Dear Dr. Gott: Please explain what beta blockers are and what they do in certain medications. Dear Reader: A beta blocker, also known as a beta-adrenergic blocking agent, is a medication designed ...
Surgeon failed to properly inform patient before surgery Dear Dr. Gott: In mid-September 2009, I had a lung lobectomy and was in the hospital for about 2-1/2 weeks. There were complications, including atrial fibrillation and a delay in the lung sealing,...
Making real world sense of your blood pressure numbers Dear Dr. Gott: My hypertension has been treated for many years with lisinopril 20 miligrams daily and amlodipine 5 milligrams daily. These medications seem to have little effect on my numbers. My ...
FMD may have caused stroke Dear Dr. Gott: I am an active 58-year-old female, 5 feet 6 inches and 119 pounds. I had Grave’s disease, for which medication was ineffective, so I was given radioactive iodine, which eliminated m...
Tests say normal though patient is short of breath Dear Dr. Gott: I am concerned about blocked arteries. I am 60 years old, 5-feet-5, and weigh 115 pounds. I exercise three times a week, do 400 stairs a day, and walk two miles. My total cholestero...
Are Pap tests necessary after hysterectomy? Dear Dr. Gott: I had ovarian cancer and had a complete hysterectomy two years ago. My cancer was in the first stage, and, thankfully, I did not need chemo or radiation. My surgeon continues to sc...
Chills in summer vex reader Dear Dr. Gott: I have cold chills all the time. Even in the summer, I wear long sleeves and pants while others are wearing shorts. It started about five years ago, when my father was dying in the ...
Dear Dr. Gott: My 5-year-old grandson sometimes awakens in the night with pain in his legs, ankles or wrists. My daughter says he has growing pains. Is this true? Dear Reader: Yes, it is, sort of....
Dear Dr. Gott: I saw a written advertisement from BTM (Better Than Medicine) that sells medications at far lower prices than I can currently buy them. They state I can save up to 85 percent on my p...
Dear Dr. Gott: I am an 80-year-old female diagnosed with lichen planus. Other than being told it is an autoimmune disease, the dentists and doctors I have visited have no idea what to do with me. I...
Dear Dr. Gott: Last spring, I contracted rose-thorn disease. Very painful and extreme swelling occurred in just one finger. I was in the hospital for days under sedation and on antifungal meds. I’m...
Dear Dr. Gott: I’m a 54-year-old female who had a heart attack at age 47. They think it was a coronary spasm. I’ve begun to work out recently with a personal trainer because I am about 80 pounds ...
Dear Dr. Gott: Can you please address high potassium levels? My husband’s level went from 4.6 in 2008 to 5.6 in 2009. Other than food that is high in potassium, what could cause the level to jump? ...