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Head and neck Questions

Problem with vision Hi. I had a cold last week which has gone now but a couple of days in I noticed a problem with my vision. It has gone very wobbly. If I look at something straight ahead my vision seems to pulsate. The odd thing is that if I cover either eye, the vision with the other eye is perfectly still. It is only when I look at something with both eyes that I get the problem. Sometimes i feel like my eyes are not keeping up with each other. When I wake up in the morning I get some double vision. It feels like my eyes are struggling to get aligned. This clears after 30 seconds or so and does not reoccur during the day. I have been to an optician who has confirmed he can see no problems with my eyes.

I have a swollen tongue Hi Since Oct 2009 I have developed a swollen tongue, occaisionally I have a dry mouth and sometimes a yellow or white tongue. I don't have any sores etc it's just puffy! It started when I had digestive problems brought on by a bereavement. My digestive symptons were heartburn and indigestion. I had an endoscopy, given lansoprazole then omeprazole. I overhauled my diet, healthy low fat, low acidic, non processed foods, no caffiene, herbal teas, pro biotics, immune boosting supplements, superfoods. My diet is very good. I also suffer with all sorts of allergies, from hayfever, pet allergies, dust allergies, medication allergies and possibly food allergies although I have not been tested for this. I also suffer with a lot of mucus. I also grind my teeth and wear a night guard for my teeth, I have good oral hygiene and see my dentist regularly. I have had an MRI for neck and shoulder problems (cervical and brain scan) all results were normal. I have had numerous blood tests, most recently last week and all are normal, (which is great) however, after seeing two different doctors in my local surgery my doctor says "it is just one of those things" an answer I am not happy with! I am now considerably frustrated as my condition is annoying and embarrassing. I don't know what else I can do, I go to the gym and take care of myself as much as possible and apart from my tongue I feel great, the fittest I have ever felt. I really would like some advice or guidance on what I can do. I have private health care but before I use this I need to have some idea on which way to go. I would very much appreciate a 3rd opinion. Thank you inadvance. ***************

my son has a lump at the back of his throat Hi my 8 year old son has a lump like a 'second tongue' at the back of the throat arising from the back of the tongue/throat space. He had tonsilitis 2 weeks ago (now gone) which is when I first noticed it but the 'lump' still remians. Could this be his epiglottis? He has often complained of not being able to breath properly at night and has to sit up to ease his breathing. I feel bad about the breathing problem now I've found this strange 'lump' but as my son tends to have anxiety issues, I thought it was just that at the time. He has not complained of breathing problems for the last few nights though. Do I need to take any action please?

spot in mouth I have a tiny hard pinkish spot on the inside of my mouth on the wall of my left cheek. It is no bigger than a pin head and is difficult to see as it is the same colour as the surrounding flesh but is shiny and smooth. I've only noticed it by feelng its presence with my tongue over the past 3 weeks as it is not painful or sore. It doesn't show signs of disappearing though neither does it appear to be growing. Any ideas what this might be and should I get it investigated?many thanks

cervical spine Dear Dr, After around 18months of problems with ostearthritis/spondylosis nerve pain through back, left arm,forearm,wrist, back of hand,etc, my GP has referred me to a neurosurgeon following the results of an MRI. scan. The MRI showed, to the best of my recollection, the following: thinning and dehydration of disc at c4,5,6. bulging discs maybe including c6-7 anterior indentations stenosis My question concerns what I might expect or is possible through surgery or traction? What is the best outcome, all going well, in terms of loss of upper body mobility. Is there anything I can do to alleviate the progression of stenosis? At present I have had to stop driving, even sitting as a passenger is painful. The main site of pain is the left quadrant of my back, under arm and left ribs. The pain radiating down the left arm tothe wrist and back of hand is also present. Gabapentin300mg doesn't seem to reach the pain, although my GP has also prescribed codeine to help. (Which I am loathe to take after the first time - side effects of nausea and wooziness). I find that walking jars my spine and so I am confined to light housework and pottering about the garden. I had hoped to start up a plant nursery business in the future which would involve a lot of bending and lifting. I am a 52 year old housewife , slighlty overweight. I look forward to your advice. yours sincerely c

