Ask MetaFilter questions in the health category

Why couldn't I breathe?

Autarky — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:46:24 -0800

A few [somewhat random] instances of shortness of breath earlier in my life. What could they have been? This doesn't really pertain to anything current, I've just always been curious about this.

The first time was when I was about 10. As I recall, I think I just woke up in the middle of the night and had serious trouble breathing. I walked around the house gasping for breath. Turned on the shower really hot and let the room fill up with steam, etc. It eventually when away.

The second time was during basketball practice in 7th grade. It was towards the end and we were doing some sprints when towards the end of one I had the same thing. It definitely wasn't your normal heavy breathing when you're working hard. I went to more basketball practices after that, and it was hardly the most tired I've ever been or anything.

I don't remember any rashes or anything that would lead me to think it was anaphylaxis. On a hike last year a friend stepped on a bees/hornets/yellowjackets/whatever you wanna call them nest and I got stung about 15 times. No trouble (though it sure didn't feel good). I'm in college now, so these two instances aren't especially recent, but they're not ancient history either. What could these be?

HIV Support in DC

Anonymous — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:20:35 -0800

I need support! In February of 2007, I found out that I am HIV+. In the last year and a half, I've done a lot of 'growing up' in terms of health and education, but I need more help.

I'm a white heterosexual female, and I really feel like I'm all alone out here. There are tons of support groups for homosexuals, there are tons of support groups for minorities, there are tons of support groups for addicts, but where is the support group for heteros?

I currently go to a monthly support group sponsored by my infectious disease doctor, but a) it's just monthly; and b) it's for african-american females -- they made an 'exception' to let me in. :)

I really just need to find more people like me - guys or girls - no matter what the color - that are HIV+. I need a group of people that I see often enough that we can become friends. (I only see my current group 12 times a year, if I make every single meeting, which I sometimes can't do).

The homosexuals really have done this right--being gay and positive is ok. There are tons of support systems, there is a lot of transparency in the dating process, and not nearly as much ignorance and judging.

Why do heterosexuals treat HIV as a dirty secret that should never be shared or talked about with anyone?

I have a therapist, I have great doctors, and I have amazing friends. But, the only person I know and can talk to about HIV who IS HIV+ is my ex, and he's my ex--it's not like he's tearing up the phone lines waiting to talk to me.

My questions:
1) Do you know of any hetero HIV+ support groups in the DC area?
2) Do you have any suggestions on how I can meet real, live (not internet chat rooms) HIV+ people in a safe, trusting environment? (Not everyone knows or needs to know my status, so it's not like I'm about to hang a big "HIV+" sign around my neck and walk around Dupont Circle look for friends....

Thanks.

Seek Immediate Medical Attention

waraw — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:51:46 -0800

Is there a common sense guide to symptoms requiring immediate medical attention? I'm looking for a broad sense of symptoms requiring an immediate visit to an emergency room. Set aside such things as gunshot wounds or javalin impalement; I'm looking for a sense of how bad certain symptoms should be allowed to get before hospitalization becomes absolutely necessary. In terms of pain levels 0-10, particular parts and pieces requiring special rules (fingers, eyes), and excluding situations such as Lion Tamer or Experimental Medication Subject and Pregnancy and the like, I am interested in knowing symptoms that scream (to some) "Go To The Hospital Now."

Where are the rock climbing gyms in Boston?

Maia — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:15:01 -0800

Rock climbing gym in Boston area? I just moved to Boston from San Francisco, where I loved climbing at Mission Cliffs, the rock climbing gym there. I can't seem to find anything similar in Boston though - any ideas? I technically live in Needham, so a gym west of Boston would be better.

Balls of feet hurt. Help.

beelover — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:23:18 -0800

The balls of my feet are tender and burn. How can I stop this? Last week I went for a long hike and at the end of that hike the balls of my feet were burning from friction. It's now been a week and they are still burning. I don't have blisters, no corns etc, but I do have calluses and these calluses are what are tender. Each morning I start the day fine, but if I take a long walk or hike or take a spinning class, off I go again with the tender burn on the balls. I've searched all over the web but most everything references blisters and I don't have those. My shoes fit fine. I've had this happen after a long hike before but it usually resolves itself more quickly. What can I do? Should I buy better cushioned socks? Please don't tell me to lay off, my big bum can't take it. Also, I should add I have pretty pronounced calluses on the balls of my feet and have for a long time -- my husband calls them my chimpanzee pads--so the calluses aren't new, but I have been exercising more intensely/longer duration etc of late so maybe my chimp pads and reacting and getting bigger to protect against friction. Please help. Pretty soon I will be walking like a chimp from this it's so uncomfortable.

