Ask MetaFilter questions in the health & fitness category

Penis scars?

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:40:04 -0800

I am masturbating so many times every day (6 or more times to orgasm mainly with my left hand reading erotica - yeah, I can read and work at the same time yo) that I have established a mound of scar over the top of my foreskin. How long should I abstain for it to fall off and what are some ways I should abstain while I am waiting. It's not an STD, I have been to a doc in the meantime. Frodo!

Want to sell Perma-Moisturizer. Please send tell.

jstarlee — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:14:25 -0800

My hands sweat. A lot. They sweat when I am hot. They sweat when I am nervous. They sweat when I am holding a object in my hand. They sometimes even sweat when I look at them. What are my options? The only good(?) thing about sweaty hands is that they are very very soft - the first thing people say after they've felt how soft my hands are is usually "you must not do any chores at all you lucky/lazy guy!"

Needless to say this has caused much inconvenience in my life so far. Every time I take a test I need to prepare one to two handkerchiefs or a box of Kleenex, and even that is not a guarantee I won't be ruining my test with excessive sweating. I dread shaking hands with people for this same reason, same thing goes with holding hands with girls (a far less common situation). I need to clean my keyboard every two or three days otherwise it will look like someone just dug it out of a Pharaoh's tomb.

I have heard that there are procedures that use laser to severe/burn the nerve so my hands will never sweat again, but at the cost of the sweating migrating to other body parts. Does anyone have any experience with that? If you or someone you know has a similar problem, please kindly share either how they cope with the situation or what they did to get rid of the excessive hand-sweating.

Thanks!

Let's do the chemo mañana...

Estragon — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:23:33 -0800

In cancer treatment, how much does delaying chemo by a couple of weeks exacerbate recurrance risk? My mother has breast cancer. Based on the biopsy report, it's fairly aggressive, hormone-receptor negative, and had spread to the lymph nodes in her armpit on the same side as the breast with the tumor. She had the tumors removed last week, and is recovering well from the surgery.

She lives in a relatively small city, and the first opportunity to see a local oncologist is on Dec 15, which seems like a long time away. However, there are some larger cities nearby where she could probably see someone sooner. I'm thinking that she could get a recommendation for a chemo regime from further away, then receive the treatment in her home town. However, for reasons I don't understand, her surgeon is resistant to this idea. Money is not the issue: she is loaded. I'm wondering how hard I should push on this. Is delaying the chemo by a couple of weeks likely to substantially increase the risk that the cancer will recur? I would have thought by doing the chemo while the metastases were still small, you could reduce the risk of a chemo-resistance mutation, because there would be fewer cancer cells to explore the space of possible mutations. (I will be asking the surgeon this, too, of course, but I'm looking for an unbiased view. Any pointers to research papers bearing on this question would be particularly welcome.)

Ideally this would be her responsibility, but she can't seem to think about it clearly because there is a big elephant lumbering through the room with "CANCER=DEATH" inscribed in large gothic script on both its flanks, and she won't go near it. She affects a child-like faith in the good intentions and skills of her surgeon, and any time I try to talk about the risks or the personal responsibility to verify that the treatment makes sense, she freaks out or retreats into assertions about the surgeon's skill and positive outlook. (Despite the fact that he has told me that statistically, she's in pretty bad shape.) So I feel like the responsibility's on me, to a certain extent, and I can't communicate effectively with her on the issue. Doesn't help that I'm on a different continent...

The surgeon says that based on the pathology results so far from the analysis of the main tumor, he believes that the tumor is HER2 positive, but we don't have the results for the HER2 lab test back, yet. There were no obvious metastases in a full-body scan, and he said he found no evidence that the cancer had colonized the exteriors of the lymph nodes, which he says is a good sign.

