Better Medicine Forums

Pinky finger pain

The boss — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:25:20 GMT

I was playing basketball with my friends a day ago and got my finger bent back
It hurt for a while but the pain soon went away
Then I woke up this morning and it was very painful at the base also it hurt down the side of the hand it have had this pain all day
What should
I do

Alport Syndrome, Hereditary Nephritis

Emsilay4 — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:28:01 GMT

Hi, I'm 24 Female and a carrier for the genetically passed on disease Alport Syndrome. My family has a long history of this little bugger but I feel that there isn't enough information out there about this particular affliction.

My grandmother's father passed it to her BUT no one is her family GOT it/ had symptoms. I've heard it is known to skip a generation. My mother is a carrier and my uncle HAS it. He suffered renal failure I believe in his early 20's. Luckily my mother was a match and donated 1 of her kidneys to him (he is still alive despite the life expectancy having been passed a few years ago) ;) His children are all boys and thus do not carry or pass it. My eldest brother HAS it and 4 years ago suffered renal failure. My elder sister was a match and donated 1 of her kidneys to him (he is doing great). I obviously carry it like I stated above. My brother's daughter is like me and is also a carrier.

If you ask your every day Dr. or even some specialists (which my sister-in-law hounded every visit during my brother's failure) most will tell you that carriers do not exhibit any symptoms. I believe this to be utter garbage. True I only have a few family members to base this off of but my mother has had horrible vision, hearing loss, and even experiences blood in her urine when sick. My niece has problems with blood in her urine when sick but has yet to show any signs of hearing or vision impairment. I seem to be a little better off with only vision problems.

:mad:This disease is a horrible thing to have happen, the emotional and physical trauma my family has gone through again and again is something I would NEVER wish on anyone. This topic deserves better research and awareness! True with medical advancements I can do things to prevent passing this on to future generations and kidney transplant surgery within 1 generation has come leaps and bounds, which I am grateful, but the information is still so hard to find that keeping informed is ridiculous.

I am curious about others out there that also have this in their families and if they have found better knowledge of this disease that could come in handy when visiting a Dr. ( I recently underwent a major surgery in which they were concerned about my kidney health. . . I told them of my conditions and they were a little wary on exactly how to judge the possibility of problems. I feel I need a pamphlet to bring with when visiting the Dr.s.)

What are your stories and findings?

Emsilay4

Black faeces, light headache, dizziness and general body weakness

Faggle — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:27:16 GMT

Please I need a doctor to tell me exactly what is wrong with me.
I had headache almost throughout yesterday.
This morning when I stooled, I noticed it was black. I repeated it like two hours again, and it was still black.
As I type, I feel a bit dizzy and weak.
What could be wrong with me, please.
Helpe....

Testicular pain?

pilik — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:45:22 GMT

Hey, It's 12:44pm now, but last night around 12:30am I started to have some pain in my testicles it just came out of no where when I was lying on bed watching a film, it hurt quite a bit for about an hour (more when stood, not so bad when sat down still) I then went to bed hoping it sort itself out, I woke up at 6am to check if it was still painful and it wasn't so went back to sleep till 11:30am. Now I can do everything I normally can, I get a small pain every so often . It seems to be more from the right testicle which seems to be hanging a good inch and a bit higher than the left one, and slightly more horizontal. From what I can tell though it doesn't seem to have swollen/changed colour at all.

Would this be any signs of torsion or if it was would I still have the bad pains now? Would I be able to sleep through the pain? would it be possible to walk/shower? Any suggestions?

Undiagnosed feet skin condition

johndo18635 — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:32:21 GMT

Hi all,I've seen my doctor and he has been unable to diagnose a skin condition on my feet.It's been here for a while and I want to sort it out.Basically under my toes the skin is very dry and after a bath one can see holes and white skin.The odor is quite unpleasant and my white socks get yellow stains when I take them off > which should indicate some bacterial infection.Back when it started I've used anti fungus over the counter medicine but it did nothing.Maybe a mix of eczema and infection?Do you have any idea , do I really need to go see a dermatologist to have this fixed?Many thanks, it's been a year that I have this now.