First seizure, Grand Mal My husband, who rarely has health issues, had a Grand Mal Seizure 4 weeks ago. We were on the sofa, so he only fell into the cushions. He was unconscious, and non responsive with violent shaking. He was totally disorientatated afterwards, and remembers nothing about it. He was in hospital for 8 days they did 2 MRI's, a catscan and an EEG. They found a cyst on the inside of his skull but do not think that is the cause. He is on 2x100g of dilatin twice a day, plus folic acid and vitamin B12. After almost a month he does not seem to be adjusting to the drugs, he sleeps a lot, including several hours during the day and can get dizzy. How long should it be before his body adjusts ?

blister in mouth Hi, I developed a rash on my hands before Christmas.It eventually went away during Christmas but it came back two weeks ago and it has been there since.I also developed a blister on the inside of my mouth last week.I was wondering if I could have the measles/shingles ? Side Note: Three years ago I developed a red patch on my back.I thought nothing of it. I went to the Doctor and I showed her this patch.It turned out it was the measles.

hi i have a very small lump just above my collar bone a very small lump on my neck just about an inch above my collar bone..have shown it to 2 of our doctors and they told me it was nothinh to worry about..i am not losing weight or have a fever ..i do get hot in bed but not wet with sweat.do i need to worry.i have had it as far as i am aware for about 3 months and it is not sore and it is moveable thanks ****

Rehabilitation after a stroke This is a question regarding my father. He had a stroke in June this year and the left side of his body was affected. He is making good progress and is able to walk around the house using a tripod stick. However, his left ankle keeps swelling and he finds his leg heavy to lift and feels he has less feeling in his calf muscle. This swelling does decrease during the night and he does put his leg up during the day, when he can, but after a while his leg seizes. He is on cholesterol and blood pressure tablets and since his stroke warfarin. He has physio three times a week but this last few times he has not done as much because his leg feels weak. I also feel the movement he had in his arm is decreasing and his arm is starting to curl up. The week preceding his stroke was spent in and out of hospital with TIA's. Tests were done but it was said there was nothing wrong and he was sent home each time. He did have water tablets for leg swelling prior to the stroke but these meant he was always rushing to the gents. Are you able to say what is causing the swelling in his ankle? Is there anything that can be done? Why is he losing strength in his leg and will this return? Is this related to problems associated with the earlier TIA's or could he be suffering from further TIA's? I look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks *********

Throat Problem - Gland Inflammation and more Hello Dr, I am a 31 year old male, non-smoker, non-drinker and I do not have any long-standing medical condition. Four weeks ago I developed an ulcer on the tip of my tongue, and this was followed by white patches on my tongue and some tenderness in my gums. My tonsils appeared red and swollen also. Around two weeks later these symptoms began to clear, and this was immediately followed by a sore throat, inflammation of the glands (lymph nodes) in my neck and I had difficulty in speaking- that is, on speaking I would frequently feel the need to clear my throat of mucous almost once per minute, though this need was not felt so acutely when I did not speak. Now, four weeks onwards, almost all of these symptoms have cleared except for the inflamed glands and the mucous feeling whenever I speak, which seem to continue no less than before. The glands feel hard and swollen, though are not painful when touched and my throat is not sore. I sometimes feel dizzy, as though it is caused by sinus, though my nose does not feel congested. My GP listened to me relay my symptoms as above. She examined my mouth and felt my glands and diagnosed this as a case of laryngitis caused by an infection, and suggested that I use a nasal spray for clearing the sinuses. I have been happy with my GP thus far and have no strong reason to doubt her diagnosis, but would like another opinion on the issue. This is primarily because I am concerned about laryngeal cancer (perhaps unduly) and about the length of time for which I have had these symptoms.