Is it safe to fly with (mystery) reflux?

bitterkitten — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:20:53 -0800

Safe to fly with (mystery) reflux? I'm not sure that's what I have, but I'm definitely not ill (cold/flu) wise. I don't have (the feeling of) heartburn and have rarely had it. I've been checked out by a ton of doctors over the last year, including a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for a slowly worsening stomach condition that feels like it just keeps getting bigger - all they've found so far via endoscopy a couple months ago is "it's red and irritated, but we can't see anything else". It's like this 24/7 regardless of what I eat or do not eat. Or even if I eat nothing (maybe 24+ hours of no food from the capsule study wasn't enough time for it to quiet down, if it can). And I've been scoped and scanned and xrayed all over and every which way. Pleasant, eh?

This past weekend, it seemed to have worsened, making breathing more difficult than it was previously, and now I feel like I'm clearing my throat all the time, feel like my throat is perpetually full of gunk, which is typically a symptom of some kind of stomach/gerd/throat thing. I've already done trials of prilosec, nexium, and prescription zantac, and none of them did anything, and have been attempting cpap but have not been successful (strangely, my doc decided on this last visit to take away the machine, and wants me to try to sleep better on 'safe' non-benzo sleep meds before trying the machine again). I've also been working with a psychiatrist on getting a new anti-depressant to help ( i was on Zoloft a few years ago) , but haven't found a good new one yet.

I have been treated for allergies/asthma/Hashimoto's/IBS for years, and drainage out the wazoo - I'm pretty sure this is not those. My nose feels pretty darn clear and I think my chest is ok... it really feels like the throat. I also have a list of all the things this thing might be (and I was going to post it as a 'mysterious-diagnosis-me, mefites' in the next couple of days) - I even wrote a letter to this guy a couple days ago, but the thing right now is, after seeing 4 different docs in the last few days, none of whom said "we must get into an er right now to look at you again", but instead "ok, we'll scope you again in a few weeks as soon as you can get in there", I am supposed to get on a plane tomorrow morning and fly my ass to New York to visit the family.

The answer is probably the obvious one "if you don't feel up to it, don't get on a plane, dumbass". Still, outside of possibly catching something from somebody out there with flu or a cold, which I feel would end up with me needing serious help, is there any reason why just going on the plane, change in pressure, etc, should make any difference? I mean, there could be heat, change in humidity, etc... or perhaps me perceiving that I'm having more difficulty breathing just from making myself do this, rather than an actual problem.

So while I'm not asking for a diagnosis here, unless you feel like it, I'm just wondering if this is a really stupid idea. I have already flown twice in the past year feeling the big stomach pressure, but was not having as much trouble breathing then as I've had the last couple of days. Normally I fly with my little pillbox of tricks in case of whatever might happen, but for this, nothing seems to be making a difference.

Discount therapy?

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:05:15 -0800

I need a prescription for meds for depression in central/western Florida. And therapy, if that's possible, but it's mostly for the meds. I'm asking for a friend who has no insurance. Therapy isn't absolutely necessary (but is preferred). Is there some search engine or a way to locate a less expensive therapist who works on a sliding scale?

I understand it's possible to get a prescription from a regular doctor for something like Zoloft, is that avenue worth pursuing?

Throwaway email is hazcheapmeds@yahoo.com. Thanks!

My brain is broken.

relucent — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:25:52 -0800

I think I may have a thyroid disorder. What now? Details inside. 25-year-old healthy white male. No medical history to speak of.

For the past five months, I have gradually lost my ability to concentrate or focus on anything for more than a few minutes at a time. (I have always been prone to distraction, but not like this.) My ability to process information has decreased, and I am constantly in a state of what can only be described as "brain fog".

I used to be quick-witted, but now I often will forget what I'm saying in the middle of a sentence. My conversational skills have tanked. I write a lot, but I go back and read the things I've written recently and they lack the clarity and cohesiveness that I used to have. I also fidget constantly. If I'm sitting at my desk, my leg is shaking almost 100% of the time. I am frustrated to no end with all of this.