Attached Images

B12 Defiiciency

Lulabella666 — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:50 GMT

I was diagnosed with 'Probable MS' when I was 22. However upon further investigation (requested by myself) I was then diagnosed with B12 deficiency after a blood test showed a level of 63. I was given a course of injections and then nothing.....

Needless to say I started getting unwell again and had to go back to the doctors 6 months ago as I was exhibiting symptoms again, My tests showed a result of 98 (I'm 32 now) My doctor was most confused as to why I wasnt told I would need injections for life!! (me too now as I understand this can be fatal if left untreated) She was also upset as to why no-one got to the bottom of why an otherwise healthy woman was deficient.

I've now had god knows how many blood tests, and my intrinsic factor is fine so its not PA causing my problem. I've been referred to a gastroenterologist and I'm now awaiting the appointment. I've been told the second most common cause is Coeliac disease, however my bloods came back clear for that too! Currently hanging on a thread and hoping to get to the bottom of this.

I still have neuro symptems present despite a course of 6 injections followed by regular injections every 3 months, I'm still tired and lethargic and I'm still clumsy and ditzy (If you have had severe B12 deficiency you will know what I mean lol)

I haven't had a repeat B12 test done recently, I'm guessing this is down to my overloading injections and maybe they dont want a false read.

Hopeing the gastro appointment comes soon as I'm tired of feeling unwell.

Louise xxxx

I'm also deficient in B6, Iron, Folic Acid etc etc etc...

could this be MENS SYNDROME?

sandyv1974 — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:34:37 GMT

I am wondering if i should ask my dr if i could have MENS SYNDROME? this last month i was diagnosed with a adrenal adenoma i also had a pituitary tumor removed in 1997 it was a thyroid hormone producing tumor so i also was diagnosed with graves disease at same time the graves caused a very large goiter i was treated for this with radioactive iodine the treatment shrank the goiter completely and graves is gone but i now have hypothyroidism as a result. i have been researching mens and as i understand it parathyroid problems happen with this syndrome i have nver had my parathyroid glands checked and have not had any type of thyroid cancer but my biggest question is would the radioactive iodine destroyed my parathyroid glands when it shrank my thyroid gland?so that is why that piece of the puzzle is not evident?

Small intestine

PeterAA — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:49:14 GMT

The patient, 90, has a severely bloated small intestine. Neither cancer nor any other mechanical disorder obstructing the small intestine has been spotted on the CT. The colon is dry and empty. It just looks, as if the small intestine, and only the small intestine, was blocked and inflated. Pancreas and liver are fine. The patient is indolent but hasn't been able to defacate for almost three weeks now. He is nurrished by a central line. The obstruction resulted in reflux, whicht the patient aspirated. This resulted in a (relativly mild) pneumonia. However, the patient suffers from large amounts of mucus hindering his proper breathing. Due to the patient's state, exploratorial surgery is not an option.
Other symptoms are:
-anemia (HB around 9.5)
-sore throat
-extreme tiredness
The quandary is that every mean of diagnosis is difficult in the patients state. Does anybody maybe has an idea what could be the condition causing the bloated small intestine?

Skin's Like It's Been Dipped in Plastic... Vitamin Toxicity or What?

gentlehuggies.annie — Sat, 12 May 2012 20:50:25 GMT

Hi, everybody. My skin's looking and feeling strange. I was thinking it might be what's called "sticky skin" and Vitamin A toxicity from drinking nutritional supplements recommended by my doctor for very low appetite/eating from pain and depression (the only thing I can think has changed recently). But the drinks only put me at 100% RDA (in fact it's much higher in D, K and E), and it's not really what I'd call "sticky." I've stopped drinking them "just in case," which is all that's recommended online, and my PCP's getting a call Monday. I wondered, though, if anyone has ever heard of this or had it happen to them...

