Split fingertips at risk for infection

August 6, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am writing in hopes to get a response for a terrible problem my daughter is having with her fingertips. When she was just out of the Air Force, she began a business cleaning homes. She had her hands in water and chemical cleaners constantly. She hasn’t done that job for the past five years, but since then, she has a cracking of her fingertips that is painful, and they sometimes bleed.

Her pharmacist and family doctor told her that this would probably never heal. She has tried tea-tree oil, Corn Husker’s lotion and every cream we can think of. It used to get worse in the winter but now happens year-round. Would seeing a dermatologist help? Or is this really something that she will have to live with? I’m afraid that she will eventually get a bad infection or something else. She’s now six months pregnant, but anything that you suggest could be held off until after the baby is born.
[Read more…]

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Hives Likely Due To Infection

March 29, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
My husband has a perplexing problem with hives. He is 59-years-old. He is currently taking Benicar, Toprol, simvastatin and a low-dose aspirin every day for cholesterol and blood pressure problems but is in good overall health. I don’t believe these play a role in his current affliction, however, because the hives started several years before he was prescribed these medications.

He first began getting the hives while working but now that he is retired, they still occur. He has seen his primary care physician and an allergist, both of whom have not been able to offer any suggestions. After hearing a detailed description of an “attack”, they both said they didn’t believe it was due to food or drug allergies. [Read more…]

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Unusual Stroke Due To Vasculitis

March 5, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
This is a long story starting in 2001, but I will only tell the last part.

My niece supposedly had a stroke. She then had X-rays that showed she had a small spot of bleeding in her brain. She went to several doctors because she had all kinds of things happening to her like headaches that nothing helped that disappeared, only to be replaced by seizures. She was having trouble walking and her memory was getting worse. Her legs would give out and she would fall. One arm became limp and a host of other things.

All this lasted for two years and was accompanied by numerous hospitalizations. Finally her doctor told her that both carotid arteries were plugged. He said it was caused by plaque. She kept getting worse so her husband changed her doctor and switched hospitals. [Read more…]

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Daily Column

February 20, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I have a wound on my breast my doctor has me treating with iodine and Neosporin. Every time it begins to heal I pick the area and find I’m right back to the beginning.

What do you think I should do?

DEAR READER:
Initially, I recommend you speak with your physician about having the wound cultured to determine why it isn’t healing. Perhaps you have an infection that isn’t being eradicated. You may require a prescription antibiotic instead of iodine and Neosporin. The testing will provide the answer.

Then, ask if you can cover the wound with a dry, sterile dressing or use other methods to deter scratching. You must allow the wound to heal on its own without continually irritating it.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Consumer Tips on Medicine”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped, number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

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Daily Column

November 26, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Last spring I had another colonoscopy (polyps had been found on a previous one). I was fine when I went it but have been ill every since. With other scopes I had no problems but this time I could barely get home. At the two week check up I told the doctor I had pain in my side, gas pressure and woke up many times at night to urinate. I was told it had nothing to do with the colonoscopy and that I probably just had a bladder infection. I then went to my regular doctor who gave me antibiotics. I continue to have all the same problems. I have since timed my nighttime urination to every one hour and twenty minutes. By the time I get back to sleep, I wake up because I have to go again.

It has now been three months since my symptoms started. Do you have any suggestions? [Read more…]

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Daily Column

November 7, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am 64 years old in good health but take five medications.

About two months ago I got a cold and was given a Z-pack. It didn’t help so I was given Levaquin. Now I cannot smell or taste. How can I bring these senses back?

DEAR READER:
I would first like to comment on your cold treatment. A cold is caused by one of more than 100 different viruses. Antibiotics can only treat bacterial infections and therefore should not be given to individuals with colds or other viral infections.

Now to your senses of smell and taste. Some individuals can experience a loss of these with trivial colds. It can also be the result of various medications. If they have not returned within six months, I recommend you make an appointment with your physician to discuss your meds and what the side effects are. [Read more…]

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Daily Column

October 17, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
It seems to me every time I get a cold someone tells me to sweat it out with exercise. Is this a good idea or is rest and plenty of fluids the way to go?

DEAR READER:
A cold is an infection of the nose and throat that can develop because of any one of more than 200 different viruses. The rhinovirus is the most common and is highly contagious.

Symptoms usually develop between one and three days after exposure to a cold virus and can include runny nose, watery eyes, cough, sneeze, congestion, and sore throat. As a general rule, fever does not occur with the common cold.

There are countless ways to come in contact with a virus. Sharing objects such as a drinking glass or cup, droplets from a contagious individual sneezing near you and hand to hand contact are at the top of the list. [Read more…]

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Daily Column

August 14, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am a 24-year-old woman who has suffered from recurring impetigo all my life. As far as my medical history is concerned, I am 5’ 9” tall and weigh 138 pounds. Twice a year without fail I get this horrible sore on my lower lip that spreads to part of my chin. I can always get it to go away in about two weeks; however, in the mean time it is very unsightly and painful. I cannot disguise it with makeup because it spreads if touched.

I am very careful to not use washcloths or towels more than once during an outbreak. I wash everything in hot water. Do you know of anything else I can take to prevent getting this?

DEAR READER:
Impetigo is a skin infection that most often affects infants and children but can affect adults as well. It begins as red sores that rupture, ooze and form a yellowish/brown crust. [Read more…]

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Sunday Column

August 10, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
My husband is 70 years old and feels like a dying man. In the last three months he has had a plethora of problems including an unproductive cough (now gone), trembling, lightheadedness, dizziness, fatigue, hiccup spasms, nausea, constipation and occasional inability to urinate. Currently he is taking half an Atenolol (50 mg), one Prilosec and one low dose aspirin (81 mg).

In February 2007, my husband was found to have high blood pressure and was started on lisinopril, hydrochlorothiazide and metoprolol which he took until October 2007 when he developed an unproductive cough, extreme fatigue and lightheadedness. He could sleep 24/7. He saw his doctor who ordered testing but nothing was found.

He then developed dizziness when turning his head or bending over [Read more…]

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Daily Column

June 27, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
My child suffers from constant ear infections and we have been told he may require surgery to place tubes in his ears. I don’t want to do this but hate to see him in so much pain. Are there any non-surgical options?

DEAR READER:
While I don’t know the reason for your child’s repeated ear infections, I will fill you in on one non-surgical item available on the market. In 2005 the FDA approved the Ear Popper, a non-invasive, non-drug related prescription device for treating fluid in the middle ear, Eustachian tube dysfunction, otitis media, pain from travel in an airplane, hearing loss, and fullness from sinus conditions and colds.

Popping of the ears is common and is nature’s way of relieving pressure imbalances of the middle ear. When the natural method doesn’t work, pressure in the middle ear becomes higher or lower than in the outer. Fluid can accumulate and [Read more…]

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