Diseases, Illnesses & Conditions

Sometimes PMR is hard to diagnose. Many have to persist—through scores of tests, misdiagnoses, misinformation, and lack of knowledge—to find out what's wrong with them. This article is to help newly diagnosed PMR sufferers understand what is happening to them and know what to ask their doctors.

My Mother has high-functioning autism. Having her as a parent brings with it a unique set of challenges.

After working in the medical industry for over 38 years I was exposed to all sorts of communicable blood-borne diseases. After all those exposures I got the one disease I never thought I would have: Parkinson's Disease. It's not contagious, but it is like an alien being has taken over my brain.

As an ostomate, caring for your stoma and ensuring that it is clean and germ-free is an important part of a stoma care routine. A clean stoma will guard against bacteria that may result in irritation, or worse, an infection. Learn how to keep your stoma hygienic and infection-free.

We're everywhere, but most people never know that even though we may be eating the same food as them, playing the same sports as them, that we're diabetics. Listed here are a few of the things a diabetic needs to do every day in order to live a seemingly normal life.

How does one cope with wearing colostomy bags? If you asked me a week after my procedure, I’ll tell you I wish I were dead! But then, a few weeks down the line and I soon became an expert at managing a stoma. It’s not so bad after all.

A personal guide that will help you recognise thyroid symptoms and side effects that your doctor may not know, from harmful tablets to seeing the illness in your face and body.

I thought preventing cavities would be easier with Invisalign than with braces, since the Invisalign trays can be removed for teeth cleaning. It turns out, however, that it's not quite so simple.

Symbrachydactyly is a congenital hand malformation that occurs in 1 in 32,000 births. I was born with this condition, and this is my story.

Diverticulitis is easy to confuse with other health issues, such as food poisoning and the common stomach flu. This was my experience with diverticulitis and how I was able to identify it and seek treatment.

Throughout my journey, I discovered the incredible resilience required of the creative mind in overcoming serious adversity. The journey fosters growth and helps me find new meaning.

An encounter with transient global amnesia, or sudden memory loss. How life can change in an instant...

When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I did not realize how much my life would never be the same again.

Anosmia is a lack or loss of the sense of smell. To learn more about this smell disorder, from causes and treatments to my personal experience, read on.

Diverticulosis is a condition, which for most people, will not show symptoms. It can be diagnosed in a routine colonoscopy. Diverticula, or small sacs that emanate from the intestinal wall, sometimes bulge and break through the muscle tissue of that wall. Inflammation may result.

Almost a year ago, I had an implantable cardiac loop recorder placed in my chest to monitor my arrhythmia. This is a short tale of that experience.

If you're looking for juicy tips for your intimate encounters, this is not the page for you (sorry). Here, I share how to pass the time enjoyably when you're obliged to be in bed due to illness.

My father's story of having throat cancer and his first warning signs. Throat cancer symptoms can include hoarseness, change in voice, and coughing up blood. Read his heroic journey.

I have bad teeth, and I know I'm not alone. This article lists 10 things people with bad teeth want you to know about them and their situation.

Although costochondritis, or Tietze's syndrome, was first described in 1921, little is known about this condition, even today.

Some colostomy patients wonder if they can travel with an ostomy without having unpleasant occurrences but having an ostomy shouldn't stop you from travelling long distance. Find out how you can travel without worry, how to prepare, and why you don't need to cancel a holiday because of your ostomy.

My diet as a colostomy patient wasn’t much different from my pre-ostomy days, and If you’ve just had an Ostomy, you want to know what you can eat & drink, and what you can not. Here, you’ll find tips on my experience, the nutritional pattern I followed, my diet, and my general eating habits.

I've had all of my wisdom teeth removed in two different procedures. These are my tips for a smooth and healthy recovery.

My colostomy reversal procedure was done one year after my colostomy surgery. But what do you need to know about and stoma reversals and how long should you wait before the stoma reconnect procedure? Find out what to expect, and more.

This is the story of my yearlong battle with scabies—followed by a series of confusing and worrisome reactions to the treatment. I hope this information will be helpful to others.

Contacts lenses provide better quality of vision than glasses, and they also provide more freedom for physical activities. Here is my experience of contact lenses—the joys and the pitfalls!

Carrageenan is a thickener used in many foods that can cause allergy and intolerance symptoms in some people. Learn the symptoms of a carrageenan allergy and how to avoid foods with carrageenan.

Learn about what GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) feels like from someone who knows all too well.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is different than IBS, which stands for irritable bowel syndrome. One is a disease that needs medical attention, whereas the other, little can be done medically.

The painful story of how I lost friends after I was diagnosed with cancer. I'd heard from my cancer therapist that it's actually a common phenomenon, but I never thought it would happen to me.