My skin looks like it's been dipped in clear plastic. In small areas where my skin's wrinkled (like wrist and between fingers), I've run my fingernail over it and it develops an air pocket underneath whatever's going on. It's thick enough I've lost some sensitivity, but I've only just noticed it this morning (on a weekend when I can't call the doc). Where I was scratching at my dry skin, the skin scales come off but are stuck under this "coating." And yet, where it's become textured on my calves from my athletic socks, it comes off like dandruff, but I still can't get down to my own skin (at least not without hurting myself).

I know it's porous because I wear a fentanyl patch and the medication's getting in me (I'm not going through withdrawals), and where I've rubbed and rubbed trying to figure it out and it's bled a bit the blood comes out. It doesn't come off with soap and hot water, an oily medical tape adhesive remover, lemon juice (the only acid I had in the house), or vinegar. Where I've scratched on my calves I can peel off just a bit of the thinnest layer, showing there's obviously a lot of layers that are nearly transparent. And yet, I can't get any significant amount of it to peel off, or find my skin underneath it. I wish I could try to soak it off in a good bath but I can't use the tub because of my back.

It just plain seems really bizarre to me. At first, I thought it could be some kind of buildup from the coconut oil based cream I've been using for my dry elbows and forearms, but I've discovered it's like that everywhere, even on my lips and eyelids. I know it wasn't there just two weeks ago because I'm a compulsive scab-picker, but now the couple scabs I have can't be scratched at because this "stuff" has smoothed them over. The scabs appear to be layered in with whatever's going on.

Any ideas?

~Annie

Finally one doctor said "its not depression"....but what could it be? PLEASE HELP

Ouarezki — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:49:59 GMT

After four years of being treated with depression and whilst taking my meds down a notch...EVERYHTHING came back...but worse.
A sudden episode of anxiety during one lonely night has put me back to square one....but this time i dont think anti-depressants are a cure....its just another hassle free diagnosis for doctors isnt it. So i'll tell you my story and try to keep it breif.
-2006: traumatizing event at the age of 15 that my brain seemed to erase. After a lot of efforts i got my life together and was happier than ever.and this is why i thought it came back to haunt me in 2009 (year i was diagnosed with depression)
-January 2009: never ending nauseau, headaches, loss of apetite, food disgusted me, constant need to urinate, need to vomit but never did. I became restless, tired and stayed at home for feer of vomiting diarreah at school as i was a clean freak! After some blood tests (like hepatitis...etc) they came back relativly negative and this made me sad...every single day i was sad and scared. Anxiety soon came in, and this was the scariest part and very hard to explain: i'd be talking then a big electric bubble (like buterflies in the belly but they REALLY didnt tickle!) would make me anxious and scared i would temble and i didnt know why. I got this feelings non stop every 20 minutes and between them i was fine and i got sprouts of hope and felt like i could overcome them...until they came back which felt like i had to let something out but i dont know what
-June 2009- BIGGEST exam of my life, my physical symptoms were accompanied with mental ones. I would question my existance non stop...and other horrible ideas that prevented me from doing anything.
-July 2009 i passed my exam with one of the best results 14.5/20...but couldnt show any emotion, i was not releived like i thought i'd be. And my crying spells were increasing as i'd cry for no reason
-August 2009: I was diagnosed with depression and took a small dose of Deroxat and Remeron.
2009-2012: After a month or so of pill-popping i mircaulasly got better (althought it all felt artifical to me...i was aprehending the day it's come back) I was unable to show emotion and felt like a zombie, but would get sprouts of energy here and now and my sex drive was close to dead (sometimes i got urges though). I was not in control of my body because sometimes i'd feel depressed and sometimes euphoric (on other days i'd be good)
-January 2012: my doctor decided to take my meds down a notch
-Mai: I was under a lot of stress and after a series of very small, extremely minor stressful events (that a normal person could easily get over) i finally cracked and now ALL my symptoms are back
-Mai 7: I Consulted another psychiatrist who (after doing an eeg) told me i was not depressed, my brain was fragile(electric fragility or something) and that this is due to the fact that i'm a twin. Twins have a higher risk of being ill, in my case i'm very sensetive and have a high liabilty to be depressed....he things i should stop my anti depressants and take "tegretol" instead.
WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN.....................I'm feeling the worst i've ever felt and have lost ALL hope....please tell me this new doctor is right, that its not depression

