(Part 2) Best products from r/AskDocs

Just to clarify a few things here. While internal hemorrhoids can bleed, they typically are not painful. The nerve endings are actually there to sense fullness in your rectum for you to defecate - not for sensing pain.

The pain you're having is most likely the same external hemorrhoid, or a new one that's popped up. Have you tried looking for it, or do you feel it when you go to wipe? You can of course have both internal and external hemorrhoids at the same time. The color of the blood is difficult to gauge if you're trying to google your symptoms, since it can vary with the color and substance of your stool.

How long have you been dealing with them (from the very first flareup)? While having a soft stool is ideal, you also don't want to switch to a pure fiber only diet (can actually make the stool harder w/o water), and you also don't want to irritate the bowels causing you to have to strain excessively.

Best recommendation is this:

1. Begin taking stool softener everyday. They typically come in the 100 mg/capsule. Take two a day with a meal. Remember this is the Docusate Sodium. Not a laxative like magnesium or bisacodyl. If you're confused, just ask your pharmacist. Can be generic CVS/Walgreen brand.
   
   
2. Start taking a daily probiotic. Also can be generic.
   
   
3. Be mindful of your diet. There are certain foods/drinks that can irritate or cause flareups. Alcohol for example can cause constipation, while coffee can overstimulate the bowels leading to excess strain. Have things like this in moderation. Always stay hydrated. Remember, increasing your fiber isn't enough. If you don't get enough, start having some fiber gummies a day. But, also make sure to supplement your diet with water! Water helps create soft stools. This is important for the passage.
   
   
4. For immediate relief, you'll likely need to start the Preparation H suppositories. Unfortunately, the ointment will not be enough and will not penetrate the irritated vessels. The suppositories typically bring relief within a few days. Go ahead and use the topical ointment to coat the outer layer of the suppository to help aid in the insertion.
   
   
5. After a BM, and cleaning yourself off with toilet paper, use either Preparation H wipes or Tucks wipes. They both have Witch Hazel which is extremely effective at calming irritated hemorrhoids.
   
   
6. If you can afford it, I'd recommend the following two items. One of the Luxe Bidet's from Amazon. Not only does it keep you cleaner and you use less toilet paper, the water is excellent for relief during flareups. Toilet paper can be abrasive and even touching the prolapsed hemorrhoid can cause pain. This is extremely affective, and I encourage anyone and everyone to make the switch. Super easy to install and work amazing. We have one in every bathroom of our home. The second thing is a Squatty Potty. I see they've upped the price. These were only $25 at one point, which is more reasonable for what they are. You could get away with purchasing your own stool for less if you look around. Essentially, elevating your feet allows your bowel to flow better, preventing access strain on the hemorrhoids.
   
   
7. Lastly, I recommend to avoid working out until these go away. Once they're gone, resume exercise. Exercising will promote proper blood flow and encourage healthy BM's.
   
   
   Hope this helps - and by all means, if you don't find relief within a week, please go see a doctor. While it may seem embarrassing to you, it can be a more serious issue that requires medical intervention. Feel better!
   
   
   
   

I don't recall the deltoid ever spasming in any particularly aggressive way. Also for clarification/context, we should try to be clear regarding whether we're talking about the anterior, lateral, or posterior deltoid. If you're talking about the anterior, my best guess here (at least if you find relief from massaging the anterior deltoid) is that you might (also) be experiencing discomfort at around the insertion point of the long head of the bicep tendon. If so, this is part and parcel of any bursitis you might be experiencing (and I'm making the wild assumption that you are), as the bursitis will reduce the space available to the bicep tendon, which will in the short term lead to tendinitis, and longer term, tendinosis. You can get some relief by massaging it (eg, pressing a thumbtip/fingertip and working it in, or lay down on your chest and stick a ball between the tender part and the floor, then shift your bodyweight onto it sufficiently, while (where it doesn't pain you too much to do so) try moving your arm into different positions while you continue to move in gentle circles), but be aware that this is an area which can be overdone, if you give it too much 'helpful' attention. Like, do this every other day, and no more frequently than that.

And don't forget to ice. My surgeon suggested getting a Dixie cup, putting water in it, freezing it, then peeling back the cup and applying directly, 20 mins on, 20 mins off. You might be able to find something less messy. There's something on Amazon call the CryoCup (which I almost bought), and just now I found something else called the SKLZ Cold Roller Ball.

