TLC Asked :

I’m a 42 year old female, 15 lbs overweight, otherwise healthy. For over 2 weeks now, I’ve had unilateral (R), pitting edema of my lower right leg, ankle, foot. All of the tests ordered by the doctor came back normal (Doppler US, chest x-ray, ankle & knee x-rays, lab tests to check heart & kidneys) – no DVT or Baker’s Cyst found.

I’ve been using Epsom salt soaks & have been keeping my leg elevated regularly. I tried wearing a compression stocking one night but woke up in pain so I took it off & haven’t worn it anymore. Swelling has gone down slightly a couple of times when I stayed off my feet for a few days – but, the swelling keeps returning to the point where it’s hard to move my toes or bend my leg at the knee because everything is so tight.

continue reading One Side Right Leg Swelling, Cannot Bend or Move Toes

Fallingstarx Asked :

I just started taking birth control and I have been feeling like there is a ton of air trapped in my esophagus. I can’t burp, but my throat kind of gurgles and lets out really small amounts of air. It also gives me the constant feeling that I’m going to throw up.

I have no idea what to do about this and its really uncomfortable.  At first I never attributed these symptoms to the contraceptive pill but when I skipped the pill for about 3 weeks while on vacation, I was feeling a little better. It was not a major difference and to be honest I never noticed it at the time. It was only when I returned back home and started the pill again that the symptoms came back. So I figured that it was not a difference in surroundings between home and the spot I was vacationing at.

continue reading Gas Bloating After Starting Birth Control (Contraceptive) Pills

Nicole Asked :

I have suffered from severe bloating and burping upon waking every morning for one year. The bloating and burping gets worse after meals but is present even without eating. I also suffered from diarrhea and abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as severe IBS and I am on a medication that controls the diarrhea and pain, but the bloating and belching will not go away.

I have been seeing a GI specialist for one year as well and have been tested for everything under the sun and has tried numerous medications such as pamine forte, antidepressants, H2 blockers, pancreatic enzymes and probiotics. I have also had multiple stool tests run, lactose breath test, colonoscopy an abdominal ultrasound and CT. All came back negative.

continue reading Severe Bloating And Burping Upon Waking, After Meals

Rudy Asked:

I have had abdominal pain now for 10 years. It is to my right side of the xiphoid process and extends under my right ribcage. When I apply pressure to the area, their seems to be a shifting of ligaments that kind of pop back and forth. It is tender but not painful.

I have no symptoms when I sleep, but it starts in the late morning and lasts all day. I have had an endoscopy four years ago that revealed H.Pylori, which I had taken medication for. I have taken Prevacid and other GERD medication without any relief. I have taken a breath test this year to see if H.pylori is back and it came back negative. I have had an abdominal ultrasound as well that showed all my organs are fine.

My doctor thinks that it could now be an old sports injury, and has booked me for an abdominal CT scan. He says that there might not be anything that he can do if the CT scan comes back alright.

Can you let me know what you think, as I am finding it hard to believe that we can’t find a cure for this.

continue reading Abdominal and Sternal Pain, Tenderness Under Right Ribcage

Identifying the cause of head pain may not always be a simple task for the attending doctor, especially if there is a lack of overt signs, presence of vague or unrelated symptoms and if there is no suitable record of the patient’s medical history. In this case, your doctor will assess your case and make a diagnosis based on concomitant symptoms that are present (like a headache with nausea and vomiting) in conjunction with your case history and clinical findings.

Further tests may also be required for a conclusive diagnosis and to exclude differential diagnoses that your doctor may have compiled during the evaluation.

continue reading Head Pains Diagnosis and Tests