I am sure its not depression? but what could it be please help

Ouarezki — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:06:15 GMT

So back in 2009, during my big school exams ( i was 17 at the time) i was diagnosed with depression. The doctor said that i had been "clogging up" my feelings and emotions until my body could take it no longer and became overly anxious and depressed. (he based this on a taumatizing event that happened three years prior to my depression....an event that i got over but apparantly came back to haunt me!)
I have always been a poor eater and since my teenage years i get episodes where i would loose my apetite (food would actually make me sick) and all interests in life, i'd also feel tired during this short episodes. So before i was diagnosed with depression i was feeling dizzy, nauseaus, sad and restless, i was also extremly anxious and scared for no apparant reason, my need to vomit gave me headaches as i was never able to vomit anything out. The worrying thing is that i was doing very well in school, i was social and very happy, quite confident about myself too. I did some blood tests for hepatits and other things that came back relatively normal. So then i became "depressed"....i started to question my existance, have crazy thoughts, be scared of socializing and all other typical symptoms of depression. So after i took a small dose of "deroxat" and "remeron" i felt miraculasly better, but it all felt artifical to me. During the last three years i dug up all my feelings and was unable to show emotion, sexual desires came spontaniously and the need to cry was everlasting. The doctor finally decided to take down my dose and he would only see me every couple of months, for very brief sessions.
Now its Mai of 2012 and ALL off my symptoms are back but worse: horrible thoughts, anxiety, crying, diarreah, loss of apetite, restlessness, lack of concetration, fatigue, sleepeness. What could this be
PS. back in 2009 i passed my exams before getting diagnosed and surpisingly enough i was top third out of most schools, that is: 14.5/20....so i couldnt have been depressed right?

Cirrhosis and Order of Symptoms

neufie612 — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:21:34 GMT

My mom has been a heavy drinker for pretty much her whole life, and now is 52 years old. In September of 2011 she was diagnosed with cirrhosis and emphysema. Her symptoms started atleast 2 years earlier but she wouldn't see a doctor and won't go back to the doctor since her diagnosis, which seems pretty typical reading other posts. I talked with her doctor after her diagnosis and I asked him to be honest with me and he told me that best case scenerio if she quits drinking and smoking she would live about 5 years because of the stage shes in, but worst case she has less than a year if she doesnt quit. She still gets drunk every day and she still chain smokes.

I am in Alanon and actually have alot of acceptance with this situation and I don't resent her....I just want to know where she is at or hear some personal experiences....

I am confused because she doesnt have swelling of the stomache yet but she is yellow and her eyes are now turning really yellow from the outside inwards. She has no muscle mass anymore, she is skin and bones basically with flabby skin, she can barely walk up her stairs, she experiences alot of pain in her stomach and loses feeling in her legs.

Months ago she was getting nose bleeds quite a bit and throwing up ALOT and she was very itchy for quite a long time but now that has all seemed to stop.

Also, she has had gout for 2 months and nothing will take it away anymore...it may get better for 1 day but flairs up again....

I watched my mother in law pass away from this 5 years ago, she looked fine when she was diagnosed in February and by October she had died, she never turned yellow or had yellow eyes yet but she was very swollen in the last month. Its just so different, my mom actually looks sick and like she is dying....but she still generally has her mind-but she is miserable now more and more, anyways I would love some insight, I feel lost and I want to hear some sort of truth what to expect and since she won't see her doctor I can't get a professional opinion.