So... I've got room for twins?

Kioki-Silver — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:39:15 -0800

After a routine pap test and pelvic exam my doctor is sending me for an ultrasound because he thinks I have an enlarged uterus. I am not pregnant. My google-fu only turns up information on uterine fibroids. So what does it mean to have an enlarged uterus and is it bad? After looking at the information that I did find (all about uterine fibroids) I don't have any symptoms and this has never come up in previous exams.
Also, those who responded to my previous question about kidney disease, my doctor is also including an ultrasound on my kidneys.

Help me learn everything I need to know about visual processing (and improving it).

mintchip — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:12:03 -0800

Help me learn everything I need to know about visual processing (and improving it). I would like to learn more about visual processing and how one can improve it. For example:

1. What region of the brain controls visual processing, and what activities/exercises have been shown to stimulate this region?
2. What activities have been found (or would be likely) to be helpful in improving visual procesing?
3. What if someone has deficits in this from birth as opposed to someone who has acquired visual processing deficits (for example, from a car accident). Would they present differently?
4. Are there any supplements that may be useful, either in improving visual processing or protecting this from further impairment?
5. What are some resources or links that would help me learn more about visual processing problems?
6. Is there anything in addition to simple practice that athletes do to improve their visual processing speed and accuracy (for example, a baseball player who needs to improve his reaction time and accuracy) when up at bat.
7. Anything else I need to know.

Thanks!

How can I soothe my 4 year old's cold sores?

odragul — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:48:05 -0800

My 4 year old has cold sores inside of his mouth and they are understandably driving him crazy. What can we do to give him some comfort? Homeopathic or pharmaceutical suggestions both welcome.

Lice. DO NOT WANT!

Phalene — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:14:34 -0800

Lice exposure: Could I have got it? It's been a week since I might have been exposed, and no itching so far. Also, should I boil all my property, that was briefly in the buggy house? So a week ago I left my family to move to a new city. This morning my mother called me, as she and my sister have come down with lice (and my poor sister has been complaining of an itchy scalp for a while, come to think of it). They're not sure of the vector of transmission, but it was probably my brother's less than properly parented friends. However I haven't had any itchies in the past week since I left, so this phone call was the first time I heard of anything lice like. Am I safe?

And should I boil my possesions? Nobody wore my clothes as a turban or anything, but my suitcases were stashed in the common area of the house for a few days.

Of course now that I know about the lice everything on my body is itching, even my hairless feet. I'm also fretting because the gentleman I'm staying with while I buy furniture is a teensy bit obsessive about housekeeping and I have visions of my boyfriend chasing me and my long brown hair with an electric razor and cries of 'Unclean!', while the house is filled with the steam of boiling vats of bedding, so I'd like to know if I have to tell him I might have it (out of ethics and to plead for nit combing) or if I can just tut-tut at my family's bad luck and avoid sending him into a cleaning frenzy.

Looking for EMT training in Minneapolis

yogurtisgenocide — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:56:42 -0800

I'm interested in EMT training in the Minneapolis area. I'm looking into getting certified as an EMT. I don't have any medical training beyond CPR certification. I also don't have a ton of money. Does anyone know

a) what organizations in the Minneapolis area offer this kind of training - personal experience/recommendations preferred

and

b) if there's any kind of financial assistance or workstudy available to receive EMT training

Thanks!

Grecian 2000

stenoboy — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:58:57 -0800

Why can't I use Grecian 2000 on my greying beard? The packet leaflet says it's OK to use on head hair and sideburns but not facial hair. Sideburns ARE facial hair, right? So why not my beard?

I wonder if it can be used *cough* elsewhere on one's body *cough* ?

pumping iron

gilsonal — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:33:40 -0800

Looking for suggestions on how to treat iron deficiency anemia secondary to Crohn's Disease. Problem: Iron supplements make me constipated, and last time it got so bad I wound up in hospital. Any suggestions on how to get iron without getting 'blocked up'? I need to take in a lot of iron -fast- I'm a 24 year old female with Crohn's Disease, and in the last two months my hemoglobin dropped from ten grams to nine. If this keeps up they'll have to give me transfusions by November, and I'd really like to avoid that.

