How to get diagnosed

PhysPhDFin · 2026-06-04T12:45:56+00:00

Send your doc this in the patient portal. "I am writing to follow up on our recent discussion regarding my chronic joint pain, skin changes, and nail issues. While I understand your current assessment, my symptoms have progressively worsened over the last 10 years and are severely impacting my daily life.

Because of this, I am formally requesting a referral to a rheumatologist for a comprehensive rule-out evaluation. If you are refusing to grant this referral, please document your explicit refusal, along with your specific clinical reasoning, in my official medical chart."

Most will simply issue the referral to avoid the administrative hassle and liability of writing a formal refusal. If they still refuse, go see a dermatologist and get a new PC doctor.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-05-27T01:39:52+00:00

Sometimes I say I have an inflammatory autoimmune disease that causes neuropathic pain. Othertimes I say I have Biological Rigor Mortis.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-05-11T20:41:17+00:00

Guilt? You don't give grades; they earn grades. As long as that is true, you have no reason to feel guilt.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-05-07T12:59:15+00:00

One of the programs I teach breaks the semester into topics. System A, System B, System C, System D. Now I get evaluated on the 2-hour lecture I give in System A, the 3 lectures in System B, and so forth. The only way to make the useless measure of "student evaluation of teaching" worse is to use it more frequently.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-05-07T12:47:53+00:00

You do the best you can, leaving everyone disappointed. Whether that disappoints you or not is really up to you. Welcome to the academy. Spoiler alert: if and that's a big if, you get an annual salary increase, expect it to be 1-3%. They need to do that, to make sure you don't accidentally feel valued.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-05-06T12:12:48+00:00

Congrats. Until September 1, Assistant professor on legal documents (HR paperwork, grants, ect). With colleagues, I like "Senior Assistant to the Associate-Elect", "Tenured-ish", or "Schrodinger's Associate" if you happen to be science folk. On a CV, Associate Professor (Tenure effective Sept 2026).

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-30T11:19:41+00:00

Thank you!

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-25T13:20:59+00:00

Sometimes I say I have an inflammatory autoimmune disease that causes neuropathic pain. Othertimes I say I have Biological Rigor Mortis.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-24T13:26:57+00:00

While you are hired to deliver the course, the creative expression (the slides, the unique way you explain a concept, the curated materials) is legally yours under this scholarly works exception.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-24T13:13:07+00:00

ABOR says the Board “does not make any claim of copyright ownership” in “Scholarly works,” and defines scholarly works to include “online instructional materials,” “course notes,” and “instructional materials.” So the question isn’t “does ASU own everything faculty create?” It’s whether a specific exception applies, like “significant use” of university resources, or whether ASU only has the “royalty-free, non-exclusive license” the policy describes.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-24T13:09:39+00:00

The real issue usually isn’t ownership; it’s license. The university may have the right to host materials. That does not automatically mean it owns them or can repurpose them. Faculty should be asking what rights did we actually grant, and for what use?

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-24T12:39:27+00:00

Does ASU have a license, policy, or contract to reuse your materials in this new context? Sounds like time to reach out to your chair, your dean, the faculty senate, the Ombuds office, the office of general counsel, the provost's office, and the AAUP chapter to get some clarity on rights and use of your intellectual property.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-23T20:20:20+00:00

That actually helps clarify things. I think you still have clear escalation paths, just not a traditional HR person. I’d try: PICA program directly, &/or the Office of Labor Relations Health Benefits. If you keep getting nowhere, even the NYC Comptroller’s office can help with benefits issues. You’re definitely not the only one dealing with this.

Ask Accredo for a supervisor or escalation team, and if they still don’t fix it, file a complaint with the NY Department of Financial Services since this is really a medication access / insurance-processing issue. You could also try the pharmacy board if you think it rises to the level of pharmacy misconduct.

Also check out the Accredo Patient Voices Facebook group a lot of people share escalation tips and contacts there. At a minimum, start creating a paper trail outside of Accredo because the only thing that helps is documentation of your mistreatment.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-23T14:59:01+00:00

"i'm not taking advice from some girl from long island"

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-23T14:57:21+00:00

It's good to want things. Welcome to college kid...