I appreciate everyones time so much.

Shivers and night sweats

rjb00758 — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:48:03 GMT

Hello. I am worried about my daughter. She has been complaining about being cold all the time, even in hot weather. She has over the past few months been going through severe night sweats that she wakes frozen too, sometimes a few times a night. Just resently she is experiencing severe cases of shivering to the point that her lips go blue, this is often at night. She has had blood tests that show she is Vitamin D deficient and that she has phalasymia (we already knew about the phalasymia) She is loosing weight, always feels hungry, even though when she eats she often doesnt finish her meal. She complains she has no real taste of food.

Even though it might be unrelated she has for several months been compaining of severe leg pains, she has had several MRI's all with no findings. She is a fairly fit girl and only 22 years old. Its killing me seeing her go through this but no doctor seems to know what it might be and they keep saying that it might be viral even though it doesnt show in any blood tests taken.

Please help.

Strange red dots

Thajocoth — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:52:12 GMT

I don't know what these red marks are...

These were taken on the 6th:

Taken today (11th) of just my right (The one that seems to be worse):

These are on the tops of my feet only... Not the bottom. They also have not spread to anywhere else on my body, or to my girlfriend's feet, who's feet do touch mine. They showed no initial reaction to Benadryl cream, which I started applying a few days ago.

There had been no sensory change until very recently... That is, no itching or pain or anything. Last night, however, my right foot stung a bunch after I applied Benadryl cream. Tonight, it stings very slightly and I have not applied any creams.

I do not walk around barefoot. I wear socks and shoes almost all the time, including in my own apartment. Exceptions to this include: While showering (daily, my girlfriend often showers with me and hasn't gotten this), walking to/from the apartment complex's hot tub (my girlfriend goes in with me and hasn't gotten this, I wear water shoes on the way there & back), and an event at the end of March in a national park that had been on fire a few months prior while sleeping and while showering (wore water shoes between the building with beds and the building with bathrooms/showers).

I stayed at a hotel in another state in early March.

We have a pair of cats. I used to be allergic, but it wasn't my feet that reacted. The allergy seems to have gone away.

My diet is horrific. I take a multivitamin to compensate for my lack of nutrition for now and am slowly working towards being able to eat more normally. It is likely that I have vitamin deficits.

I moved to the state I live in now over a year ago. I have never left the United States. I don't even have a passport.

I haven't gone to a doctor because I'm between jobs (very far in the hiring process at a couple places) and therefore cannot afford health insurance. I get just enough from unemployment not to qualify for any programs that might help me get health insurance.

Fibro? Lupus? Want feedback on my suspicions

curiouskitty — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:37:31 GMT

I am sorry to post a laundry list of things, but I have a hard time conveying myself to doctors and, due to lack of insurance and concern from the medical professions at my school's health center, I want to see if anyone out there can confirm this is probably fibromyalgia (which is the diagnosis based on blood tests and the fact I have trigger points (I have more than those listed on the info sites though). The malar makes me think lupus. Is it possible to have lupus and test negative? Tremors, really bad headaches and brainshock sensations make me think possible MS. I just know I want to find answers, be it I give up and deal with possibly having fibromyalgia, or perhaps I finally get a diagnosis that can allow me to treat these things accordingly. I basically can say that I'm overall more sensitive to any sort of stimuli than most of my peers. I had something (which at the time I considered a spiritual awakening) a weird point where I started feeling energy fluxes, started seeing things (colors, static), and my symptoms began to progress and wane (less frequent, more severe). I originally believed I experienced a Kundalini awakening, but now I just think I started getting sicker.