Trying to find what I ended up getting... ah, here it is. The Roller Ice W41108 Massage Roller Ball. Which is apparently unavailable at the moment. :( A shame, as it did a really great job, with zero mess. Maybe the SKLZ Cold Roller Ball is the way to go, if you're keen.

Funny thing about my tear. The MRI report didn't indicate a tear. There was a bone spur or two. I didn't learn about the partial tear until I was coming out of anesthesia and my wife told me. Which disheartened me, because I knew right then it would be a much longer recovery. I don't know what your surgeon will do, but my surgeon used a PEEK plastic screw to anchor it, something which according to him, had only been used in shoulders for a couple years at that time (but had been used in spinal surgeries for even longer).

As you may know, when you hear about a rotator cuff injury, the large majority of them are a tear of the supraspinatus tendon. "Bursal sided tearing" sounds a bit to me as though the tear is along the side facing the bursa. My take on the detailed description: you've got a tear, this is why you're in pain, your surgeon will need to re-anchor it.

Somewhere I've got pics my surgeon took of mine, if you're interested.

Returning to work: I have a desk job, and have the luxury of being able to work from home. So when I had the surgery it was booked for a Friday morning, but I kept getting bumped and ended up being the last surgery of the day. Once Monday rolled around, I seem to recall I tried stopping the Hydrocodone (which I discovered I didn't much care for; made my brain fuzzy but didn't really block the pain as much as I'd hoped) by Monday, but by mid-afternoon I had to beg off due to the discomfort. Meaning, off to bed and pop another Hydrocodone. I don't recall whether I had to do the same on Tuesday.

The first few nights trying to sleep will be pretty rough. You're going to want a lot of pillows so you're more propped up. Either that, or get a recliner set up in the family room. Laying flat will not be a happy experience.

You're going to be wearing a sling for a while. You'll still be able to do things with both hands, and you'll definitely be back on the keyboard pretty soon after. But guard duty? So long as you don't have to try being physically imposing or actually trying to physically control someone else, I suppose you'll be fine.

I don't recall at what point I did this (let's say the first couple weeks), but I went to let my dogs outside. I went to the door, they sat down, I started to open the door slowly (was trying to maintain some degree of obedience) and the one dog started to bolt. My instinctive reaction was to quickly close the door again. This was using the same hand/arm as the side I'd had surgery on. I immediately felt a LOT of pain (and of course cursed). Oh yeah, I wasn't wearing the sling, because hey I'm at home and not likely going to do anything stupid, right? Another time not long after, I was walking down a path and a fly buzzed me. I was holding something in my good hand, and not wearing the sling (because I was going to the car). My instinctive reaction was to quickly flick my free hand to brush the fly away. Yep, more pain. Nothing horrible, but a reminder that I should have been wearing the sling, as it's an instant reminder to NOT use that arm.

Sitting in a vehicle all night sounds like a bad deal for the back. One thing you can do is get a sack and put one or two balls in it (tennis or lacrosse, the choice is yours), then just use your good hand to swing it into position over your bad side, let it slip into an appropriate height position, then lean back and move from side to side. Adjusting the height is trivial at this point. (Side note: this is also super handy if you're on a flight.) Fwiw, you can get a 6 pack of lacrosse balls from Dick's Sporting Goods (something like $25-30) and they come in a mesh bag. Just leave 4 of them at home and you're all set.

Also fwiw I'm going to mention Dr John Kirsch. Search for his name, possibly adding 'shoulder' and maybe 'pain'. He used to have a website, but I can't seem to find it now. He does promote his book, which is essentially all about brachiation (hanging from a bar/branch like a chimpanzee). I don't know that it necessarily helped me, but it certainly didn't harm me. And my PT has wholeheartedly embraced his exercises as being valuable, so there's that. Dr Kirsch's website used to have a lot of very short videos showing X-rays (fluroscopes?) of the shoulder articulating through a full range of motion, which I found to be both fascinating and informative. These videos (and others I've managed to find on Youtube) gave me a new appreciation for the shoulder. If anything, I'm just astonished that people don't have more shoulder injuries than we do. It's an amazingly versatile joint. If you have one of those cheap doorway pull-up bars, you could do some degree of brachation at home on the cheap. Don't actually do a pull-up, just hang there for a minute, or for however long you can stand it. (There are lifting hook options available online that you can wrap around your wrist to take the strain off your fingers. Dr Kirsch recommends one particular brand in his book, although I happened to have another brand from years previous.)