The start of it coincided with a stressful project at work over the summer which lasted about 2 months. We also moved to a new city in October for my wife to take a job, and I am now working from home after being in an office environment for the past three years. So there were the factors of stress and and a big lifestyle change that could have contributed. It may be worth pointing out that I probably do not get as much exercise as I should, but I have recently started running a few times a week and it hasn't helped a bit. I also quit drinking coffee, but no help there either.

Most of these symptoms are indicative of a thyroid disorder of some sort (probably hypothyroidism). Both of my parents have had a history of minor thyroid problems so this would not be unprecedented, though they were both over 40 when they had their issues, so 25 is awfully young.

So I think I have a problem and I think I may know what it is. I'm scheduling my yearly physical in the next couple of days, and will see if I can get some tests done. (I am terrified that they won't find anything. The worst thing I could hear is that I don't have a problem.) But is there anything else I can do in the mean time? Any other steps I should be taking?

I know self-diagnosis is a dangerous thing, and I know hypothyroidism is an easy scapegoat for life failures. But I don't have anything to blame on it... I'm not overweight and I haven't really failed at anything. My work performance has actually been excellent despite all of this. I just can't think.

How can I safely order a prescription drug from Canada that's not approved in the US?

DMelanogaster — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:58:59 -0800

How can I order a drug from Canada that's not approved in the US? Will I go to jail? The drug is domperidone and it is widely used to treat gastroparesis (delayed stomach empyting) in Canada and in Europe. There's a big controversy about its not having been approved by the FDA. It's considered a very safe drug everywhere in the world. This disorder, if you're interested, involves feeling too full after eating, and is very annoying and disconcerting, but doesn't seem to be actually dangerous (at least not in my case). Diabetics get it a lot, but mine is "idiotpathic" (i.e. no cause can be found). It seems to reflect a problem with the vagus nerve (maybe). I had this condition of "idiopathic gastroparesis"for the first time five years ago. It was diagnosed by a gastroenterologist after ruling out all kinds of other things (I had a gastroscopy, barium swallow, etc., and no physical blockage was found) who put me on Reglan which didn't really help (which he predicted). At that time he actually suggested that I might want to try domperidone, but told me it's not sold in the US.

Last time the gastroparesis went away by itself after six months. This time I've just had it for a couple of weeks so far but was thinking maybe I want to be more aggressive in making myself feel better faster.

Therefore: how can I order domperidone safely? when I google it of course there are all kinds of ads for online pharmacies, but I've never done this before. How do I know I'm going to be sent the right drug? And am I doing something illegal? Will dogs come to my house to smell all my medications?? Will I be fined or imprisoned???

Thank you.

me me me ME me me meeee

2or3whiskeysodas — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:11:16 -0800

Vocal warm-up suggestions for a play that requires me to talk loudly for about an hour straight, and then sing loudly for another hour? I'm performing a (virtually) one-man show that has me speaking, sometimes yelling, for about an hour in Act I. In Act II I'm singing almost throughout, including one song where I have to go full-on high-pitched ROCK POWER.

Additionally, my character has a kind of pinched voice, even when singing, and doesn't sing from the diaphragm at all. I'm trying to work on getting the same effect without murdering my throat, but it's tricky.

I've read a bunch of threads here with general warm-up advice and some great recommendations for teas, lozenges and other stuff I can ingest, many of which I'm eager to try. However, can anyone point me at some specific warm-up exercises I could be trying? The show opens in (oh shit oh shit oh shit) a week and I don't want to go mute halfway in!

Help! Thanks!

If I could grow my hair through a Space Echo, the world would be a better place.

setanor — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:19:35 -0800

Help me understand why I am losing hair! YANMD, of course, but I do wish you were. I'll start from the beginning. For reference, i'm a 25 year old male, moderately active (a lot of walking), social drinker, no smoking, no drug use, maybe 2 americanos a day, tops.

About 8 months ago, I was conditioning in the shower and noticed a whole bunch of hair had come out of my head and was all over my hands, something that had never really happened before. This was at the start of a 6 month transition period without health insurance, so I was more or less on my own... So, I was, for sure under a bit of stress at the time, not much more than before in my life, but around the start of this there were a few things that were particularly stressful.

