Dr. Peter Gott Nonsurgical carotid-artery-disease treatments Q: I am 84 years old and have carotid-artery disease. I had an endarterectomy on the right side of my neck. My doctor checks the left side by ultrasound every three months. Right now, the blockage is borderline, but I am told that more surgery will be necessary if it worsens. Is there any way to clear the other carotid artery without having more surgery?
Dr. Peter Gott Jury still out on hormone replacement Q: I am an 85-year-old lady. I have a stinging and burning sensation when I urinate. My doctor told me it was because of my hormones and prescribed a vaginal hormone pill, which I use twice a week.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Dr. Peter Gott Oldie but goodie works well for gout Q: I am a 72-year-old male who suffered from gout for years, and I mean suffered. My big toe would swell up to twice the normal size. My doctor prescribed colchicine with directions to take one every four hours until I got diarrhea. Then I was to discontinue the medicine until the diarrhea stopped. Once it did, I'd begin the regimen all over again. I tried the cherry cure, stayed off beer and booze for a while, tried other remedies and still got gout.
Q: I am writing in hopes you or some of your readers can help. My back and arms are covered with eczema that itches something fierce. I've been to eight different doctors and dermatologists with no relief.
Q: Seven years ago, I had bilateral inguinal-hernia repair done by laparoscopy. Before the surgery, I had some pain on the right side of my groin, but there was no visible hernia.
Q: I just wanted to write to thank you for saving my life. Quite some time ago, you had an article that stated that if a person suffers from repeated attacks of shingles, the cause may really be a malignancy somewhere in the body.
Q: I injured my back in a fall on ice six years ago. I had surgery on my back in 2007, with three spacers inserted. I still have one disc that burst and bulged. Could this all cause Parkinson's disease? I ask because my walking is very unstable.
Q: I'm a 74-year-old female and have recently contracted hepatitis C. I'm too old for interferon or a transplant. I'm itching all over and have tried cornstarch and all anti-itch creams. Is there anything I can take or any foods I can avoid eating to get rid of the itch?
Q: What would cause my eyelids to twitch? I asked my ophthalmologist the last time I visited him for a pressure test for glaucoma. He responded it could be stress or nerves. I'm not under stress, and my left eyelid has continued to twitch for weeks.
Q: My doctor never returns my telephone calls. I don't contact him needlessly, yet there are times when I feel I need some direction about medication he has prescribed or need to discuss the side effects I experience. What's with his silence?
Q: I am a 58-year-old widow. Recently, my regular doctor retired, so I went to a new one for my yearly mammogram. As the doctor was examining my breast, he told me that he found a lump and asked me if I had felt it during my self-exams. I hadn't. He sent me to get the mammogram, but nothing was found, so I was then sent for an ultrasound. Again, nothing was found, and the technician also did a manual exam and found nothing. When I returned to the doctor, he said I needed further testing, and, when I asked why, he said, "Because I definitely feel a pea-size lump, and it needs to be taken care of."
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Dr. Peter Gott What is intermittent claudication? Q: I have been diagnosed with intermittent claudication, but I know almost nothing about it. I would like to have as much information about this disease as possible.
Q: I have a question about my fiance. He is a 48-year-old alcoholic with cirrhosis of the liver. He also has hypertension, probably from his drinking, for which he takes two medications.
Q: I am writing to find how my friend might be helped. At age 77, she underwent surgery to remove precancerous tissue in the upper intestine. The second day after the surgery, she was rushed into the operating room to remove more of the intestine because she was becoming very ill and was near death.
Q: I am an active and athletic 67-year-old woman who has always been in excellent health. It was found that I have inherited heart disease after having two angioplasties and a quadruple bypass 12 years ago. I have been taking statins for about 10 years, and my best results came from 10 milligrams of Crestor, which I took for the majority of the 10 years.
Q: I am a healthy 77-year-old female. I eat mostly vegetables, fruits, whole-grain cereals and drink water. I exercise daily. Because I am a vegetarian, I also take fish-oil supplements.
Q: About two years ago, you published a letter from a woman who said she had a problem for six years that was eventually helped by taking slippery elm bark. Her symptoms of debilitating, ongoing nausea and vomiting were almost exactly the same that our 43-year-old son had had for almost 10 months.
Q: Do you have any information on plantar fasciitis? I have a baker's cyst, which has caused me to walk differently. As a result, I believe I have developed plantar fasciitis.
Q: I'm a 70-year-old woman. My astute physician's assistant noticed I had a low red-blood-cell count and referred me to a hematologist. I was subsequently diagnosed with hereditary stomatocytosis. Because there is no history of Mediterranean heritage, he enlisted the help of the renowned Stanford Medical Center, so I don't doubt the diagnosis.
Q: I have suffered with full-blown fibromyalgia since 1997. From the start, there wasn't a symptom I didn't have -- pain, chronic bowel problems, depression, headaches and a lack of sleep. My feet and legs hurt constantly. My fingers are painful, and I have overall pain.
Q: I recently heard a statement on television made by an attorney with regard to Levaquin, causing tendon rupture and asking anyone who suffered with the problem to call a toll-free telephone number. What on earth is this all about? Has an enterprising law office simply devised another get-rich-quick scheme? Or is there validity to the issue? I've had family members prescribed this drug by their physicians but haven't heard of any associated problems.
Q: I have been diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Can you tell me anything about this condition and what I might expect in the future? My doctor has put me on two medications, Coumadin and Coreg.
Q: I have discovered another use for mentholated chest rubs. The fire ant is one of the banes of Florida, and I have tried all of the local remedies from ammonia to meat tenderizer.
