Pain relievers can upset stomach

May 22, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m a 32-year-old female in good health, on no regular medications (I take an occasional ibuprofen for headaches or pain), and am not overweight. I try to exercise at least three times a week. I am a new follower of your column and (as I’m sure you’ve heard many times before) love your common-sense advice and willingness to recommend alternative remedies.

I am writing about my mother (68, in good health) who has arthritis in her hips and cannot tolerate most pain-relievers because of a sensitive stomach. Do you have any recommendations for alternative or home remedy treatments that may help her? She keeps active and eats a balanced diet, but (as expected) the pain is slowly increasing as she ages.
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To walk or not to walk

March 24, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am an 80-year-old male, 5’8”, weighing 172 pounds. My medications consist of finasteride, simvastatin, lisinopril, terazosin, omeprazole, plus all types of vitamins including glucosamine MSM for joint pain relief. I also take chelation therapy on a monthly basis. I golf three times a week during my winter months in Florida and walk one or two miles a day.

My problem is I can only walk for ten minutes at a time due to severe pain in both hips. After resting for less than a minute, I can continue for another ten minutes.

I purchased an expensive pair of walking shoes but that didn’t help. I took one 500 mg pill of naproxen a day for two weeks in the event I had some inflammation but it didn’t improve my problem. [Read more…]

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Back, hip alignment leads to cramps

September 2, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I experience cramping in the legs, thighs and toes, and even my feet turn to the side at times. I have found that when this happens, my lower back and hips are out of alignment. I visit my chiropractor and the cramping stops. I think this is worth a try for those who experience similar cramping rather than taking medication. You have listed other cramping remedies in your column, but none of them have worked for me. I hope my suggestion will help others as much as it has helped me.

DEAR READER: Cramping in the legs and feet can occur when one or more of the spinal vertebrae or discs push against the spinal cord or surrounding nerves. Pain, weakness, numbness and tingling are more common symptoms, however.
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Quality time has no limit

September 2, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: In one of your replies to a reader who, at 39 years of age, was having severe hip pain, you said he had a lot of time left and that it should be quality time.

First, I don’t believe you can determine how much time someone has left to live. Secondly, at what age does an individual’s right to quality time expire?

As a senior with a family history of longevity, the issue of quality time greatly concerns me.
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Hip replacement needs revision

July 13, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 39-year-old male. I had a total hip replacement on my left hip in July 1998. I had almost no pain (once it healed) for more than 10 years. Now I have almost constant pain and other sensations that feel as if the prosthetic is popping out or slipping.

My problem now is that the only doctor who will agree to do my revision surgery (the one who did the original replacement) is not a provider with my insurance. I have consulted two other physicians, and they both tell me that I need to wait because the plastic ball part of the prosthetic is not worn enough to warrant having the surgery. At the same time, they tell me that they can’t say for sure what is going on until they open me up.
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Fibromyalgia, a real pain

July 1, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: After severe back pain and many different meds and treatments, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I took Cymbalta, which helped but it made me lethargic and depressed. I’m now taking Celebrex, which helped for a while, but now the pain in my lower back and hips is so bad that I cannot lie on my side. I am ready to give up. Do you have any advice?

DEAR READER: The pain of fibromyalgia is widespread and can be felt throughout the body. Symptoms vary from person to person and can include joint stiffness, sleep disorders, fatigue, widespread pain and a great deal more. Herein lies the problem, because every symptom can be tied in to other disorders, making it difficult to diagnose.
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Hip pain likely due to arthritis, not bone cancer

March 18, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a seven-year survivor of ovarian cancer. I now have pain in one of my hips. I recently read an article about a lady who was a cancer survivor who developed bone cancer 10 years later. How do they test for bone cancer?

DEAR READER: Before jumping to the conclusion of bone cancer, you should consider the more common occurrence of arthritis of the hip, a condition that leads to pain in one or both hips as the cartilage begins to wear down.

If you underwent radiation, this could have sped up the deterioration of the connective tissues. The pain could also simply be age related, but because you did not provide any history, such as age, health status, medications, etc., I can’t determine whether this is likely.
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Home remedies ease common pains

February 6, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I recently read a response from a reader about castor oil rubs and grape juice with pectin.

I, too, have had 3 cortisone shots in my hip (no recommendation from my doctor for hip surgery) and so far they only offer temporary relief.

Inasmuch as I did not read your original article about the castor oil rubs and grape juice with pectin, I am very interested in knowing your instructions for such. I realize there is no guarantee that this treatment will help me but I would like to give it a try.
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