an endo through my insurance, but > from what I am > hearing on the groups I am on, I may not be any > better off. > > Jackie ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Sponsored Link Compare mortgage rates for today. Get up to 5 free quotes. Www2.nextag.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 , Great advice. I need to get my baseline myself, sounds reasonable $$ $ enough. I'm sure the Dr. Through SS would be much more. I have Kaiser, it's a weird world in itself. I have to call a call center to make an appointment. there are no receptionists, etc... to talk to. They have no idea what his/ her method os treatment is. So it's a hit or miss. That's why I have been through 4 Dr.'s in a year. I have to make the appt. go to it, talk with them.... just to find out we are not eye to eye. It's draining. They'll et me request an endo, but it's the luck of the draw. I thought it would be a good idea for them to have a website where there would be Dr. info. so a person can choose wisely. It only has the name, sex and where they went to school, interned, and how long they have been with kaiser. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this out for me. Jackie > Hi Jackie, > > You can always get your own hormone panel done through > Canary Club which uses both Diagnos-Techs and ZRT > labs. It's fairly inexpensive at around $149.00 I > think. That would give you a starting baseline, and > then any doctor you go to should accept these labs > and/or redo them again at a lab of his choice for his > own verification. > > I think Diagnos-Techs gives more information, from > what I've seen people posting with their results. I > used ZRT Labs before they joined with Canary Club and > they were much more expensive on their own. Not sure > what they are offering now through Canary Club, > whether it's the entire panel or not, but you can go > and look on the Canary Club website. > > As for seeing a doctor that is mentioned in SS's book, > if you have the money sure why not? Probably a waiting > list to get in right now, which would be good thing > for saving up for it if you need to. > > In the meantime you could do the Canary Club test so > you have a baseline to take in to the doctor, and you > could even start self treating with OTC USP > Bioidentical Progesterone if you need it, for > instance, or whatever else the tests show you need > that you can obtain on your own. > > I'd do the whole panel which I think Diagnos-Techs > offers all of the following but ZRT I don't think > offers Ferratin. Could be wrong, so check it out to > make sure. > > 4x Cortisols, DHEAs, Testosterone (and later at doctor > get tested for FREE Testosterone if these tests only > offer regular Testosterone testing), Estradiol, > Estrone, Estriol, Progesterone, Thyroid Free T4, Free > T3, TSH, TPO antibodies, Ferritin, etc. > > Also, not sure what 1 grain is doing, if anything, > and personally I would just drop it for two weeks or > so prior to testing so I could have a clean baseline > test. That's what *I* would do though, YMMV, and > others may disagree with that. > > If you're going to look at going to an endo, I'd > definitely FIRST get that testing done so you yourself > know where you stand on thyroid, adrenals, and female > hormones and will know whether whatever he says will > address those results or not. > > Also to even avoid THAT, it's a good idea to > pre-screen him/her before wasting your time and money > going in. Call and ask whether or not he/she > prescribes Armour for hypothyroid, whether he is > familiar with Adrenal Fatigue (aside from Cushings or > 's) and how to treat it, and the interactions > between the female hormones, thyroid, and adrenals. > I'd ask whether he treats to both symptoms AND labs, > and doesn't just go by TSH for thyroid, too. If he > said yes to all of that, AND took my type of > insurance, I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven and > would make an appointment asap, lol. But, if he can't > answer yes with no reservations to all of these, then > I personally wouldn't even bother wasting my time or > money by going in. > > If the nurse or receptionist or whoever has a problem > with you asking all these things, tell her that you > are looking for very specific things and it's better > to find out ahead of time what the doctor's views are > on them rather than waste HIS time on something he is > unwilling to use for diagnosis or treatment. That will > usually get her to at least ask him your questions, if > not get him on the phone himself. > > This is where it comes in handy to have already test > results in hand and can SAY you do, briefly describe > your conditions if necessary, and say that so-and-so > is what you are looking for in the way of treatment. > > > > . > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Jackie, If you have their name and city, could you look up their number and call the office directly? I've never had much luck with medical office receptionists, but you mgiht get to speak to the doc's nurse to ask about how they work with patients. Then