For the next several months, if I were to run my hands through my hair, I would usually come out with 3 or 4 hairs in my hands at any given point. Showering, the amount of hairs coming out would be higher, as I imagine the water makes the hairs have traction on the hands and they stick much easier.

Because of this, I've been more or less terrified of showers for the past several months, being excessively gentle after a life of vigorous lathering, because seeing so much hair on my hands every time I shower is a sickening thing to deal with.

A month and a half ago, I was able to see a doctor, who ran through the possibilites: normal pattern baldness/hair loss, iron deficiency, dermatological malady, something stress related, or some combination of more than one of those. She ordered a blood test, and things went on as normal. I would say now that my hair is definitely noticeably thinner, but not to the point I would expect given the amount of hairs that have come out.

Yesterday, I returned to the doctor as I hadn't been made aware of the results of the blood test. The first thing the doctor said was "if it's a slight iron deficiency, that might be the easiest thing to fix" and then I found out that, in fact and in his words, the results were "normal, better than normal, really" whatever that might mean. It was at this point that he decided to look at my scalp.

What he found, apparently, was a lot of yellowish scaliness in some regard, not scaly as in hard and scaly, but... I don't know, I didn't see it. He didn't seem too taken aback. I mentioned that it might be that I had been showering so lightly over the past several months that my scalp hadn't been exfoliated, but he more or less dismissed this as a cause. I left with a prescription for Stieprox shampoo, a recommendation to get "Stress Tabs" or an equivalent and a follow-up appointment in a month.

So, I showered this morning with the Stieprox for the first time, and I made sure to be vigorous, which made me incredibly nervous, and sure enough, a bunch of hair came out - much more than normal, which I am sure was not helped by the fact I was so nervous about it...

What are my questions? I'm not sure. Should I keep using the Stieprox? I realize that these hairs in the shower that come out aren't coming out because of the shower - they were already loose enough/out of the roots that they would come out anyway, they just happen to depart all at once at that time. My original thought was that this was telogen effluvium, but I know that this usually resolves within 6 months or so, and the pace at which my hair comes out hasn't really seemed to have changed. At the same time, I've noticed that my hairline has sunken a bit over the temples, something which could otherwise be quite normal, if it weren't for the hair coming out everywhere else...

I don't know, really. What questions should I be asking? My priority, as I see it, is to worry about it little enough that it doesn't make me stressed or bothered, which I can do most of the time, save for when it's time for a shower, or when I hit my head or brush my hear on something and I fear it's all about to fall out like a tree in autumn.

Thanks for all your help.

How can I help my sister with her debilitating scoliosis?

ajarbaday — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:07:27 -0800

Why has my sister's scoliosis suddenly resulted in partial paralysis, and what treatments are available to help her? My younger sister is 15, and was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was around 10 years old. Since then, she has grown tremendously and her scoliosis has gotten much worse. About a month ago, she had a case of the swine flu that weakened her muscles and caused a collapse at school. She was pulled out, and has been at home since, but her walking and mobility are seriously impaired. While she has gone out a few times, she will often wake up and not be able to move her feet or legs. At these times her feet are stuck in a position that looks like a ballerina straining to be on point. She complains of back, neck and shoulder pain.
She just began seeing an osteopath, after going to several specialists who were unable to diagnose her condition. The osteopath is confident it's a muscular condition that is caused by a twisting of her spine, and is treating her with muscular therapy.
In the meantime, she can't do much of anything and recently had a nasty fall while trying to use the bathroom. This means that she has to be babysat almost all the time, and meanwhile we don't really know if she'll get better.
I realize that AskMeFi is not a medical community, but I'm hoping that someone will be able to share experience or advice for dealing with this type of situation. She lives in the Gainesville, FL area.

How to prevent alcohol-induced blackouts?