Warts come in various forms and can be extremely unsightly and distressing. Discover the different types of warts, what causes them, together with pictures of warts. Discover how to get rid of warts fast at home.

This article talks about what happens to hair after chemo therapy has ended and your hair starts growing back.

Read one mother's experience of trying to eradicate pinworms from her household—and regain some semblance of a normal life.

Living with pancreatitis sucks. If you have pancreatitis, you know what I'm talking about. In this article, I share how I managed to live with it as well as tips to avoid further complications.

Do you get an itchy rash after being in the sun? Are you sensitive to the sun? Do you spend most of your sunny days bathed in the shadows? If so, you might want to read about prickly heat and PMLE.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that steals your vision like a thief in the night. What is it? What are the symptoms? Learn more about this silent thief.

In this article, I talk about my experience having my wisdom teeth removed and offer personal tips and facts from sources regarding the preparation, surgery and recovery. Learn what to expect if you are having or expect to have this procedure done in the future.

For your stoma care, there are some important colostomy supplies you cannot do without, that is asides colostomy bags. There are some other products you’ll require, without which proper management of your stoma will be virtually impossible. What are these supplies and how important are they?

If you've just been diagnosed with PMR and feel leery of taking prednisone, this article will list the pros and cons of choosing to use steroids and the effectiveness of other PMR treatments to help you see the larger picture.

A sleep study may help you stop snoring and start sleeping through the night. Here's what the experience of having a sleep study was like for me.

If you are living with a colostomy, bags ballooning out, caused by gas build up, is one of the most common problems you’ll encounter. How can you avoid this? If it happens to you often, what are the possible ways to reduce its occurrence? Find out how I coped with my ostomy bags ballooning issues.

In this article, I review three popular oral probiotics: Life Extension's Advanced Oral Hygiene, GUM's PerioBalance, and Oragenics's EvoraPlus. I also share my dentist's impressions.

Bleeding and bruising are common problems for those who are aging and have thinning skin due to excess sun exposure. Skin care treatment is essential for protecting the body from common infections.

An honest account of what it's like to get gum grafting surgery, written by a patient the morning after the procedure.

A lucky few kids go through life with perfect teeth; however, many kids have teeth that require more attention, possibly including tooth extractions. Here are some guidelines to help you prepare.

Why can't they just do the things they're supposed to? Written by a woman with diabetes.

If you have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, here are the things you need to do to make informed decisions regarding surgery and treatments.

Detached retina symptoms can erupt literally in a flash—and with a flash. Discover the warning signs from a real-life experience.

I am going to try and share my story of being diagnosed with cancer from the beginning—with updates as I continue this journey. I really hope that this can, in some way, help someone deal with what they are currently going through.

Ingrown toenails can be painful and debilitating, but surgery to remove the toenail is no fun, either. You may be able to avoid surgery with these tips.

I cannot offer you a miracle cure for tinnitus, but I can suggest some techniques that can help you enjoy life again.

Hold the flowers, please! What? No “get well” cards? Learn the secrets for assembling the ideal gift or care package for a cancer patient, while avoiding dangerous blunders.

Kidney stones cause a great deal of pain, especially when urinating, and can even cost you one or both kidneys. In this article, I will discuss how to prevent kidney stones from forming.

Reusable colostomy bags are best for you if you discharge waste frequently. Because they are drainable, you'll not only save money, you will also worry less about disposing of filled pouches.

As a colostomy patient, you will experience a few stoma problems that are best described as minor mishaps. What are they, when do they occur, and how can you overcome them or keep them to the barest minimum? Find out in this article.

Rest easier by knowing what to expect when cataract surgery looms in your future.

Do you know if your house was built using asbestos? If it was built before 1990, it likely was. This is the story of how we found out our house was built from asbestos, including important health and safety information.

If your family history includes osteoporosis, increasing your calcium intake is one of the first steps you should take. Find tips on ways to do this.

Many people suffer from the debilitating effects of degenerative disc disease without fully understanding what the disease entails. This article explores what causes DDD and how it is treated.

This article describes a struggle to get proper treatment for a father with bladder cancer. If you or someone you know is infected by BCG, seek an infectious disease specialist.

If your mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer, there's a good chance you're feeling scared, confused, and depressed. Here's what I learned about handling life when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2019.

Here are nine strategies you can use at home to stop tooth pain in its tracks. I've tried all of these solutions, and I can vouch for their effectiveness.

Sleep is a major indicator of good health. I am not a fortunate one on this aspect, and I will share what I did to improve my sleep patterns over the years.

I have MGUS—monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance. Never heard of it? Neither had I until it was discovered on a routine blood test.

Angelman syndrome is a genetic disorder of the 15th chromosome. This is what I've learned as a mom to two Angels.

