I’ve been to six doctors, including a cardiologist, neurologist, physiologist, ear-nose-and-throat specialist and the VA. I’ve had all their tests but no diagnosis.

DEAR READER: It may be a surprise to you to discover that heat-induced nausea is rather common. These illnesses occur when a person’s body-temperature control system overloads. We cool our bodies by sweating. With some of us, sweating is inadequate and body temperatures rise.

This may occur because of high humidity that prevents sweat from evaporating as quickly as it ordinarily would, or we may have a fever, be dehydrated, be overweight, have poor circulation, be on specific medications, or use alcohol to excess. When any of these things occur, nausea may result.

There may be steps you can take to prevent this. Hydrate by drinking additional fluids, whatever your level of activity. Consider sports drinks to keep your mineral and electrolyte levels up. By all means, avoid as much sun exposure as you can. Choose lightweight fabrics that will allow your skin to breathe better. When possible, avoid warm outdoor temperatures and keep your home air-conditioned. It’s obvious we cannot walk around in a bubble; however, these are simple suggestions that might get you through days with higher-than-acceptable temperatures for you.

When you feel a bout of nausea coming on, consider eating olives, crackers or a lemon. In fact, keep ice water in the refrigerator and rub the edge of the glass with a lemon wedge. These food items may settle your stomach acid and help with the nausea. Then you might consider light exercise, yoga or tai chi for additional support.

To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “More Compelling Home Remedies.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order made payable to Newsletter and sent to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com.

I was told that I would be in the hospital between five and seven days and back at work within three months. As yet, I have not been able to return to work.

Prior to the surgery, the only thing that was brought to my attention was that sometimes things “go wrong,” and when I was discharged from the hospital, I was given minimal instructions. For some naive reason, I thought that if I woke up from the anesthesia that things had “gone right.”

While the doctor did mention separation of my ribs, he did not tell me that I would have severe pain for months following the surgery. I was also never told that some nerves would be severed and that both pain and nausea could result.

It is now May 2010, and I am still having problems. I tremble most of the time and have started to feel like one of those dolls with my head bobbing. My bra is very uncomfortable, as the right breast is numb, and I often feel as if barbed wire is being rolled over my skin. This sensation is getting less frequent, and I am starting to notice a slight improvement from a few months ago.

My family physician helped relieve the nausea and pain with two medications. I took both for only six to eight weeks and then weaned off in order to avoid side effects.

To make matters worse, it is questionable that I even needed the surgery. Few options were discussed with me. Because I have had few medical problems in my 64 years, I was not versed in the correct questions to ask. After the surgery, it turned out that I had a mostly self-contained infection and not cancer, which was indicated before the surgery.

I am having difficulty exercising. I seem to strain the muscles on my right side whenever I do even light stretch-band exercises. I walk on a treadmill but am only able to do about 10 minutes at a time before I get winded.

Since leaving the hospital, I have had no more atrial fibrillation, which is a blessing, and I have been able to wean down my Coreg to 6.25 milligrams, which has helped restore some of my energy. When I was on a higher dose, all I wanted to do was sleep for the first several months. I also take extra vitamins A, B and D to help repair the nerve damage and boost my immunity.

How long can I expect these problems to last? Why don’t surgeons tell you what to expect prior to surgery and then later in the hospital-discharge instructions? I was totally blindsided by these complications, many of which happened after my discharge.

Please advise patients to get a second opinion and ask surgeons to be up front about what to expect following any surgical procedure. I encourage everyone to get a second opinion, even if they feel that the surgeon knows his stuff.

I realize that removal of a lung is an intense operation, but I feel that I would have been better prepared to handle the complications if I had known that they could happen.

DEAR READER: Whether or not you were medically naive, it is no excuse for your surgeon to have neglected to inform you what the surgery entailed, both during and after. I am also shocked that you were urged to have removal of a lung without even undergoing further diagnostic testing to determine whether your “lung tumor” was truly a lung tumor. Surgical removal of any organ should be done only when and if there is medical necessity, and there are numerous tests available to determine what type of tumor or other abnormality is present. You have endured months of complications and pain for a lung infection that could probably have been treated with oral medications.

As to your question about why surgeons don’t inform patients, I would certainly hope that this is not the norm. When I was in active practice, patients were always informed about possible complications of surgery and provided with alternative options, as well as the surgeon’s opinion of which would be best. This also held true for diagnostic testing, such as imaging studies that involved dyes, tissue biopsies and more.

I urge you to get a referral to another surgeon or a pulmonologist, who can review your operative report, examine you, and offer suggestions regarding treatment of your complications. You will also benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation, which aids your body in adjusting to having only one lung in a controlled, safe manner. Speak to your family doctor about these steps.

I had some blood work done more than a year ago and am sharing the results with you. My doctors don’t feel the work needs to be repeated. TSH 3.48, T3 2.8, T4 1.06, rheumatoid factor 8, ANA, 80, potassium 3.8, bilirubin 0.2, and sedimentation rate 2. I hope this helps you.

DEAR READER: Based on your symptoms and lab results I strongly believe that you have hypothyroidism. This means your thyroid gland is not producing enough thyroid hormone to maintain your health. The thyroid gland produces several types of hormone, mainly thyroxine which contains iodine that allows for normal body growth and function.

As for your lab work, your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) should be below 4 but anything higher than 2.0 coupled with an abnormal T4 (thyroxine) (4.5-11.2) is a red flag for early-stage hypothyroidism. Your T3 (triiodothyronine) level should be 1.0 to 2.0. Yours is elevated because your body is attempting to fix itself by releasing more of one hormone to compensate for the lack of another. However, this attempt is failing in your case. The ANA is abnormal and in some individuals with thyroid disease can be increased, much as yours is. The other levels are all within normal limits.

I strongly urge you to see an endocrinologist who specializes in glandular disorders such as thyroid disease. He or she should run more tests to get up-to-date results. I suspect, they will clearly point to hypothyroidism. The specialist should also check you for other disorders and forms of thyroid disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and others.

Treatment is simply thyroid medication taken every day. Once on medication you should start to feel better within a few days.

As an aside, depression is not generally associated with thyroid disease but given your situation and lack of resolution it can be expected. If your depression does not go away once you start to feel better, I recommend you see a psychiatrist or counselor. He or she can work with you and, if necessary, prescribe medication.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Medical Specialists”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed 4 ¼“ X 9 ½“ letter-sized stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Can you give me any insight into this phenomenon?

DEAR READER: Your experience appears to be common among individuals who have had gallbladder removal surgery. In fact is it so common it has been titled postcholecystectomy syndrome. It occurs in 5-40% of all patients following gallbladder removal.

Symptoms may include persistent upper right abdomen pain, gas, bloating, nausea, upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. Diarrhea from this disorder can be eased by taking the medication cholestyramine.

Pain that persists should be followed up with your gastroenterologist to ensure that another condition, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, pancreatitis, peptic ulcers, or sludge in the bile duct are not to blame.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Gallbladder Disease”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed 4 ¼” X 9 ½” letter-sized stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.