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:51:30 -0800

I find that it doesn't take very much alcohol for me to end up with a bit of short-term amnesia. Is there anything I can do about this? Is this a sign of Bad Things To Come? I know, if I drink less (or none at all), I'll remember everything. Let's take that off the table for now. I know the risks involved and I'm as responsible as I can be, given the parameters. That said...

This weekend, I went out and had some drinks and when I woke up Sunday morning, I didn't remember a huge chunk of the night. In this particular instance, it was annoying because apparently there was drama that I don't remember. This is frustrating because while I was told that I didn't do anything that I have to apologize for, I hate not knowing.

This isn't the first time that this has happened. I'd say that it takes four beers of average strength for things to get foggy and if you add a cocktail or two after that, it's like there's a huge hole in my memory. I'm 5'4" and about 200 pounds, so assuming that I have a decent meal beforehand, I don't feel like this is a huge amount of alcohol. I also don't appear drunk enough to people around me that I should have this kind of memory loss. In fact, when I'm more outwardly drunk, I tend to remember more of it.

It's frustrating because I genuinely like to drink. I love beer, I love whiskey. I know that I'm not running a risk of being an alcoholic, I just love the taste.

Are there any hacks that I can do to increase my odds of remembering everything the next morning? If I eat *while* I drink, would that make a difference? Should I pack a Clif Bar when I go to the bar? I already have about a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage that I have. Is this likely to cause bad brain problems down the road? This has been happening for at least five years and I don't find that my tolerance has decreased or that the memory loss is more frequent. It's just generally annoying and I'd like it to stop.

Why do my lungs hurt?

Salieri — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:01:42 -0800

Lung pain brought on by sudden exercise - possible causes/solutions? A number of years ago, when I used to jog frequently, I got sick with a bad cold right around a time when it was cold outside and I was jogging almost every day. My lungs took quite a beating, and to this day they burn whenever I exert myself outside in weather that's a bit on the cooler side. Not a big deal - the weather around here is nasty enough that I switched to exercising indoors.

Today at work I had the same burning feeling show up when they emptied the building for a drill (and I snuck back inside to get my stuff). My upper lungs were burning pretty badly, but I feel like I barely exerted myself enough to warrant it - just a little brisk walking and a flight of stairs. The burning got worse as I took deeper breaths, and I could hear a bit of wheeziness in my breaths. It seemed to peak a few minutes after I stopped moving and then went away entirely about fifteen or twenty minutes later. All better now, except that my upper lungs still feel a tad sensitive when I breathe deeply. Normally I'd think it was my usual cold sensitivity, but it was quite warm outside today - warmer than the room I was in, in fact.

So, have I somehow irreparably fucked up my lungs? Is it a mild exercise-induced asthma? I figure I'll ask my NP next time I go, but I'd like some possible explanations as well as suggestions for what I can do to avoid this kind of thing in the future. (I'll be visiting a cold climate next month, and I'm not looking forward to the lung-burning there.)

If it helps matters: I'm pretty badly out of shape at the moment, but working on it. I exercise (when I manage to go) in a gym - elliptical, bike, treadmill - at a moderate pace, and haven't had any breathing problems there. I'm a nonsmoker with no allergies that I'm aware of. I live in a warm, humid climate, so that's the kind of air I'm used to breathing.

Creative Exercise at Work?

phrakture — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:08:27 -0800

Help me figure out unique ways to get some activity during a work day to keep me healthy and occupied as I quit smoking I work in a basic cubicle farm. I feel very energetic during the day, but not so much when I get home. What I'd like to do is find ways to vent this energy while here, so that I get just a wee bit of exercise during a typical day.

Additionally, I have just begun quitting smoking, and it's hard to get rid of the habit of getting up and heading downstairs for a smoke every hour or so.

So, what can I do while at work? I'm on the 18th floor, but cannot take the stairs up (stupid one-way security doors), only down. I can take a walk around the block, but it's getting cold. I could do bodyweight squats and pushups in my cube, but then I look silly to all the people around me.

What creative ideas do you guys have?