Are you home from school or work because you're sick but you've checked Facebook one too many times already? Here's 22 productive things to do when you're home sick and bored.

Breathe Right strips are great for opening your nasal passages for freer breathing, but if you leave them on too long, they can be hard to remove. Learn how to easily remove them without hurting yourself.

Movement disorders, collectively known as dystonias, can render sufferers unable to function without treatment. The good news is: therapeutic botox, not cosmetic botox, can give them back their lives.

You no longer need to endure the embarrassment of cold sores. From effective first aid to long-term prevention, modern developments have transformed life for cold sore sufferers.

Eye floaters are those annoying dots, dashes, and specks in the eye that only the affected person can see. This article explores what causes them.

U.S. and Canadian tourists flock to Los Algodones, Mexico, for affordable dental care. My husband and I have had extensive dental work done there, and we've been very happy with our experience.

There are basically two types of colostomy bags, the disposable types and the re-useable ones. This article is about the disposable bags and the advantages and disadvantages of using them.

Pompholyx eczema is a painful skin disorder. For me, adult-onset allergies to dairy and lemons were to blame. I am completely cured now!

A leaking colostomy bag can turn out to be an unpleasant situation and many ostomy patients will encounter this. How do you know when to expect this bag problem and what can you do to reduce its incidence to the barest minimum? This article is about my own personal experience.

Restless Legs Syndrome is cruel, but I am determined to work with my body to find ways to manage it holistically. These are some of the things I have discovered.

Encouragement for African Americans to make use of a life-saving therapy that is often neglected

Fainting while laughing is a rare occurrence, but it does happen. It's happened to me. Here I share my story, as well as more information about this condition, also known as gelastic syncope.

Know the symptoms and warning signs of uterine cancer. Read about my mother's story of having uterine cancer that spread to her ovaries and lymph nodes.

The cost of a Crystalens implant can vary widely. Learn how the cost can be affected by a surgeon's philosophy and product packaging—from personal experience and the experience of others.

A review of the postoperative results of a Crystalens AO implant. Observations, improvements, and problems from a patient's viewpoint.

Burow's solution was first invented in the mid-19th century by Karl August Burow for ophthalmic use. Domeboro soaks are a useful way to dry out skin eczema weeping and have antiseptic qualities.

Can you be allergic to melted cheese? Why do some people have a cooked cheese allergy? We look for answers to these questions.

Bile reflux disease affects not only the sufferer, but those close to them as well. Here, I share my experience and tips for coping with bile reflux disease.

In fall of 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Follow my breast cancer journey below as I go through the ups and downs of beating this terrible disease.

Doctors and other professionals advise against popping cold sores—and for good reason—but the temptation will always be there. Learn how it worked for me and how to do it safely.

When someone in your family is living with cancer, everything changes. In 2018, my husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. This article chronicles his experience from having difficulty swallowing to having an esophagectomy.

Use these hacks to make travelling with hemorrhoids much more comfortable.

Are you thinking about getting dentures? Learn what it's really like from someone who has personal experience. Separate fact from fiction.

Whether you are a child or an adult needing braces, it is helpful to be prepared for the that first week of new sensations in your mouth. Take it from someone who has been through it twice.

One day I suddenly lost my sight in my right eye for a brief moment. It turned out that I had glaucoma. My ophthalmologist performed this procedure to control the pressure in my eyes.

in 2010, my husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer and had to get a urostomy. This article assists with practical steps on how to change the urostomy bag and also discusses some of the other practical issues around the urostomy.

The best shoes for plantar fasciitis offer good arch support and motion control for your foot. I've compiled recommendations that can help with heel pain as well as a torn or inflamed plantar fascia.

As a concerned mother and registered nurse, I am writing this article with not only the hope that my son's symptoms will be familiar to others who may be able to help us conquer a diagnosis, but also to increase awareness on the growing number of mystery illnesses in today's population.

Are you really flexible? Have you dislocated your knees or other joints? Hypermobile joint symptoms may mean you have a disorder often called hypermobility joint syndrome, or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Pareidolia is a condition in which one perceives familiar patterns in inanimate objects. One of the most common examples is seeing faces. This is known as facial pareidolia.

Eczema can torment sufferers with terrible itching, blistering, and weeping skin that turns into scaly patches. I suffered for years before finding a complete cure.

Braces are a great investment, but they can also be a pain. Here are some tips, based on my personal experience: from finding the right orthodontist to eating with braces to proper oral care.

When I had floaters and flashes in my eyes, I learned that I had Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD). I'll tell you about the symptoms and what you need to do.

What is sleep apnea? What are the symptoms, causes, and treatments? This is my story of this hidden illness.

A mastectomy causes both physical and emotional pain, not just from the surgery but because of the lifestyle changes it requires. Knowing what to expect helps. These tips for adapting to your new body should also help.