Raw sore throat I am 64 year old. Since a child I have had throaty/chesty colds. As I get older it takes longer to get over these. The cold disappears after about three weeks, but leaves me with a raw, dry, tickly throat which makes me caugh and clear my throat for sometimes up to 2 - 3 months after. During that time, I find difficulty in talking without caughing and clearing my throat. If I strain my voice, e.g by singing, or trying to speak during a disco, I am back to square one. I am a trainer, therefore my voice is very important and I am at my wits end. I am in the pubic domain and tend to pick up colds easily, maybe 2 - 3 times each year, which doesn't leave me much time each year for wellness!! I eat a good diet and exercise every day for up to 40 minutes by going to the gym and/or swimming 1000 metres. I usually take caugh mixture to help, but it doesn't. I also take throat sweets, e.g. fisherman's friends or the like, which sometimes, I wonder whether it irritates it more. I sometimes inhale, which doesn't help. I can't rid myself of the tickle and rawness. I find that eating oranges actually makes my throat sore (it took me year to find that out!). The same happens with melon (heaven only knows why!). Through constant caughing, I drive everyone mad!! I also suffer from a reflux disorder and sometimes think this may prelong the raw tickly caugh.

Infections On Friday July the 22nd I had a painful neck with swollen glands which was followed by an extremely sore throat. On Monday the 26th July I saw a doctor and was given the antibiotic Phenoxymethylpenicillin. I had a temperature and the swollen glands in my neck were very painful to the touch and my throat was so sore I had to have the medication in liquid form. Then on July 30th I was sure I had cystitis but I didn't have any treatment until August 3rd with Amoxcillin. As there was no improvement my urine was tested and I had another lot of antibiotics Nitrofurantoin on the 11th August. On the 13th August I had symptoms of a cold and a dry cough which was very painful but although I was told the cough sounded chesty my lungs were not affected. During this time I knocked my arm and came up with a bruise which is something that very raely happens I hardly ever bruise normally. What I would like to know is why am I getting all these so called viruses, could the last lot of antibiotics have caused the cold and will it get better, I am told by my GP it's a virus have to live with it until my body fights off the infection. I am under a lot of stress because I am caring for my elderly mother and this is bringing my down and the infections are making it very hard to cope. It was suggested by my GP that I have a blood test but I can't see what that will show except that everything is fine but I don't feel fine. I feel as though there should be some explanation as to why I am getting these viruses but I have lost faith in the GPs as I don't know who to believe anymore.

Tonsilitis I was diagnosed with tonsilitis on Friday but my symptoms have worsened, my throat is now horrifically painful and I need some stronger painkillers (i am taking ibuprofen 600mg every 6 hours & penicillin VK 250mg every 6 hours). My problem is only on one side , the other side is fine and normal. I have also now developed unbelievable sweating when I sleep even if its for 30 mins I wake up soaked, I have soaked 3 duvets and numerous pillows in the last 12 hours. Could this be something else rather than tonsilitis? Glandular Fever, Pharyngitis? I basically need soemthing for the pain in my throat and can something stop the sweating?

I have question about baby's frequent falls in bed My baby boy is nearly 8 months old, and is still practicing keeping balance when sitting up. Someone told me to let him fall to teach him balancing. So on Friday evening, when he is practicing sitting in our bed, I let him fall as he want. During the 10 minutes practicing, he had 5 or 6 good fall over backwards onto the mattress. It didn't seem to teach him balancing, but made me a bit worried about letting him fall backwards too frequently. He fell onto the mattress. I know it's not a hard surface, and it's pretty safe if he fell only once or twice. But, 5 or 6 times during 10 minutes, is it too much (even onto a mattress)? I am worrying his brain might be shaken. His reaction when he fell is like nothing happened. He continued sitting and playing. But after 10 hours he vomited a little bit of milk after feeding, and 24 hours later he vomited a lot after having solid food (but he was having a finger food which made him a little bit choked). No other abnormals. It may sounds silly. I tried myself to fall backwards onto the mattress constantly from sitting. I do feel dizzy and headache, even 24 hours later. So, that makes me worry even more. So my question is 1) could these too frequent falling backwards in bed do any harm to the baby? Or is it actually harmless? 2) Could his brain be shaken and caused a mild concussion? 3) Could the vomitting be related? Thank you.

Cluster headaches my mate has cluster head aches for last 3 weeks is this a problem he is 39 yrs old quite fit and useally fit sort of person date of birth 8/3/71 he sytoms severe pain to the head. left hand side only to head his left eye is in extreme pain.

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