Such thing as a reverse calorie counter?

mdebruic — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:50:25 -0800

I'm keeping a food log. It's the middle of the day. I know I have W calories remaining, X grams of Fat, Y grams of protein, and Z grams of carbs left. I'm wondering what are some typical meals I can eat for dinner, and an afternoon snack. Is there an online service that provides this type of info? Thank you very much. Google didn't get me anywhere.

I could almost handle the headaches, but I can I handle the stupids?

onshi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:33:31 -0800

Tips & tricks for adapting to the side effects of Topamax (topiramate) for a full-time office worker & part-time grad student? I have been dealing with chronic migraines for about ten years, and have tried a number of preventative drug therapies during that time (elavil, flunarizine, propranolol) with limited success. Recently another disruptive health issue cropped up, which spurred me to try to get the migraines under control.

I am now a few weeks into a daily dose of Topamax.

Some of the much-discussed (on AskMe and elsewhere) side effects have already become apparent, most notably:

Difficulty with attention / concentration - last week there were at least two days where I accomplished almost literally nothing at work. I continually zoned out for quarter- to half-hour periods, and had trouble thinking clearly even when I did remain on-task for more than a few minutes at a time. Although this did provide some useful insight into my partner's not-always-so-wonderful-world of living with ADHD, I probably cannot justify trading sick days at home with migraine for zombie days at work on "Dopamax" for too long.

Clumsiness / ataxia / psychomotor slowing - terminologically, I'm not sure how to differentiate between these, but at any rate, I'm much more of a klutz than usual. I had been walking carefully on a torn medial meniscus since May while awaiting an MRI and (maybe) surgery, but since the Topamax my knee has been very sore due to countless stumbles and mis-steps. One slip was bad enough that I was walking with a cane for stability for two days afterwards, and I was almost tempted to keep doing so just for the added sense of security. I'm normally a brisk walker, and on top of the cognitive side effects it feels like adding insult to injury that I should have to shuffle along in physical space as well as in my mental environment.

Communication - both in written and verbal form... even simple sentences come out mangled, and I've been producing the most egregious typos -- e.g. "licidiouse" for "delicious" -- and completely mixing up word order to the point of utter nonsense without noticing (with that in mind, I apologize if my sixth proofread doesn't catch all of the errors in this post). At school, I have had to drop one of the two courses I was taking this term because the prospect of full participation in a grad-level seminar was too much to bear right now; as it is, I had to revert to a 'behind the scenes' preparatory role for a group debate for fear of making an ass of myself in front of a tutorial tonight.

Getting to the point, my question for anyone who has taken Topamax or another drug with similar side effects is: what strategies were you able to emplyo successfully to mitigate these (or other) impacts on your life? I know that it will only be possible to 'push back' against the drug to a certain extent, and that I will ultimately have to decide if its effectiveness versus migraine (if any!) is worth the cost, but at this point I'm trying to remain optimistic and gather whatever tools I can.

Thanks.

Where can we get an advanced London Eye(s) Test?

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:17:22 -0800

Advice on where to go in London for more advanced eye problems? My wife is having problems with her eyes, black spots and a cloud on one eye. We want to get her eyes tested further....

She is an EU citizen with an EU health insurance card. We live in the Camden area, does anyone know of a suitable place in London where she could go and around how much it may cost?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Is something wrong with my brain??

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:17:17 -0800

Something odd happened to me cognitively last night. Have you experienced anything similar? After a dinner party at my own house at which I'd had only ONE drink (hours earlier) I went out to walk the dog. I was very tired but felt normal. I looked at the house numbers that are stuck on my mailbox and they looked "wrong" -- I thought the number was off by one digit. That is, the mailbox said 7889 and I thought it was supposed to read 7859. 7889 looked totally unfamiliar. For a moment I thought the lawn guys who were there that afternoon must have knocked the numbers off the mailbox and put them on in the wrong order, so I assumed the other side of the mailbox would now say 7559. But again, it was 7889. I got a chill. This didn't seem like my address. Suddenly a fog lifted and I remembered that indeed it is my address and has been for the last 4 years that I've lived here: 7889. No 5s in it at all, ever. The episode lasted about 40 seconds I guess. The number 7859 seemed weirdly familiar to me all day until I remembered it was indeed the house number of a place I lived years ago, and where a friend still lives -- I sent her a letter there a few weeks ago so I guess it was in the back of my mind.
Last week I had a concussion. I'm a little freaked out. I can't see going to the emergency room over this though.
Has anything like this ever happened to you? Do I have early alzheimer's or brain damage? Or was I just tired and having a weird moment? I am 45.

