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Posted - 08/21/2005 : 13:45:58
Interesting. Most likely TMS but the good doc does not know about it...
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Total-body pain remains a mystery
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/opinions/columnists/gott/c20gott.htm
Dr. Peter Gott
Q: For years I've suffered endless, excruciating pain over my entire body — my back, knees or elbows being most affected. I know I have osteoporosis and elevated cholesterol levels, but my doctor is at his wits' end and so am I. The pain is unbearable and depressing. Where should I seek help?
A: The causes of total-body pain are many and complex, ranging from autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and others) to hidden infection, such as Lyme disease. Most of these conditions are treatable. Osteoporosis (age-related brittleness of bones) and high cholesterol levels do not usually cause such pain.
I can well understand your family doctor's frustration. And yet I wonder why he has been reluctant to send you for a second opinion from a diagnostic specialist.
The ability to recognize one's limitations and to ask for help in dealing with puzzling cases are the hallmarks of the good, capable family physician. No doctor knows all the answers; the really fine ones admit this and develop an extensive network of specialists who can be called upon when appropriate.
Ask your doctor to refer you to an internist (diagnostic specialist) or to the diagnostic clinic at a teaching hospital. The consultant(s) will then review your case and laboratory data, obtain the necessary further testing, diagnose your disorder and recommend treatment.
To give you more information, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports "Managing Chronic Pain" and "Medical Specialists." Other readers who would like copies should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 per report to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s).
Q: Every now and then I have a lot of clear, slimy discharge from my rectum that lasts for about a day. I'm too embarrassed to ask my doctor about this, but feel comfortable with you.
A: A clear rectal discharge may indicate a simple problem, such as low-grade inflammation or hemorrhoids, that could be easily cured with medication.
While I am complimented that you can share an embarrassing problem with me, your family physician is really the person to whom you must turn. Ask him or her for an examination that should, in my opinion, include flexible sigmoidoscopy, an office procedure during which the doctor examines your lower colon with a fiberoptic instrument.
Q: Do you have any plans to put into book form the valuable information you dispense every day in the paper?
A: I have. Live Longer, Live Better is available through Quill Driver Books. You can get your own copy online at www.QuillDriverBooks.com , by calling (800) 605-7176, or by writing to Quill Driver Books, 1254 Commerce Ave., Sanger, CA 93657. |
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| Calvin |
Posted - 08/21/2005 : 15:47:11
Yikes - the second question caught me waaaay off guard!! |
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