I've tried over the counter iron supplements, and find that those cause an upset stomach and constipation. I was prescribed Repliva, which I hear is supposed to be easier, but after a month on that my intestines stopped moving anything at all and I wound up in the hospital for four days. Because I'm constipated already in general, and taking Miralax (a laxative) every other day to keep regular enough, I'm afraid that adding iron will make things even worse.

Side note: I do eat a fair bit of meat, as well as spinach in an effort to up my iron levels, and I absolutely cannot eat beans, even if they are full of iron (texture is too wrong). While I'm up for dietary suggestions, I'm afraid a steady diet of hamburgers is not the solution.

I'd really love to hear about any liquid supplements, pills or creative solutions that people have found that work, especially if you've had similar problems in the past. Thanks for your suggestions!

Sweet, sweet candy

mjao — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:49:38 -0800

What are some (at least slightly) healthy alternatives to muffins, pudding, cupcakes and chocolate? Everybody I know favours savoury -- but I favour the sweet stuff! My attempts to eat well eventually derail because while I have lots of healthy savoury options, I've got no healthy sweet options. NB: Fruit doesn't count, I already eat it and it doesn't seem to satisfy my cravings.

My diet consists of salads, sushi, nuts, rice, white meats (and sometimes bacon and sausages), soups, fruit, pulses, wholegrains, cereals, yogurt, etc.

I can go fine for a while but, especially when I have PMS, I need sweet stuff. And I am now on birth control that makes me hungry all the time.

So what do you think? Are there substitutes that are healthier than what I crave? You can be as wacky or creative as possible! I'll try anything.

Or should I just accept that I have a sweet tooth and not try to fight it? After all, the rest of my diet is okay. I don't really need to lose weight or anything (although I'd like to, I'm at the low end of healthy in terms of BMI so that's not really necessary, just superficial!)

Kaiser, Blue Shield, or Cigna HMO in Northern Californai?

names are hard — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:53:26 -0800

In Northern California, which is the best: Blue Shield, Cigna, or Kaiser (All HMO). I just started a new job (San Francisco) and get to choose from these three. I had a blue cross/blue shield PPO on the east coast, but I know they often vary by state. It seems like this question hasn't been answered for a bit, so what has people's experiences be.

Also, they will all cost the same, so that is not an issue.

Please help me sleepwalk.

cereselle — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:10:09 -0800

How can I train myself to fall asleep while walking? I have RLS. (Yes, it's real, and it sucks.) I am on drugs for it, but it's very difficult to find the dosage that's high enough to let my legs relax and let me fall asleep, but low enough so as not to cause violent vomiting.

It doesn't kick in until I actually begin falling asleep. At that point, my legs have to move. I kick, I do leg lifts, but sometimes I start falling asleep while my leg is moving, and it stops, and the RLS starts up again, and I wake up.

If I could walk, either out in my backyard or on a nonelectric treadmill, and manage to fall asleep while walking, it seems like everything would be taken care of. Can sleepwalking be taught?

What are these bruises and how do I get rid of them?

wexford_arts — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:10:04 -0800

I know about spider veins (those tiny, flat blue/red/purple lines) and varicose veins (raised, lumpy veins). I know that these can be treated with laser or sclerotherapy. But what do you call faint blue bruising that seems to follow the path of blood vessels but is neither sharply defined nor raised? And how can you treat it? I've had a very faint permanent bruise on one leg for at least ten years, but it now seems to be spreading into an estuary of bruises. Is this just an amorphous set of spider veins, an early stage of varicose veins, or something else? Or is my skin is just getting thinner and these are normal blood vessels?

Help me get my eye a lovely shade of not-red

silverstatue — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:44:43 -0800

I need to get the red out of my eye ASAP. my right eye is really red. i have an infection on the eyelid which is causing my eye to tear a lot. I get this once a year and it always lasts four days, and i just have to ride it out (doctors have given me ointment which helps a little).

