The "Ask a Doctor" Thread

[Khairan]

Originally Posted by zzze

assalamu alaykum

I got splatted with hot oil around my eye as i was cooking yesterday, stung like crazy(just started popping like crazy and i was like 3 feet away)

theyre tiny, but there are 3/4 of them around my eye and i dont want them to scar. They're about 5-7mm long (and wide). What can I put on them?

Salaams,

I think this is the sort of thing that really requires a physical exam before anyone can offer you reasonable advice. The main thing you need to look out for from a non-cosmetic perspective is to make sure the burns are healing well and not getting infected. Especially because this is apparently around your eyes, if you haven't already I would go see a doctor just to make sure it looks okay.

ws

[Khairan]

Originally Posted by Asvi

What type of multivitamins should a man take?

I was looking at Centrum vs. Men's One A Day, which one is better?

I don't know of any data that favours taking one type of multivitamin over another. The most current data we have also suggests that mvis are not as effective w/regards to health benefits as getting the same nutrients through a balanced diet -- in short, I would say take whatever you want, but I'm not convinced it's doing you any good, especially since you are young and presumably otherwise healthy and we have no reason to think you've got significant malnutrition.

ws

[Khairan]

Originally Posted by AmroodWaala

I have been feeling tingling sensation and numbness in my left hand' pinky and ring finger. It's been there since Oct. 07. The pain shoots from elbow toward both directions [triceps & forearm and half of the palm]. There are also episodes of severe pain in the affected areas - esp. after sitting in front of laptop for long and sometimes in the morning [might be the sleeping position]. After talking to couple of doctors, they are saying it's the ulnar entrapment. I can't get treated [nerve conduction study or physical therapy] for insurance reasons

i should be getting the insurance by the end of the summer. hopefully, it doesn't get permanent by then. According to the doctor, the "nerve tube" is damaged from the elbow to the palm and for it to grow back [if nothing is blocking it to grow], it takes 1 mm a week on average. ??? And I also wanted to get a second opinion re. the elbow surgery. According to the doc, it may not help because the scar tissue might grow back after the surgery and start blocking the nerve again. How often does that happen?

Another question is whether there is something I could do to alleviate the pain [in addition to not sitting on the comp for long - which i am trying] or some sort of exercise/ massage I can perform to stimulate the nerve recovery.

Any suggestions?

The anti-inflammatory med. reduces the pain but the numbness remains. So far, I have taken the following in the past months:
Ibuprofen [800mg]
naproxen
acetaminophen and hydrocodone
cyclobenzaprine
methylprednisolone

not a big fan of medications but i had no choice. since none of them worked and from fear of future side effects, currently i have stopped taking any steroids or prescribed anti-inflam... just over the counter

thanks

If pain is a major concern for you, have you talked to your doctor about taking gabapentin (neurontin) or pregabalin (lyrica)? It sounds like you're having neuropathic pain and traditional pain relievers are not going to be as effective at treating it. The point of the anti-inflammatories at this juncture is mostly to reduce swelling, which is contributing not only to the nerve irritation and entrapment but also to your pain.

Since you don't have insurance, maybe you can find a clinic in your area that treats the uninsured which will offer you medication discounts (I work at such a clinic in my own area, and though I mostly see poor immigrants I also see college students and retirees who are past their insurance plans). Either that, or you can just see your regular doctor and try to get a one-month supply as a trial to see if it will help your pain. Gabapentin is much cheaper than pregabalin. Other medications you can ask about are tricyclic antidepressants, some of which can be useful in the treatment of nerve pain.

Good luck.

[AmroodWaala]

Originally Posted by Khairan

If pain is a major concern for you, have you talked to your doctor about taking gabapentin (neurontin) or pregabalin (lyrica)? It sounds like you're having neuropathic pain and traditional pain relievers are not going to be as effective at treating it. The point of the anti-inflammatories at this juncture is mostly to reduce swelling, which is contributing not only to the nerve irritation and entrapment but also to your pain.

Since you don't have insurance, maybe you can find a clinic in your area that treats the uninsured which will offer you medication discounts (I work at such a clinic in my own area, and though I mostly see poor immigrants I also see college students and retirees who are past their insurance plans). Either that, or you can just see your regular doctor and try to get a one-month supply as a trial to see if it will help your pain. Gabapentin is much cheaper than pregabalin. Other medications you can ask about are tricyclic antidepressants, some of which can be useful in the treatment of nerve pain.

Good luck.

thank you for taking the time to respond. actually, i've been going to the community clinics like the one you mentioned. i haven't talked to my doctor about Gabapentin but surely, i will ask.
regards.

[zzze]

assalamu alaykum

Originally Posted by Khairan

Salaams,

I think this is the sort of thing that really requires a physical exam before anyone can offer you reasonable advice. The main thing you need to look out for from a non-cosmetic perspective is to make sure the burns are healing well and not getting infected. Especially because this is apparently around your eyes, if you haven't already I would go see a doctor just to make sure it looks okay.

ws

thank you

the must weren't serious at all i dont think as one of the marks has gone already and the others are quickly disappearing. Think they just scabbed over.

Thank God

[iTz_NoT_Me_iTzZu]

I've been having mild sinus pressure for over a month. I just kinda ignored it cus it wasn't that bad but lately it's been getting worse and theres a lot of pressure around my left eye, it even looks a little puffy. It hurts a lot when I'm outside and I go indoors, it causes my eye to tear up. Any thoughts...?