Once you get your surgery booked, go write down on the calendar the milestones and the do's and don'ts over the upcoming weeks/months. You will really want to give this time to heal; there is absolutely no rushing it, unless you're keen on the idea of having another surgery.

If I can answer anything else, just let me know and I'll do what I can.

Stress can certainly lead to hair loss and that will be temporary. Easy bruising, like hair loss, can be due to many things. If you are otherwise feeling healthy and have your usual level of energy I wouldn't jump to iron deficiency as the first possible cause.

I do strongly suggest that you begin taking a decent multivitamin. It's a good idea for everyone especially as we get older. I suggest this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009KNLV6/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Compare this to your Flintstone's vitamins and you can see the Flintstone's are pretty laughable. This one also has a hefty dose of biotin which supports healthy hair. I suggest also adding a daily vitamin C pill. It's cheap and good for lots of things including possibly your bruising. Remember to always take vitamins with food.

You also need a good diet so look up on google foods that are high in iron. It can be dangerous to take iron supplements without the advice of a doctor first and I do not recommend it. Good food and a good multivitamin should be your first step.

Be aware that a high alcohol intake can both decrease biotin, (possibly leading to hair loss), and cause easy bruising. If you have been drinking too much after your break-up now is the time to stop. Good luck and best wishes.

It sounds a lot like when my son had viral meningitis from the description of your headache, which can be caused by entero virus (which is a stomach virus). So you never actually vomited or had diarrhea? Most doctors will tell you not to eat anything if you can't stop vomiting. That gives your stomach a chance to settle down so that you don't get dehydrated throwing up all your fluids. Even though yogurt is great because it has probiotics in it which you need, dairy is hard on your stomach when you have a stomach virus. I think you should follow the BRAT diet at this point. You can buy little probiotic pearls at the store if you want to help replenish your good bacteria.


If you start to feel super sick to your stomach again. I have this "drink" that I make for my family that is pretty pungent, but I swear it stops the nausea and settles the stomach every single time! I mix one tablespoon of honey into two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. I like to use Braggs brand but I've used generic brands before and it seems to work just as well. Then I either mix in 4 tablespoons of water or apple juice. It's pretty strong but I always tell everyone to hold their breath and drink slowly. It sounds gross but it truly helps. I hope you this helps and that you feel better soon!

Hey I'm not sure if you two can still see this, (@Jennifer and the other comment), but I've been doing a lot of research and I decided to do something that really helped my psoriasis clear up a lot. Its been a few weeks, and its thankfully stayed down but and I'm hoping it stays that way.

So i did not get a lot of replies on the concept of parasites in us and that being directly related to psoriasis, but theres a bunch of research out there on how different types of worms & parasites that you can get from simply eating foods that were not fully cooked through or processed foods, building up over the years in your body and basically acting as a medium that tricks the body into believing that it has a problem and your immune system working against itself. Psoriasis is believed to be an autoimmune disease and that would tie into the whole concept of worms or parasites tricking our immune systems. One guy on a page that i read mentioned cleaning out our digestive system. So i got this off of amazon and I used it for ten days, just as it suggests. And i encourage you guys to read up about it and see how its worked for other people in what they were looking for it to do. Its basically black walnuts and it cleanses out our digestive track.

https://www.amazon.com/IntestinePro-Intestine-Echinacea-Ingredients-Vegetarian/dp/B00TET0MS8/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1511919619&sr=8-1&keywords=teraputics

Thats the link, if you guys feel comfortable to try it out, give it a shot. Do your research, this is just the one that I used, theres multiple ones out there and heres to hoping that it can help clear up your skin in the same way it helped with mine.

Hi, I had my gallbladder removed earlier this year.

First, try eating a good quality yogurt that has probiotics. (I eat a chobani every day.) Sometimes the antibiotics they put you on at the hospital can kill all the good bacteria in the digestive tract and yogurt with probiotics can help restore that. You would be amazed how that can solve digestive issues. If that doesn't help, I have some digestive enzymes I take with particularly fatty meals to help process the fats. I like the NOW Super Enzymes. They have definitely helped out.

But try the easy, cheap, healthy way first and start eating yogurt for a couple of weeks and see if that helps out.