Bad rash/hives (no known cause, migratory - intensly itchy and on my hands/arms mostly) (2004/2005)
Malar Rash (2004) - typical butterfly pattern on face. Blush-like. Permanent.
Folliculitis like rash on 2 separate occasions (surrounding a pregnancy scare) (2004)
It's possible that the prednisone from the hives may have helped this some? (2004)
Trigger points everywhere. Extremely sensitive. (2004/2005)
Extreme fatigue. (2004 to present)
Further: Brain goes to sleep while i'm awake. Almost like narcolepsy at times. Hard to shake the fatigue when active
Burning pain in muscles. (2007 to present)
Headaches (forever)
Restless legs (2005 to present)
IBS/Constipation (since high school)
Hair Loss (gotten really bad during season changes last two years)
Dry skin (always)
Thyroid testing comes back normal (full panel normal last year.)
2 Negative ANA tests? (retest)
1 possible lyme positive (retest)
Brain shocks. Zap sensations in head at random points Since 2006
Full body twitch (since I don't know... present)
Tremors (2010-pres)
Hypoglycemia (since HS)
Anxiety/Depression
Arm/wrist pain
Shoulder tightness (since 2005)
vaginal itching (last 6 months - treated for BV, but not obvious signs. No yeast. BAD ITCHING)
Always tired/never fully rested (since 2004)
Weird rash in 2002 (torso, no pain or itch, never officially diagnosed)
Poor memory/cognition (lose keys in plain view, forget what I'm doing)
Hard to remain focused on tasks (especially when the above is in play - gotten very bad since 2010)
Lower back/hip tired/painful doing household tasks, like washing dishes or cleaning (2011-pres)
Joint pain (especially knees) has increased in last year. Hurts to walk some days.
2 SEVERE burning headaches that have woken me in the night (since 2011) - 8-9 pain scale
2 weird "flu-like" attacks. Fever, chills, PAIN ALL OVER, then fine a few hours later, albeit shellshocked (since 2009)
Weight gain ;) (Fatigue and pain kind of deter my wanting to get too active)
Muscle weakness since 2010. I struggle to open jars and carry things (used to be very strong)
Eyes are light-sensitive
Always can see things (colors, snow, CEV type stuff)
Increased sweating in last few years
Dry mouth
Cyclic eye irritation (around period) redness/pain
Thirsty
Bladder doesn't feel like it fully empties every time
Random diarrhea without obvious cause
gassy all the time (especially bad the last few years)
dizziness
random "room spinning" feeling
lightheaded a lot
TMJ (hurts to chew sometimes, brush teeth (jaws get tired)
tachycardia

Also to note: Some EDS type signs: touch tongue to tip of nose, very flat feet, hyperflexive in several joints (though they are stiff and painful most of the time), stretchy skin in some places. There are lots of other random things that happen, but things seem to be progressively worse. I am not on any medication for the symptoms other than Synthroid for hypothyroidism (had since I was 3/4 years old), and Wellbutrin and Celexa for severe anxiety and moderate depression. Major symptoms typically come in flares, usually in relation to my period or if I'm under a lot of stress. I was given a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia in 2005 when my knees started bothering and I began experiencing fatigue. I already had the butterfly pattern, but ANA was negative at the time. Normal CBC. HIV negative. Normal thyroid panel. I hurt a lot, but I've learned to deal with it. Take Advil if I have a bad headache and that's about it. I think my doctors think I'm making things up, but my medical history can prove otherwise. The main thing that really bothers me is the fatigue and the way my mind is affected (terrible memory, reasoning diminished, tired, attention span diminished). I could hid my own Easter eggs on a bad day. I'm 29 years old and feel like I'm nearing 70. I've been having trouble since I was 21 years old. If this is really fibromyalgia, I'll just give it up and continue living with it. However, due to the progressive nature and the fact I don't necessarily have the same type of pain as fibro patients seem to have (based on what I've read online), I want to rule out any other cause so that I don't get worse to a point of no return.

Thanks