Daily Column
Patient took matters into her own hands
May 24, 2012 By Dr. Gott
DEAR DR. GOTT: I have arthritis in my feet and hands but never let it slow me down. I became semi-crippled after being put on simvastatin. I didn't complain to the doctor. I cannot tolerate pain killers, so I spent hours each day off my feet on a large heating paid. I'm not young, of Scottish ancestry, and raised to be stoic. I'm the widow of a nuclear scientist who died in his mid 50s. He moved us 23 times and I had six children. I never told my oldest PhD/MD/OB/GYN son but but after reading your column in the Journal Inquirer, I stopped using the statin of my own accord and that saved my life. Within a few days the excruciating pain that would have staggered a lesser person was gone. At age 92 ½ I have a lot of pain in my mid spine but I just soldier on. I am doing my own … [Read More...]
Monthly Awareness
May – Hepatitis Awareness
May 1, 2012 By Dr. Gott
Hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver, as well as to several viral infections that affect the liver. Those we are most familiar with include types A, B and C, while D and E are less common. Hepatitis A, as with all viral forms of hepatitis, results from infection. The incubation period ranges from 15 to 50 days from exposure, but symptoms generally present after approximately 28 days. The virus replicates in the liver and is shed in the feces. Transmission most commonly results from exposure to contaminated water, food or feces. The infection does not result in either chronic infection or chronic liver disease. Up to 15% of hep A patients run the risk of relapse of symptoms during the six month period following acute illness. The majority of hep A cases are found in men … [Read More...]