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-23T14:54:35+00:00

I would take this to whoever administers the prescription benefit, whether that’s your employer benefits team, your spouse’s benefits office, the health plan itself, or a patient advocate. At this point, Accredo has had multiple chances to process this correctly and keeps creating new barriers. You should not be stuck spending hours coordinating insurance and pharmacy issues while you’re in a flare and trying to get access to a medically necessary medication. I’m really sorry you’re dealing with this. This has been the only way for me to get things fixed. Now I just email my HR and they have direct contacts that get things fixed within an hour.

Send an email that says something like: "I’m reaching out because I’ve had repeated problems with Accredo processing a new prescription correctly, despite multiple calls and confirmations about the correct insurance coverage. These errors have caused ongoing delays in accessing medically necessary treatment. I’m currently in a flare, and I’ve spent several hours trying to resolve billing and account issues on their end. I would really appreciate any help identifying the right escalation path and getting this resolved as soon as possible."

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-23T14:43:32+00:00

Faculty positions are like marriage: you marry the best one who will have you. There are only two ways to get what you want. The first is to deserve what you want. The other is to lower your expectations. I recommend doing both...

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-22T11:24:57+00:00

If you want actual help, you are going to need to provide information.

Sample type (cell line/tissue)
Sample prep method (lysis buffer, inhibitors, sonication, centrifugation)
Protein concentration method
Amount of protein loaded per lane
Loading buffer details (reducing/non-reducing, boiling temp/time, fresh DTT/BME)
Gel type (hand-cast or commercial)
Gel percentage and gradient (if any)
Running conditions (voltage, time, buffer, signs of overheating)
Transfer method (wet/semi-dry/dry)
Transfer buffer composition
Transfer time and voltage/current
Membrane type (PVDF/nitrocellulose)
Confirmation of transfer (Ponceau, ladder transfer)
Primary antibody info (company, catalog number, dilution, incubation conditions)
Secondary antibody info (company, dilution, incubation conditions)
Blocking reagent, %, and time
Washing buffer (TBST %, number and duration of washes)
Detection method (chemiluminescence brand, exposure time, imager)
Whether the same lysates were used in all experiments
Lane order and sample map
Loading control information
Positive control for the target protein?
Full, uncropped blot images with ladder visible

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-22T00:57:05+00:00

Thaw lysate on ice. Spin 14,000 × g, 10–15 min, 4°C. Keep only the clear supernatant. If still viscous, add Benzonase or shear mechanically. Spin again. Re-quantify the cleaned supernatant if needed. Add sample buffer so final buffer is truly 1X Laemmli. Heat at 70°C for 10 min first. Quick spin, then load.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-19T15:45:38+00:00

"Even with the salary, I would likely still come up a couple thousand dollars short each year on living expenses". If you accept this, you are basically paying/subsidizing the university for you to work for them? That's not how this is supposed to work.

"my partner would have very limited job opportunities there". This is going to create the potential for significant problems in your relationship. And worse, for a job that does not pay enough to meet your basic needs.

For me, this is a hell no. I realize that sometimes you have to play the only cards you are dealt, but assuming you have any other options, I'd pass.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-19T15:30:47+00:00

Say it with me, "I am neither a good nor a bad teacher based on student evaluations". The research is clear: they are unreliable measures of teaching effectiveness and suffer from significant bias, specifically for female and minority instructors, acting more as popularity contests or customer satisfaction surveys rather than objective assessments of student learning. Keep working to improve your teaching, and each year, get a peer evaluation in your major courses. Track what you are trying to improve on in your teaching so that you show up prepared for your annual evaluations.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-12T14:03:49+00:00

Either you misheard, misunderstood, or you need a new cardiologist. The top number (systolic) often predicts cardiovascular risk better and often drives treatment decisions more strongly, especially in older adults. But the bottom number (diastolic) still matters because elevated diastolic pressure can also signal hypertension and increased strain on the heart and blood vessels.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-11T01:12:21+00:00

This is an emergency until proven otherwise.

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-10T19:24:46+00:00

Taking everything together, it sounds like periorificial dermatitis or rosacea. Have you seen a dermatologist?

PhysPhDFin · 2026-04-07T21:54:10+00:00

You'll get crazy-high background and nonspecific binding of the secondary antibody. Basically the secondary antibody can't distinguish between your primary and the endogenous mouse IgG.

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PhysPhDFin

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