SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1.  Chest pain that feels sharp (left side), fever, difficulty breathing, palpitations (heart rate) tired and lethargic, dizzy, light headed, clumsy that has lasted 4 days , not getting worse but not getting better either.  35 yrs, female non-smoker, regular exerciser with no history of medical issues other than a documented heart murmur (10 years). (Report)

2.  I am a 34 years old male, overall in good physical health.  For years I have been feeling depressed and tired. Treatment of Prozac and psychiatric consultation showed no signs of improvement. I was told that this is probably not a depression.  I wake up in the morning very, very tired. There are days (it can go for weeks) that I feel that I did not woke up at all. I can fall asleep at any given moment if given few minutes of quiet. I look tired, and I feel very tired. It comes and goes. Few weeks really bad, then few weeks just bad, then week or two O.K. and then again old routine. It is more or less that way for the last 15 years. Symptoms become so severe that I was not able to work for last year. I am an electrical engineer. I feel that my depressed state could be caused by constant feeling of being physically and mentally tired. All blood tests, over years looked O.K. I have no known severe allergies or asthma. Physical exercise makes me dizzy and red faced. The most characteristic symptom is been very tired in the morning and thru the rest of the day. I can sleep 12 hours and then some. It almost never feels "fresh". My questions: 1. Could f this still be depression, or something else. 2. Can I try myself some anti-depressant drugs, just to verify if this is not a depression? Which ones and what doses?  (Report)

3.  My problem is undeveloped breasts.  I am 26 year old.  My height is 156 cm and my weight is 52 kg.  What is the reason for my small breasts?   Is it any hormone problem?  Any treatment for this? (Report)

4.  My daughter has had Wegeners Granulomatosis (Wegeners Disease) for 12 years and never has gone into remission.  She takes Cytoxan and steroid to maintain the symptoms, but has had to have surgery on her sinuses, throat, nose and both eyes.  Can you tell me if there is any new research being done on new treatments or research going on for people who have not gone into remission with this disease.  It is listed as a 'rare immune system disease' with NIH.  (Report)

5. I am a 34 years old female and was just diagnosed to have mild lupus.  I feel tired all the time and have a lot of muscle and joint pain.  Recently I began to have coin-shaped rushes on my skin.  My doctor gave me two drugs.  One is called Bextra and another is Hydroxychloroquine.  I have been taking the two drugs for a few days and still feel bad.  Today I began to have chest pain.  I am scared.  I need to know more about lupus and these two drugs.  Help!  (Report)

6.  In the Summer of 1998 I experienced spells of fatigue,temperature intolerance dizziness. I was also going through a lot of stress in my life at the time.  My major symptom of concern was an accelerated heartbeat of 160-180.  The cardiologist diagnosed my illness as dysautonomia, and noted that there was also considerable fluctuation in my blood pressure.  The 1st prescription I was given was a beta blocker:  Atenolol (20mg per day), which I am still taking today.  When I still complained of continuing dizziness after I began to take Atenolol, the doctor also prescribed Proamatin, 30mg per day.  For the past year now I have cut the dose of Proamatin from 30 to 10mg daily, and at the same time have increased my exercise regime significantly. I haven't noticed any difference in my physical feeling connected with the reduction of the Proamatin, but about 1 hour after taking the 10mg pill, however,  I get uncomfortable "goose bumps" on my skin, which with time disappear.  1.) Is there a significant risk involved for my health if I stop using the Proamatin altogether? 2.) Is there any other drug I could substitute for it? 3.)Are there any long term risks/benefits in continuing taking Proamatin?  (Report)

7.  I have these thick red bumps on my scalp.  They appeared this morning and since then (8 hours ago) more have appeared and now there is one on my upper neck.  It is red and hard and they are about 1/4 inch in diameter. (Report)

8.  My granddaughter is 5 years old.  She is tall for her age and healthy and happy.  I am concerned lately because I noticed that she often rubbed and squeezed her private part and seemed to draw pleasure from this behavior.  Her mother often scolded her whenever she saw this, but some of my friends said that this was natural and nothing to worry about.  Wasn't she too young to masturbate?  I need more information about this behavior before making a decision on how to handle it. (Report)

9.  I am a 41 year old man.  Lately I always feel tired and sleepy.  I do not have any disease that I know of.  I talked with my doctor about my feeling last week.  He said that there was nothing wrong with me and I did not need to worry about it.  But I still think that there may be something wrong.  What should I do or test to see if I am OK?  By the way, I am a smoker all my life (about 5 cigarettes per days).  I also have mild hypertension for many years.  I took beta-blocker (Atenelo, 50 mg/day) for many years and my blood pressure is under control.  

10. My daughter is 8 years old and she often has nose bleed for no apparent reason.  Otherwise she is healthy and normal.  Her doctor did not give us a clear idea of what was wrong with this condition.  What are the possibilities and what can we do to prevent this from happening again?

11. My son is 5 years old and often coughing and has blocking nose.  His pediatrician said that he had asthma.  We have no one in our family with asthma.  How could he develop asthma?  How came so many people have asthma lately?  What is the difference between allergy and asthma?  What can we do about it?  

12.  The patient is a 54 years old female and has had a chronic problem of feeling tired, low blood pressure and sometimes, even fainting.  She has been seeing a neurologist and an endocrinologist, but they could not figure out exactly what was wrong with her.  This condition has lasted for over 15 years and has recently gotten worse.  What are the possibilities and what should she do next?

13.  I was in the hospital 2 weeks ago because of very severe abdominal pain.  The pain came all of a sudden after a big meal.  The doctor said that I had acute pancreatitis and kept me in the hospital for 5 days.  While I was in the hospital I did not eat anything and they put me with an i.v. perfusion.  They gave me no real treatment and only the medicine to release my pain.  The pain and fever subsided in a few days.  My concern was that my doctor could not tell me what caused this problem even after he consulted with a gastroenterologist.  I also had a cyst in my liver and it grew from 0.5 cm to 4 cm in about 3 years.  I will go back to see my doctor in a couple of weeks.  What might be the problem and what should I check to make sure that this will not happen again?  It was excruciatingly painful when it happened.

14.  Recently I found a small lump in my right breast.  It was located at the upper right portion of my breast.  The lump felt somewhat hard and can be moved around by fingers.  I do not feel any pain or discomfort otherwise.  My doctor wanted to do a biopsy on the lump.  I want to know that what is the chance that this is a breast cancer.  How can I find out?  If it is breast cancer, what should I do?  I am 25 years old with a 2 year old son.

15  I am very concerned about the anthrax threat.  It can happen to any body anywhere.  Could you give me some up-to-date information and advice about this anthrax?

16.  I am a single mother, 35 years old.  My son is almost 3.  I am all by myself.  I struggle a lot - taking care of my son and going to school for a masters degree at the same time.  My mother, brother and sister are busy with their lives and do not seem to be able to help me.  I have been depressed for some time and often lose my temper lately.  Should I go to see a doctor and take some pills?  I need advice on depression and temper control.  Is there anything I can do to change this?  Are there any new methods to treat depression or any new research on this subject?  I have never been to a psychiatrist, but I do not believe in them.  I think that they charge a high fee just to listen to your complaints and can do little to help.  Any advice?