I have never heard of weight gain being a side effect of gallbladder removal. If it hasn't happened in the two years since your surgery, then I wouldn't worry about it. I've lost weight and it's only been 5 months since my gallbladder removal.

Not knowing what you're eating, I don't know what to tell you other than be honest about the quality of foods you're eating. Try not to eat over-processed foods, eat fresh produce and fresh meats.

I'm no doctor, but I've had ulcers. Here's how I healed my ulcers (also, this regimen is safe even if you don't have ulcers, it can only help, IMO).

1. Kick the Prilosec -- OTC medicines ultimately did not work to heal my stomach. They just treated the symptoms. Instead of Prilosec, Take some Deglycerized licorice (DGL) 20 minutes prior to every meal. I like these.. These should sooth your stomach, and stop the burning.
   
   
2. You need to follow a lower-fat, lower-protein diet, until your stomach heals (and possibly, indefinitely, depending on what your body is capable of handling). Lean meats, complex carbs, veggies, and select fruits (i.e. bananas and apples). This diet will allow your stomach to recover quickly. For the first week, you could try a really bland diet to speed healing, such as the BRAT diet. Bananas, white rice, applesauce, and toast. That will take a lot of the strain off of your stomach, pancreas, and liver. DO NOT eat this diet for longer than a week, it is not nourishing enough. Just until your stomach begins to feel better, then ease back in some root vegetables, and lean meats. Be sure to cook your veggies thoroughly, to make it easier to digest. Also, make sure to eat more frequently -- do not fast or take long breaks between meals. If this means eating smaller meals, then so be it.
   
   
3. Zinc Carnosine has helped me and others heal from ulcers completely. It takes several weeks to begin working, but it helps the stomach repair. You can get some here. Read up about it, too -- it is used commonly in Japan for ulcers.
   
   
   

Not a doctor but I have this issue too. You might find this interesting. You get itchy only at night because of how your hormones change as you're getting ready for bed.

The ONLY thing that helps me is this shit. My dad's a doctor and he's never even heard of Pramoxine Hydrochloride but I like CeraVe so I gave it a shot and my God I love it.

Sometimes an antihistamine like Claritin or Allegra (or Benadryl if you wanna knock your ass out) help as well.

Good luck. Hope we figure this out one day! It's absolutely miserable and "itchiness" is like, the least useful symptom for doctors.

Try CeraVe products - they have a Salicylic Acid (SA) line (Cleanser & Lotion) that would help with your acne, and they also have a Hydrating cleanser + amazing Moisturizer creme and moisturizing lotion too.

http://www.amazon.com/CeraVe-Renewing-SA-Cleanser-Ounce/dp/B00U1YCRD8

http://www.amazon.com/Cerave-Sa-Renewing-Lotion-Pack/dp/B009TWF80M/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

CeraVe's moisturizing products are amazing if you have solely dry skin + no acne, but I've heard reviews about it helping clear acne too even without the Salicylic Acid. CeraVe has some sort of patent in their products that help encourage your skin to renew its cells and encourage natural facial oils to emerge and help moisturize your skin without causing pimples.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/
^ You can read more reviews about CeraVe and see if it works; it worked really well for my horrible dry face rash that I got as a result of radiation + my bone marrow transplant. (Face was basically peeling and couldn't breathe/felt "stuck" because I stripped all the oil away from my face using too many harsh cleansers to get rid of the dead skin and rash. I used the hydrating cleanser and noticed a difference in 3 days with the moisturizing creme + lotion - creme for the really extra dry/flakey skin and lotion for my hands/other dry skin.

I used these products:
http://www.amazon.com/CeraVe-Moisturizers-Moisturizing-Cream-Ounce/dp/B001V9SXXU/ref=sr_1_2?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1453793769&sr=1-2&keywords=cerave

http://www.amazon.com/CeraVe-Hydrating-Cleanser-12-Ounce/dp/B000YJ2SKM/ref=dp_ccx_cts_image_beauty_1

http://www.amazon.com/CeraVe-Moisturizing-Lotion-12-oz/dp/B000YJ2SLG/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1453793769&sr=1-1&keywords=cerave)

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/a/CeraVe/Skin-Cleansers/_/N-1z13ozbZ2794?categoryId=cat80170&ciSelector=leaf <--Read up the reviews here too for the different cleansers and see which ones would be best for your skin. You might be able to get a sample of these too if you went to a local Ulta store or contact CeraVe.

