If you see a rash beginning on any part of your body and it continues to get worse with redness and pain and you have had chickenpox at some time in your life, the rash could be Shingles. Most times it will follow the course of a nerve but this may be difficult to ascertain. It usually occurs on the trunk but it does not spare any part of the body. It can affect the face or the extremities. When on the face it can affect the eyes mimicking conjunctivitis however it lasts much longer than typical bacterial or viral conjunctivitis which is usually self limiting. People may confuse the initial rash on their lip with Herpes Simplex especially those persons who have recurrent bouts of Herpes Simplex. But the rash of Herpes Zoster(Shingles) is usually larger covering more than just the lip as mentioned above. Associated symptoms may include malaise, headache, fatigue and most often pain.
There are several effective anti-viral medications to treat Herpes Zoster. The sooner these medications are started the better the response, nevertheless the disease process may take as long as 3 to 6 months to subside. Recently people have been advised to get the Shingles vaccine even when they have the disease though there are no long term studies on patients vaccinated while they are infected with Herpes Zoster.
Infertility
One of the biggest & disappointing problems of postponing having children in order to advance one’s career or for whatever reason is when you finally decide that it is “the right time” to start having children, it might not be so simple. Statistics reveal that as a woman reaches her late thirties & early forties, her fertility or ability to be pregnant declines.
That is not to say that she cannot become pregnant when she is older, however there is abundant evidence that younger women have an easier time giving birth as well as getting pregnant. Furthermore the incidence of abnormalities increases when women are pregnant in their forties and beyond.
Sometimes however, starting a family is just not possible at an early age and if you have difficulty conceiving you will probably want to consult an ob/gyn doctor who specializes in the field of infertility.
Ovarian Cancer Indicators
Symptoms of ovarian cancer are non-specific and generalized. Sometimes patients will notice bloating, nausea, ill-defined tenderness in both the upper and lower abdomen. In the later stages of ovarian cancer abdominal swelling is common and should be immediately addressed by diagnostic testing such as pelvic ultrasound and abdominal and pelvic CT scan. Ovarian cancer is not usually revealed by Pap Smear. If you just don’t feel right do not procrastinate. See your doctor without delay.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis A & B used to be far more common than Hepatitis C, however with the increasing use of intra-venous recreational drugs, hepatitis C is emerging far more often than previously. You might respond: “who cares?” But when you study the onset & progression of this serious illness, you begin to realize what an impact it is making on society. Furthermore, it can often be a “silent disease” until someone gets extremely sick and dies.
This is not a disease for which one is routinely tested.
You may joyfully meet the love of your life, for example, and decide to get married. Will you know if the person for whom you choose to spend your life is positive for hepatitis C ? Unfortunately the answer is no. “Well then let treatment begin immediately” you say. Unlike many diseases for which modern medicine has found a cure, this is not one of them. There is treatment but no definite cure.
Consider very carefully the risk of death before you enter the world of intra-venous drug use. Even if you escape hepatitis C or the many other infections associated with taking illegal drugs, you are at great risk for serious depression which can lead a person to commit suicide. The media has been busy lately with this very sad consequence.
Recently there has been success using newly developed medicines to treat Hepatitis C. Many studies are going on using different combinations of these new drug. Stay current on the new studies. More soon.
other sexually transmitted diseases
Chlamydia trachomatis is an intracellular bacterium. It is the most common bacterial STD with the highest rates in patients under 25 years of age. Unfortunately, there is a high rate of asymptomatic infection which is very important because you can have the disease and not know it.
Complications in women include pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. It is also associated with an increased risk of HIV acquisition.
Untreated chlamydia infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery and premature rupture of membranes.
Mother-to-child transmission occurs at the time of vaginal birth and may result in ophthalmia neonatorum and pneumonitis in the infant and postpartum endometritis in the mothe5r
Human Papillomavirus continued
In addition to being infectious, the Human papillomavirus(HPV) is important to consider when you are pregnant. Although you may have lesions in the vagina and on the vulva, there is a low incidence of spread to the infant during birth (2-4%). However, when transmission from mother to infant does occur, a serious conditon known as laryngeal papillomatosis can be present in the newborn.
Do away with anxiety @ the dangers of HPV infecton. Limit your chances of exposure to HPV by limiting your lifetime sexual partners.
(more on HPV and other sexual diseases)
Human Papillomavirus Continued
It seems like there’s an epidemic of Human Papillomavirus and dysplasia of the cervix especially in resort communities like the Outer Banks. Positive pap smears have increased in incidence since 2007 when the last large study was conducted. Why are women having more positive pap smears? It’s not an easy question to answer but we do know that age groups 15 to 27 are not the only groups affected.
We are now finding that pre-menopausal and menopausal women are having positive pap smears. This is important because in the last three years patients are not being reimbursed for pap smears that are done annually. That is not to say that annual pap smears are important for every patient but for some patients they are life saving.
What can we do about this problem? If you find yourself in a situation where you need a pap smear done and it cannot be paid for there are multiple sources where you can get a pap smear under a state or federal program. Feel free to call our office for further information. 252-491-8550
Human Papillomavirus & Cancer of the Cervix
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease. It is more common than Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis. It is especially rampant among teens who are having sex with multiple partners because they don’t realize how very contagious this disease is nor do they realize how serious it is. 90% of women who have cancer of the cervix are found to have an associated HPV infection. One of the other problems complicating this disease and increasing its incidence is the fact that heterosexual couples are having anal intercourse without realizing how dangerous it is.
For more information on HPV please comment on this page or email personal questions to drdahm@centurylink.net.
Dr. Norman Dahm is board certified in OB/GYN. For more information on his profile please email him at the above email address.
Stand like a rock
In matters of style, swim with the current
In matters of principle, stand like a rock
Thomas Jefferson
A good hockey p…
A good hockey player plays where the puck is; a great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be. by Wayne Gretsky
The bible says: Do your best at everything you do
drdahm 