you could call Kaiser and set the actual appointment??? Ken & Jackie Reimer wrote: , Great advice. I need to get my baseline myself, sounds reasonable $$ $ enough. I'm sure the Dr. Through SS would be much more. I have Kaiser, it's a weird world in itself. I have to call a call center to make an appointment. there are no receptionists, etc... to talk to. They have no idea what his/ her method os treatment is. So it's a hit or miss. That's why I have been through 4 Dr.'s in a year. I have to make the appt. go to it, talk with them.... just to find out we are not eye to eye. It's draining. They'll et me request an endo, but it's the luck of the draw. I thought it would be a good idea for them to have a website where there would be Dr. info. so a person can choose wisely. It only has the name, sex and where they went to school, interned, and how long they have been with kaiser. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this out for me. Jackie > Hi Jackie, > > You can always get your own hormone panel done through > Canary Club which uses both Diagnos-Techs and ZRT > labs. It's fairly inexpensive at around $149.00 I > think. That would give you a starting baseline, and > then any doctor you go to should accept these labs > and/or redo them again at a lab of his choice for his > own verification. > > I think Diagnos-Techs gives more information, from > what I've seen people posting with their results. I > used ZRT Labs before they joined with Canary Club and > they were much more expensive on their own. Not sure > what they are offering now through Canary Club, > whether it's the entire panel or not, but you can go > and look on the Canary Club website. > > As for seeing a doctor that is mentioned in SS's book, > if you have the money sure why not? Probably a waiting > list to get in right now, which would be good thing > for saving up for it if you need to. > > In the meantime you could do the Canary Club test so > you have a baseline to take in to the doctor, and you > could even start self treating with OTC USP > Bioidentical Progesterone if you need it, for > instance, or whatever else the tests show you need > that you can obtain on your own. > > I'd do the whole panel which I think Diagnos-Techs > offers all of the following but ZRT I don't think > offers Ferratin. Could be wrong, so check it out to > make sure. > > 4x Cortisols, DHEAs, Testosterone (and later at doctor > get tested for FREE Testosterone if these tests only > offer regular Testosterone testing), Estradiol, > Estrone, Estriol, Progesterone, Thyroid Free T4, Free > T3, TSH, TPO antibodies, Ferritin, etc. > > Also, not sure what 1 grain is doing, if anything, > and personally I would just drop it for two weeks or > so prior to testing so I could have a clean baseline > test. That's what *I* would do though, YMMV, and > others may disagree with that. > > If you're going to look at going to an endo, I'd > definitely FIRST get that testing done so you yourself > know where you stand on thyroid, adrenals, and female > hormones and will know whether whatever he says will > address those results or not. > > Also to even avoid THAT, it's a good idea to > pre-screen him/her before wasting your time and money > going in. Call and ask whether or not he/she > prescribes Armour for hypothyroid, whether he is > familiar with Adrenal Fatigue (aside from Cushings or > 's) and how to treat it, and the interactions > between the female hormones, thyroid, and adrenals. > I'd ask whether he treats to both symptoms AND labs, > and doesn't just go by TSH for thyroid, too. If he > said yes to all of that, AND took my type of > insurance, I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven and > would make an appointment asap, lol. But, if he can't > answer yes with no reservations to all of these, then > I personally wouldn't even bother wasting my time or > money by going in. > > If the nurse or receptionist or whoever has a problem > with you asking all these things, tell her that you > are looking for very specific things and it's better > to find out ahead of time what the doctor's views are > on them rather than waste HIS time on something he is > unwilling to use for diagnosis or treatment. That will > usually get her to at least ask him your questions, if > not get him on the phone himself. > > This is where it comes in handy to have already test > results in hand and can SAY you do, briefly describe > your conditions if necessary, and say that so-and-so > is what you are looking for in the way of treatment. > > > > . > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Jackie, If you have their name and city, could you look up their number and call the office directly? I've never had much luck with medical office receptionists, but you mgiht get to speak to the doc's nurse to ask about how they work with patients. Then you could call Kaiser and set the actual appointment??? Ken & Jackie Reimer wrote: , Great advice. I need to get my baseline myself, sounds reasonable $$ $ enough. I'm sure the Dr. Through SS would be much more. I have Kaiser, it's a weird world in itself. I have to call a call center to make an appointment. there are no receptionists, etc... to talk to. They have no idea what his/ her method os treatment is. So it's a hit or miss. That's why I have been through 4 Dr.'s in a year. I have to make the appt. go to it, talk with them.... just to find out we are not eye to eye. It's draining. They'll et me request an endo, but it's the luck of the draw. I thought it would be a good idea for them to have a website where there would be Dr. info. so a person can choose wisely. It only has the name, sex and where they went to school, interned, and how long they have been with kaiser. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this out for me. Jackie > Hi Jackie, > > You can always get your own hormone panel done through > Canary Club which uses both Diagnos-Techs and ZRT > labs. It's fairly inexpensive at around $149.00 I > think. That would give you a starting baseline, and > then any doctor you go to should accept these labs > and/or redo them again at a lab of his choice for his > own verification. > > I think Diagnos-Techs gives more information, from > what I've seen people posting with their results. I > used ZRT Labs before they joined with Canary Club and > they were much more expensive on their own. Not sure > what they are offering now through Canary Club, > whether it's the entire panel or not, but you can go > and look on the Canary Club website. > > As for seeing a doctor that is mentioned in SS's book, > if you have the money sure why not? Probably a waiting > list to get in right now, which would be good thing > for saving up for it if you need to. > > In the meantime you could do the Canary Club test so > you have a baseline to take in to the doctor, and you > could even start self treating with OTC USP > Bioidentical Progesterone if you need it, for > instance, or whatever else the tests show you need > that you can obtain on your own. > > I'd do the whole panel which I think Diagnos-Techs > offers all of the following but ZRT I don't think > offers Ferratin. Could be wrong, so check it out to > make sure. > > 4x Cortisols, DHEAs, Testosterone (and later at doctor > get tested for FREE Testosterone if these tests only > offer regular Testosterone testing), Estradiol, > Estrone, Estriol, Progesterone, Thyroid Free T4, Free > T3, TSH, TPO antibodies, Ferritin, etc. > > Also, not sure what 1 grain is doing, if anything, > and personally I would just drop it for two weeks or > so prior to testing so I could have a clean baseline > test. That's what *I* would do though, YMMV, and > others may disagree with that. > > If you're going to look at going to an endo, I'd > definitely FIRST get that testing done so you yourself > know where you stand on thyroid, adrenals, and female > hormones and will know whether whatever he says will > address those results or not. > > Also to even avoid THAT, it's a good idea to > pre-screen him/her before wasting your time and money > going in. Call and ask whether or not he/she > prescribes Armour for hypothyroid, whether he is > familiar with Adrenal Fatigue (aside from Cushings or > 's) and how to treat it, and the interactions > between the female hormones, thyroid, and adrenals. > I'd ask whether he treats to both symptoms AND labs, > and doesn't just go by TSH for thyroid, too. If he > said yes to all of that, AND took my type of > insurance, I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven and > would make an appointment asap, lol. But, if he can't > answer yes with no reservations to all of these, then > I personally wouldn't even bother wasting my time or > money by going in. > > If the nurse or receptionist or whoever has a problem > with you asking all these things, tell her that you > are looking for very specific things and it's better > to find out ahead of time what the doctor's views are > on them rather than waste HIS time on something he is > unwilling to use for diagnosis or treatment. That will > usually get her to at least ask him your questions, if > not get him on the phone himself. > > This is where it comes in handy to have already test > results in hand and can SAY you do, briefly describe > your conditions if necessary, and say that so-and-so > is what you are looking for in the way of treatment. > > > > . > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Nope, I've tried. They are all their won world, so no " offices " of their own, you go to a huge office building type of place. Everything is done through the main call center. Like when i needed a re-fill, I had to call the main call center. Technology, ugh! Jackie > Jackie, > > If you have their name and city, could you look up their number and > call the office directly? I've never had much luck with medical > office receptionists, but you mgiht get to speak to the doc's nurse > to ask about how they work with patients. Then you could call > Kaiser and set the actual appointment??? > > >> . > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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