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Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Click to hear today's segment on FOOT PAIN:
Dear Dr. J,
My dad has been having pain in his foot now for several months and has seen a few different doctors along the way. He has most recently been seeing an orthopedic specialist. They have done LOTS of tests, x-rays, bone scans and nothing is coming of it. He has a factory job and is on his feet for 8-10 hours a day and has had to be off for the last 6 weeks to try and help his foot to heal. The doctor said that when they did the bone scan that a spot did appear in the area he is having swelling and pain but they do not see any fractures, breaks or any reason why there should be a problem. They have decided that it is a bad bruise on the bone that just needs time to heal. If he stays off of his foot for a few days then the swelling goes down and it feels pretty close to normal but as soon as he get up and walks around for even a few hours it goes right back to swelling and extreme pain.
To me if this was a bruise it would continue to get better and not keep going back and forth, but I don't know how bruised bones work. One doctor mentioned that maybe he has some sort of arthritis in his foot and maybe this was just going to be permanent. Being off work for going on seven weeks and not getting any real answers is very frustrating for many reasons. Financially and just not knowing what the outcome could be. My dad lives in Granite City, Illinois which is a very poor area and I'm not convinced has the best health care. I'm wondering if he should go another facility or if this would be an unknown problem for any doctor. I'm afraid the end result is going to be permanent disability and that would be devastating for him. PLEASE any advice or knowledge would be appreciated.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Dear Dr. J,
I'm pregnant with my second child and a month away from my due date. Last week I started having what felt like menstrual cramps and I thought maybe it was contractions. Then I REALLY had a contraction. My uterus tightened for about 20 seconds and then it was over. Since this is my second pregnancy, I feel like I should know the difference between early, false and real labor. Could you please help a forgetful mommy and tell me the difference so I know when I should be heading to the hospital? Thanks!