Possible hormone deficiency?

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:45:59 -0800

I think I may have a hormone deficiency. I plan to see a doctor. What should I expect? I (male, late twenties) have recently started to suspect I have a hormone deficiency. This is very unscientific, based on internet diagnosis, but the symptoms seem to fit: depression, fatigue, low sex drive, trouble building muscle/burning fat even when I work out regularly. I'm thinking of going to a doctor about it, but I don't know what to prepare for.

For one, I'm currently unemployed and without health insurance. There's a good chance that will be rectified within a week or two, but no guarantees so I'm anxious about anything that might lead to expensive tests or treatments or be considered a pre-existing condition.

As for the clinical stuff, I don't want to come off as a hypochondriac, or worse yet that I might be trying to finagle some legal steroids (thinking about Bigger, Stronger, Faster* here). What would be a good way to broach this issue with a doctor? Also, is this something I would just bring up with a GP or should I be making an appointment with a specialist?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Why do I have to wait to get results from a medical exam?

Unnecessarily Sarcastic Bitch — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:38:45 -0800

What is physically wrong with me and why do I have to wait for the doctor to tell me in person? I'm 38 and female, never had children. Have had problems since my early 20s with cysts on ovaries. Had surgery six months ago to remove more cysts and scare tissue from lower abdomen, cervix and vagina. The scar tissue is from previous surgeries.

Have had irregular spotting, went to doctor to get it looked at. She ordered blood taken and ordered a sonogram. That procedure was done internally and hurt a lot. The tech commented that my left ovary was really high and asked me to push it down. The procedure was very painful and when I asked if it should be this painful, she responded "I can't answer that".

So when I called to get the results last Wednesday, I was told that the results had to be delivered in person, they wouldn't tell them to me over the phone. So I made an appointment for Tuesday, the soonest they could get me in. The office has called me twice now, to confirm that I'll be there on Tuesday and the last time, on Friday, delivered a message from the doctor, who hoped "I would have have a good weekend". I've been having consistent pain in my left ovary area, several times a day, painful periods. If I knew the answer I could at least get some relief from knowing and save my questions for later.

Why do doctors do this? Is there some special reason, liability or medical, why I have to wait for the results and have them delivered in person? I had assumed it was just another cyst.

A Gym plan for a chubby dude with not-enough time (yet).

snap_dragon — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:41:32 -0800

For a few months, I have a total of 30 minutes at the gym in the morning (not counting shower) at three times a week. (It's a long story.) I know this is not much at all. I am a 25 lbs overweight guy and would like to get a bit leaner. I don't expect quick results. I have asthma but control it with inhaler so I can "trot" a bit on the treadmill so far. I can't (yet) flat out run for long periods without asthma/poor shape affecting me. I am very familiar with the gym and various weightlifting exercises. I am not sure how to make the best of my time, though. At all. Within a month I would like to bump it up to 45/1hr in the gym and 4 times a week. (and then later, 5 days a week.) But for now, do you have any solid advice that works for you? I am eating much healthier now and smaller portions but I think the sedentary job change has got to me the most. So, in summary, leaner and more energy is my goal. (I will put on hold my goal to look like Brad Pitt from Fight Club but hey, everybody can dream a little...)

How Long Will Antique Drugs Still Work?

esereth — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:15:00 -0800

Ancient drugs...opium, morphine, even absinthe. Can they still be potent after decades? If you were to find your great-grandma's cocaine cough syrup, or her opium-based migraine reliever, would they still have any power left in them?

