Persistent Patient Gets Treatment, Better Life

April 19, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
You have responded to several letters about the pituitary and adrenal glands and I thought I should write to share my story. I am currently 75 years old but this whole thing started when I was in my late teens and early-20s. I had started to have some health problems but never gave them much thought. Then at 23, I got married.

A couple of months into the marriage I suddenly gained 20 pounds. Then I developed high blood pressure, darkening of the skin, a puffy face, muscle weakness, bruising, nervousness, uncontrollable emotions, back pain and headaches. Over the next seven years I saw six different doctors. All of them gave me a diet sheet, treated my blood pressure and told me to lose weight. They didn’t seem to care about the other symptoms and didn’t understand that I couldn’t lose weight. (I had been trying.) [Read more...]

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Treat Me, Treat My Dog?

April 16, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I have a cyst on the top of my forehead. Now that my hairline has receded to the point where the cyst has become visible, I would like to have it removed. My insurance will not cover this, but I have a friend and neighbor who is a veterinarian. He says he will do it at cost.

Is there any reason why I should not let him? After all, I trust him to treat my dog and I love her like one of my family.

DEAR READER:
Wow! I am printing and responding to your letter because it is a first. No one has ever asked me to “cross party lines” before.

Veterinarians are qualified — in their field. Many programs do not require a bachelor’s degree for entrance and prerequisites vary, however all programs require up to 90 semester hours at an undergraduate level. Mandated classes include chemistry, biology, genetics, and microbiology. [Read more...]

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Another Rare Cancer On The Rise

April 13, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Would you please write a column about Merkel cell carcinoma? I was diagnosed with this and understand the enormity of it. There is a lack of knowledge about it in medical circles as well as the general population. I feel people need to be made aware of Merkel cell, its symptoms, treatment and survival rates.
I find myself in the fight for my life all because no one recognized a small pencil lead sized imperfection on my face as a Merkel cell carcinoma. Please write a column and make everyone aware of this horrible condition. [Read more...]

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Dementia Patient Given Inappropriate Medication

April 11, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am writing to thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing the article about Seroquel being risky for elderly patients.

My wife is 82 years old and has had dementia for many years. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and given many different medications to try but nothing worked. When she started getting worse her physician prescribed Seroquel.
About four or five weeks into taking the medication, she became really confused. She would wake up at night and want to go home without realizing that she already was home. It scared me so much that I was afraid to go to sleep in case I didn’t hear her get up.

After reading your column, I took my wife off the Seroquel and noticed a dramatic change within a week. [Read more...]

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Memory Loss Not Always Due To Alzheimer’S

March 22, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Does memory loss and confusion always lead to Alzheimer’s? What exactly is dementia?

My physically healthy husband has no memory of our past 59 years, including yesterday. However, he keeps up his hygiene, does his daily chores, fixes his own meals and more. Out sons are not recognized and our dogs are nameless. I am now the “nice lady” who stays here. He refuses all mental tests claiming that all old men have memory problems and periods of confusion. He seems very serene but nearly every evening he makes bizarre exclamations such as “Those two men came in and said I can’t use the shower”, “Am I supposed to stay overnight?”, “Where did my wife go?” or “This building (meaning our home) is condemned, we have to move.” A few minutes later he won’t even remember saying anything. [Read more...]

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Laughing Syncope Isn’T A Laughing Matter

March 8, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I’m a 43-year-old male with enough medical problems to last me until I am 90 years old. I’ve had kidney stones nine times, auto-transplant of my left kidney, have had both melanoma and basil cell skin cancers, seven mini-strokes in a year, had pulmonary embolisms, and stent replacement. I forget people’s names that I have known for years and also have a factor V clotting disorder. As if that weren’t enough, now when I laugh hard, I pass out.

I am the youngest of 10. My mother passed away at the age of 44 when I was four years old. I’m approaching her age quickly and want to take steps to prolong my life.

DEAR READER:
First, let’s review your conditions.

Kidney stones are a common but extremely painful disorder. Most pass without intervention by physician assistance. Others don’t. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column Tagged With: ,

Daily Column

February 6, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I have an advanced case of glaucoma with only partial vision in my left eye which causes annoying difficulty in reading. I came across a delightful after-dinner drink that claims to reduce stroke damage by 80%. It is two cups of black coffee, a spoonful of sugar and two ounces of Irish whiskey chilled with ice cubes.

In investigating, I realized glaucoma was sort of like a stroke of the eyes so I decided to test the drink. It tasted delightful and better still, within minutes my partial vision cleared and I was able to read again. A few weeks later my vision worsened so I drank another glass and my vision cleared.

I have since tried altering the drink a bit. I have eliminated the sugar and reduced the coffee to only one cup (but left the instant coffee at one heaping tablespoon). I only drink it when my vision starts to get foggy or I feel uneasy about my eyes and my vision clears. [Read more...]

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Dry Macular Degeneration Common In Elderly

January 19, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Could you please write something in your column about macular degeneration? I have the dry kind.

DEAR READER:
I am not an ophthalmologist but will do my best.

Macular degeneration is an age-related disorder of the eye. It causes deterioration of the macula which is located in the center of the retina. It commonly occurs in individuals over the age of 50. The dry variety of this disease simply means the deterioration is not accompanied by bleeding. It is also the more common form.

Macular degeneration does not cause total blindness; rather it affects only central vision. Central vision is what we use for everyday tasks such as reading, driving, detail work and recognizing faces. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

December 26, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
My eyelid droopiness and unexplained body weakness led to a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Please provide further information on the condition and its treatment.

DEAR READER:
Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness that can increase during periods of activity and decrease following rest.

Initial symptoms can be an eyelid that droops, blurred or double vision, slurred speech, weakness of the extremities, shortness of breath, or unsteady gait.

It is caused by a defect in the transmission of nerve impulses to voluntary muscles. Impulses travel down a nerve in a healthy individual. Nerve endings release a neurotransmitter substance known as acetylcholine. This substance then travels through the neuromuscular junction and [Read more...]

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Daily Column

December 4, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I’m 86 years old and pass black stool. I went to several doctors. One told me to go to the local emergency room, which I did. They took X-rays and blood tests but couldn’t find the cause.

I’m on Enalapril, HCTZ, Requip, Simvastatin, Terazosin, Temazepan, Propoxyphene, aspirin, fish oil, and calcium daily.

What is causing the problem?

DEAR READER:
Whew, that’s a lot of medication.

There are numerous causes for black stool. For example, the condition often indicates a disorder or bleeding in the digestive tract. As a rule of thumb, black stool comes from the upper digestive tract, while red or maroon colored stool comes from lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

Stomach ulcers caused by aspirin and ibuprofen are common causes of a GI bleed. [Read more...]

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