Thanks in advance

[flutterz]

wassup doc?

i'm like insanely cold all the time (except for when i'm insanely hot for like six random days outta the year but i don't really mind that. i mean, who wouldn't wanna be HAWT!!!). the thyroid stuff is okay, alhumdulillah. i read somewhere that not having enough body fat, not getting enough sleep and skipping meals can be some of the causes. is that true? also, does anyone have any suggestions as to what else i can do to try to be warm... in addition to wearing billions of layers of clothes, cuddling with warm-bloodied animals and carrying a portable heater with me wherever i go?

thanks...
cold, miserable, back-from-the-dead, fish-reptile person

p.s. my favorite act of revenge in winter is touching the back of people's necks with my deathly cold hands. it makes them jump three feet in the air. all the more fun when they don't see it coming...

[bravotwozero]

Originally Posted by flutterz

p.s. my favorite act of revenge in winter is touching the back of people's necks with my deathly cold hands. it makes them jump three feet in the air. all the more fun when they don't see it coming...

I used to do that to my mother all the time

Warm fluids, tea/hot chocolate/soup should help. I've had to camp outdoors in some pretty frigid conditions before, and there was nothing like a hot brew to warm me right up.

[flutterz]

Originally Posted by bravotwozero

Warm fluids, tea/hot chocolate/soup should help. I've had to camp outdoors in some pretty frigid conditions before, and there was nothing like a hot brew to warm me right up.

did you have a heated porter potty next to your tent with a heated toiletseat?

[YOUSUFofSD]

For the doctors or soon to be doctors...or people just in the know.

I hurt my knee playing basketball like end of december...and now2-3 months later it still hurts...

I'm going to go see a specialist soon, but in the meantime im taking the glucosomine and msm pills twice a day...will that help the tendons and whatever in the knee?

[Khairan]

Originally Posted by iTz_NoT_Me_iTzZu

I've been having mild sinus pressure for over a month. I just kinda ignored it cus it wasn't that bad but lately it's been getting worse and theres a lot of pressure around my left eye, it even looks a little puffy. It hurts a lot when I'm outside and I go indoors, it causes my eye to tear up. Any thoughts...?


Thanks in advance

Another one of those things that is hard to evaluate without a proper exam. There is of course concern that you might have developed a sinus infection. There is additional concern of a possible extension into the periorbital tissue given your complaints of eye pressure and puffiness.

You may have had a low-grade sinusitis earlier on (the cause of your mild discomfort) which caused poor drainage of your sinuses and over time has resulted in an infection.

In any case, since this has been going on for a while, I'd get it checked out. Hope you feel better.

[Khairan]

Originally Posted by YOUSUFofSD

For the doctors or soon to be doctors...or people just in the know.

I hurt my knee playing basketball like end of december...and now2-3 months later it still hurts...

I'm going to go see a specialist soon, but in the meantime im taking the glucosomine and msm pills twice a day...will that help the tendons and whatever in the knee?

I don't know of any convincing data that glucosamine and all that over the counter joint stuff is terribly effective.

One general tip to keep in mind is that anything that is a "supplement" and not a "drug" does not legally require FDA evaluation. What this means is that the producers of the medication can claim a lot of things but don't have to undergo the relatively rigorous process of proving their claims through clinical trials, unlike pharmaceutical medications.

It doesn't mean that OTC supplements are all useless, it just means that the data behind them is frequently lacking and a lot of times we really don't know how well they work.

[Salika]

What is the relationship between hormonal balance, lymphatic system, and weight loss? What about just the lymphatic system and hormonal balance?

If one is out of wack, which should be targeted?

For example, if someone has an inefficient lymphatic system (but nothing fatal, just inefficient) and hormonal problems, which is the caused and which is the effect? In other words, to fix the problem, should one target the lymphatic system in terms of solution or the hormonal problem? In other words, does the lymphatic problems cause hormonal problems or hormonal problems cause lymphatic disorders?

[Ilikemyscarf]

so there is yellow stuff coming out of my nose along with clear snot, i looked it up and it might be a sinus infection. i've had this for about a month now, so it's definitely not a cold or just allergies. what do you guys think?

[Khairan]

Originally Posted by Salika

What is the relationship between hormonal balance, lymphatic system, and weight loss? What about just the lymphatic system and hormonal balance?

If one is out of wack, which should be targeted?

For example, if someone has an inefficient lymphatic system (but nothing fatal, just inefficient) and hormonal problems, which is the caused and which is the effect? In other words, to fix the problem, should one target the lymphatic system in terms of solution or the hormonal problem? In other words, does the lymphatic problems cause hormonal problems or hormonal problems cause lymphatic disorders?

I'm afraid I'm not really sure what you're trying to ask.

The lymphatic system is a series of vessels which drains tissue fluid (lymph) from the spaces inbetween cells. That fluid is filtered through a series of immune checkpoints which can detect and initiate a response to infection (lymph nodes). Eventually, lymph is emptied into the venous circulation and returns to the heart.

Disruption of the lymphatic circulation, either through disease (elephantiasis) or scarring (surgery) can cause focal edema which causes fluid buildup and swelling in the affected areas -- and these areas can sometimes be quite large.

However, when you are talking about actual weight gain through retention of fluid, this is a result of fluid building up in the interstitial spaces (between the cells) due to backup of venous fluid and resultant poor drainage from the tissue. This is frequently seen in acute and chronic heart failure states.

I'm not sure if this answers your question -- is there a specific disease entity you are wondering about?