Today is the third day which is always the worst. My eye is the size of a football and the color of a tomato. BUT i have a really important appointment tonight. i can get the swelling down but i cant get it to turn a less alarming shade of red. PLEASE PLEASE, i will do anything to get my eye a normal color. Any tips, recommendations, prayers? right now i'm just resting a lot (not wearing my contacts) and putting in homeopathic eye drops.

A focal point on glasses.

Gordion Knott — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:46:04 -0800

Glasses-and-contacts wearers: I've just been outfitted with my first pair of distance-vision specs, and the world is crystal clear again. The problem is, everything in a 1 meter radius is a blur. What to do? I've worn reading glasses for years, but this is my first experience with distance lenses. The blurriness makes it necessary to remove the distance glasses when I'm in a restaurant or at a meeting with people sitting close.

Of course, I could upgrade to bifocals or progressive lenses. But (as far as I know) these would only give me a small area of near-distance correction at the bottom of the lens, and fail to solve the problem of blurriness when interacting with people at face-level.

I'm a total spectacles newbie, as you can see from my nomenclature-impaired description here. Basically, my vision sucks. I need reading correction for books and the 'net, distance correction for driving and DVDs, and something in between to handle the one-meter radius around me.

I'd like an all-around, single pair solution, of course, but I don't know what to buy.

Oh, and (I don't know if this is even possible for my case) I'd like to try contacts, too. Eventually. . .

What kinds of prescription lenses--and contacts--should I investigate, given these issues?

Allergic To My Own Sweat?

carterk — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:17:43 -0800

Can I be allergic to my own sweat? The past couple summers I've developed itchy rashes on my neck, forehead and inside my elbows. I saw a dermatologist in January when, naturally, I had no symptoms. He actually implied that I was imagining this rash (!) and offered no remedies. Recently a biologist friend suggested I might be allergic to my own perspiration, and I'm increasingly feeling that the evidence supports this. Can this be true?

Got a sore jaw: how come?

fantasticninety — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:44:05 -0800

Tender under jaw where it meets the neck. Anyone know why? I'm a teacher and have to speak a lot each day. I've just started back up for the fall. I also wear a tie each day. I've noticed that under my jaw, where it meets my neck, just above the adam's apple it is sore. I can be even more specific, it doesn't feel sore unless I take my thumb and forefinger and press upwards on each side of my jaw just above the adam's apple. Do any of those previous reasons have possibilities? I wonder if the tie strains agains the neck, and if there's another way of tying it which alleviates this pressure.

Disclaimer, I smoke between 2–3 cigarettes a day and am a young man.

I'd go to the doctor, and probably will, but I thought I'd throw it out here before having to go through all the rigamorale.

vinyasa yoga

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:09:11 -0800

What should I expect from a vinyasa yoga class? I've been doing Bikram/Hot Yoga for a while. Tomorrow I am going to try a Vinyasa class. How will it differ? I want to be mentally prepared for the pace of the class.

I've seen this question but the answers swerved to a direction that was not detailed enough.

Elderly Skin and Bruising and the Effects Of

watercarrier — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:38:13 -0800

Nursing home horror, involving the skin of elderly people - (disturbing description inside) OK - This is a warning - it's not pleasant at all what happened to someone I know, in fact it's outright gross. But apparently it is a fact of life - that the older we get - the thinner the skin becomes. So - again - if physical description will gross you - please don't read this.

OK - so my friend was visiting her mother at an old age home, when suddenly another resident who was walking around apparently in a state of dementia (there was NO nurse or staff anywhere to be found there at the time, btw), suddenly fell. She was walking into a raised garden plot and apparently didn't or couldn't see that there was a certain height between the ground and the raised bed - and she fell.

My friend rushed to her and as she was attempting to pick her up, the woman's skin just pierced. There was no force involved other than attempting to lift her. Her skin just came away so that there was a quarter sized blister like sore where my friend's thumb was. In short, the elderly woman is *fine* as much as could be expected in a place like that and she finally was administered first aid. But my friend is virtually freaking out - and somewhat traumatized by the whole situation.

1 - He essentially would never hurt anything or anyone and to think he hurt a little old lady is just, in his mind - unfathomable

2 - He can't get the moment his thumb pierced this woman's arm out of his mind

I'd really like to help him - what kind of reassurance do I give him aside from *you were trying to help, things happen, it just happened that way...*? Is there anything that could put his mind at ease? Just as a side note to this, she did apparently have bandages in other places on her arms - so this could have possibly happened before.