Could someone pour hot water in a 90 year old opium bottle with sludge at the bottom, swirl it around, and ease their pain with the remnant of the residue?

Similarly, what about ancient alcohols? I know wine is supposed to keep for a hundred years, but what about something as toxic as absinthe? Does it continue to ferment? Does it turn to poison? To vinegar? Does it became harmless?

For the record, I'm not trying to get wasted on old sticky medicine bottles....just research for a story. Plus now I'm really curious.

My google fu has failed again...just keep getting ask-yahoo pages about two-year-old vicodin.

Any experience or observations?

help me slay my allergies!

dfriedman — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:26:44 -0800

Where in Manhattan can I find nasalcrom and ketotifen eye drops? Do they sell them at Duane Reade? Bad allergies + Mom's dog + Thanksgiving = misery. My friend (who is an allergist) recommended that I take the above two things with Zyrtec to relieve the itchy eyes/running nose, etc.

So, has anyone seen these anywhere in a drug store in Manhattan? Duane Reade? Rite Aid? Walgreens?

I think I might have Asperger's. What should I do?

edguardo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:32:59 -0800

I think I might have Asperger's. In my case, should I even bother being tested? What would a confirmation/disconfirmaton mean? I'm 22 years old, male, college student, soon-to-be post-bacc medical student.

I've been medicated in the past for anxiety and depression (Lexapro), but I've been drug-free for a year and, I think, coping really well.

My coping methods, however, are optimized for living alone, as I did for a year before my girlfriend moved in with me a few months ago.

When living alone, I can take all the time I need to myself to chill out, calm down, and take myself out of overwhelming situations, generally involving other people. I've been controlling my anxiety and mood swings by avoiding the things that cause them, and now that I live with someone else in a small apartment, I feel like a lot of my "solutions" have just been temporary fixes.

Now, I'd say we just need to work things out and talk to each other, which we're good at doing when we clash, except for the fact that both my girlfriend and my mother think that I have Asperger's.

If it were just me, I wouldn't bother seeing a mental health professional, since I know there's no "cure" for AS and it's just something you deal with. But it isn't just me; I have my relationship with my girlfriend to consider, and I know I can be very difficult to live with (I find myself difficult to live with sometimes too).

My girlfriend says I've become easier to deal with since she's decided I have AS, and my mother says she's wondered for years if I had mild autism. It just seems so late in the game, so to speak, for this to come up.

I'm afraid that if I am determined to have AS, that I'll be considered a faker or excuse-maker since I'm fairly well-adjusted. I'm afraid that if I'm determined NOT to have AS, that I'm dealing with something like a mood disorder instead, and I'm not interested in going back on medication.

I've already sent an email to a local psychiatrist who works with autistic children, asking if she counsels adults or who I should see about it. That's a first step, but how do you think I should proceed?

Can I access medical journals?

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:30:21 -0800

How can I access medical publications and journals? My child may have a neurological issue. I'm trying to do online research so I can educate myself about this problem and I'm blocked by the requirements to pay for medical publications and journals. I can't believe I'm asking this, I totally understand the idea of paying for access but I can't afford it, especially with the looming therapy and doctor bills that are coming. Is there any place that allows regular people to access this info? If I go to a brick and mortar library, could I get them? I know about all the medical info sights, I'm not asking about those. I need a way to access and research extremely specific articles in medical publications. Articles meant for physicians, academics, etc. I'm not trying to armchair diagnose my child, just educate myself to be the best advocate of care.

How do I treat road rash?

Raichle — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:59:39 -0800

How should I treat my road rash so that it will heal quickly and not scar? I had a bike accident last night and scraped and bruised my face fairly badly. It looks like a really bad rash with a small puncture. I cleaned it really well with anti-bacterial soap and Bactine and then doused it with Neosporin. Is there anything else that I should do? Would Arnica help or be bad since it's an abrasion?