Diseases, Illnesses & Conditions

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

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.

My fear of dying outweighs the annoyance my CPAP machine provides so I choose to force air up my nose each night. Apparently, looking like Hannibal Lecter of the night isn't scaring my dogs off!

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.

Are you in need of gum graft surgery? Living in the UK and not sure how much this procedure will cost you? This is my experience with getting a gum graft surgery due to an ongoing infection.

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

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.

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

Getting dentures can be a process—from getting the teeth pulled and impressions made, to learning to talk and eat again. I've been through this already myself, I can help you know what to expect.

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?

How to take care of full and partial dentures so they continue to fit well and look great. Proper care can save you money on early replacement due to accident or avoidable damage.

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.

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.

If a friend or loved one suffers from Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, this article can help you understand what it feels like to walk a mile in their shoes.

I am losing my eyesight to a disease called MacTel, or Idiopathic Juxtafoveal Macular Telangiectasia. The doctor told me there was no treatment, but I found out that laser treatments or cryotherapy injections can be done.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Although there's no official medical "cure" for lactose intolerance, sufferers can learn to manage it so completely that they never experience any symptoms.

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.

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.

Your doctor may not tell you everything about what to expect during treatment for breast cancer. I learned the hard way.

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.

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.

Face-down positioning after a vitrectomy can be a boring yet stressful time. Here are a few things I did to make the experience easier for me.

I've detailed my experience with the human parasite cleaner, Humaworm. I've included pictures of the actual parasite found in my stool. Find out if this cleanse is right for you and what to expect.

What does it mean to suffer with sleep paralysis, and how does it manifest in people?

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

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.

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.

In February, I reached out to get started with Smile Direct Club. My experience was horrendous with problems from the start and customer service had no idea why their own company was unable to fulfill my order.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Tips for living with dizziness and inner ear disorders. This is how I manage to reduce my symptoms and get on with my life.

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

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.

Carotid artery dissections are rare, so there isn't a lot of information out there. This is the story of my husband's experience with this life-threatening condition.

Here are five great online resources for MS patients and their families that provide emotional support, disease information, need-based grants, registries for clinical trials, and more.

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.

Personal experience with cataract surgery and a Crystalens implant, including the surgery, early results and the costs of the procedure

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Do have anemia? Are you wondering what a round of iron infusions might be like? I have lived with chronic iron deficiency anemia and have had two iron infusions. I share my experience in this article.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

If you're reading this, chances are you have Burning Mouth Syndrome, or I've perked your interest. It is a syndrome that has no exact answers.

Getting diagnosed with cancer an be a great shock to the system. These are some of the things I wish I knew when I was diagnosed with cancer.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Taking antibiotics can make you very sick, and even kill you. After taking clindamycin for a oral infection, I developed a rampant C. diff infection that landed me in the hospital.

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.

I discovered the importance of my thyroid gland only after I no longer had one. Following my thyroidectomy, I struggled with weight gain. In this article, I share what I've learned.

Unchecked hypertension may be the reason other medical issues cannot be resolved.

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.

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.

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.

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

This article explains what a cataract is, what the symptoms are, and a summary of my own experience with this condition.

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.

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.

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 October 2017, I developed DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and PE (pulmonary emboli) left and right. Here I recount my experience and share my accumulated knowledge of causes, symptoms, treatment, and preventative measures.

I used to suffer terribly from psoriasis. This alternative treatment restored my healthy skin, and I hope it will help you, too.

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

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.

Here are three lessons I learned as I walked with my wife through her fight with breast cancer. There is a way to walk this path every step of the way, and have no regrets.

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.

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.

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.