Lastly, my friend will have to return to this place, is there maybe a salve he could bring the woman that would help with this type of thinning of the derma?

Thanks.

Okay, I should probably start thinking about sunscreen.

dame — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:19:04 -0800

What kind of "sunburn" is this? Does it happen to you? I'm half black and half Italian, so I have medium brown skin, somewhere near the color of a paper bag. I grew up in California, outside or at the beach nearly all the time, no sunscreen, never been burned. (Yes, I know I should wear sunscreen anyway. I should do lots of things.)

Anyway, the last few times I've gotten lots of sun, I've gotten a burn that is not a burn and I am a little curious. Symptoms: no pain; little to no redness (though I get bruises that don't show all the time so it doesn't mean much); skin becomes rough and dry, then peels in little circles (no big sheets like my pale friends get, just little dots). Sometimes it itches when it peels, but not much. Any insight?

What kind of options are available for fixing a bone spur on my calf?

bitterkitten — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:42:25 -0800

M.D.Filter: What kind of options are there for repairing a bone spur - on my calf? Yes I'm going to see a specialist tomorrow, but I thought I'd see what y'all know about it.

I'm in my mid-30's, medium-thin build, about 165, always been in pretty decent shape.

Basically it's poking out about an inch and a half? downwards on the inside of my left tibia, I believe, not directly on the side of it, but more towards the back. A few years ago I noticed it and the doc x-rayed & mri-ed it, etc to make sure it was not bone cancer. Fortunately it was benign, and I have no other obvious problems with bone structure that I am aware of. I do have Hashimoto's, celiac, allergies, some anxiety, but those are all under control.

If I do very little exercise, it doesn't bother me most of the time. It also doesn't bug me a whole lot if I (strangely) do moderate weightlifting. However, if I do stretches, or tai chi or some dancing, or even ride a recumbent stationary bike for about 12 or 15 minutes, or any other extended aerobic activity, it will start to hurt my calf, and then it is a dull ache there the next day. Additionally the knee on that leg has been feeling like it wants to be 'cracked' for about 8 months now (like cracking your knuckles), and feels like the leg wants to mildly hyperextend if I'm standing barefoot. Far as any of the folks I've seen have noted over the last few years, neither leg is longer than the other, and both feet appear to be the same size.

I've done a bunch of physical therapy for that, IT band & foot strengthening exercises, which have certainly strengthened the leg, and at first seemed to help, as well as wearing some Powerstep orthotics that a foot doc suggested which have helped somewhat as well... but now it seems to just be staying in this weird non-improving state.

I have no problem doing exercises forever to keep myself in shape, whatever they are, however many there are, so that I can do the things I like doing, if it is feasible.

Despite my extensive medical history (none of which involves bone problems) I don't really know much about this, and googling reveals plenty of information on bone spurs, but not of this kind.

gracias, hive mind

Fix for Braun Shaver/Razor Syncro Clean & Charge System?

criticman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:18:39 -0800

Fix for Braun Shaver/Razor Syncro Clean & Charge System? The base on my system has been broken for years. Here is a replacement: http://www.theessentials.com/jump.jsp?itemID=186&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=186

The upper "arm" that snaps into the bottom of the razor when it is placed in the charge/cleaning station stopped working. It used to snap into place and stay there unless you hit the blue release button on it. Now (and as I said, for years) it never snaps/clicks into place. For about a year, thanks to the position of some shelves in my bathroom at my old house, I could wedge the unit between shelves after inserting the shaver. This kept the top part locked into place & allowed the cleaning and charging cycles to run.

However, in my past two (including my present) living situations, there is no place to wedge it. I spent time on Google seeking answers previously without any luck.

I am hoping someone either A) managed to open it and fix it or B) has a clever way to keep the top locked into place to allow normal operation. Yes, I could spend $50 (plus shipping) to get a new base station, but I worry if they did not update the design, that it may fail (I noticed newer models did not have anything that snapped into the back of the razor, making me believe they recognized the design flaw but chose to ignore it on the old parts).

I love this shaver, but the quality of shave (even with recently replaced foils etc) is not as good as when it is frequently cleaned with the base station. I actually have 3 cleaning cartridges waiting to be used, so hoping someone can help.