It's hypoallergenic and Dermatologist recommended for Eczema too.

CeraVe also has a $2 coupon on their website too :) I bought mine at a local CVS when they were having a great sale on it.

Hmm I think there could be a few more useful details here to help. I've been on the hunt for good briefs and undershirts for a long time. I've finally settled on Uniqlo's airism garments. They make shirts and boxer briefs (what I use) They're synthetic, but they make them in tight knit and mesh, and boy are they breathable. I'd have to disagree with those saying stay away from synthetic - if done right, they can be amazing. I used to use cotton, and found they'd be damp by the end of the day or gross. This rarely happens to me anymore with these.

Couple things to keep in mind - be true to your weight and size. Boxer briefs, and pants for that matter, can make things worse if they're too small or tight fitting. Better pants can also help - you're looking for breathability. Lulu lemon makes a men's dress pant that a ^(rich)friend of mine swears by. I'm not saying go spend $100+ on pants, but I'm sure other non-branded versions similar to these exist at a fraction the cost.

Lastly, as others have said, hygeine is very important. Be sure to use body wash, and make sure everything is dry before putting clothes on. I've heard using Tea-tree oil as a body wash for stuff like this, though I have not found research on the efficacy of this claim.

Best of luck!

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I'm familiar with Wisconsin. I know of this free clinic but its in Madison if you can make it. The hours might not be the best. Otherwise, Here's a quick list of free clinics in your town that I pulled up.

So, badgercare is basically medicaid which pays for people that don't earn or don't have insurance. One thing you can do is call badgercare. I was able to speak to them before and they seem to be pretty helpful to people that have special circumstances. Try explaining to them about your situation. Don't give up.

If you want to do your own unna boot you can try this:

zinc infused bandage

Kerlix

Coban wrap

foam pad or extra bandage

Watch this video on how to do it

Now a little caveat emptor....
If you do this you could end up with shortness of breath because of build up of fluid in your lungs because now the fluid being trapped in your legs is being pushed back up to your lungs. You need to go to the ED if you get any of these symptoms. Good luck and I hope you find the help you need.

FODMAP sounds like a very good idea. Some people get benefit from a medication by the name of Bentyl, which has been around forever. There are other strategies/medications that can be used to treat symptoms.

Consider treating the nausea as a symptom of gastritis. Try Ranitidine and Antiacid before meals and at bedtime. Give this a try for at least five days to see if this doesn't improve your symptoms. Good luck.

As an aside, you come across as a very intelligent, articulate and informed teenager. If you have interest, medicine might be a good fit for you.

About 10 years ago I think I got plantar warts from the local pool. I tried every over the counter treatment you could get. Freezing, the stick on pads, freezing immediately followed by the pads, every brand that I could get my hands on at Walmart, CVS and Rite Aid. When I thought something had worked a week or two later I'd see that it had just basically caused the skin around the warts to become dry and disgusting but not actually gotten rid of the wart, or the warts would just grow back. It was literally like a two year long ordeal. After digging around on Amazon I realized that it was because the salicylic acid was not sting enough. So I ended up getting Curad Mediplast pads with 40%salicylic acid. Basically you cut the pad down to the size of the wart, stick it on until the next day when you replace it with a new piece. I purchased the 25 count box of pads. After 2 or 3 weeks they were actually gone and have not returned in almost a decade. I think I only used 2 or 3 pads and have given the rest away over the years. Everyone else who has used the them also loved them. The box if 25 is kind of expensive but you can buy just 2 pads for like seven bucks and they should be enough for the one wart. A few notes just to give you a heads up. 1. I stood on my feet for 8 hour shifts so the pads would sometimes slide around. To stop that I would cover them with that stretchy waterproof medical tape. 2. Give it time. Don't stop until you have a hole. It basically dries out the area around the wart until it can kind of pop out, at least for me. 3. Your feet are gonna look like shit for a few weeks after. Once all the warts were out my feet were dry and had these divets that I thought would never go away. I was honestly super worried that they would just look like that forever. They won't. Just make sure you moisturize and GENTLY exfoliate. Do not try to rush the process. They will heal and the new skin underneath that is smooth will finally be all that's left after the dried out areas around the removed warts is sloughed off. The healing took me like two months maybe three, before my feet were back to normal but it was worth it. If you want to try the 2 pads here is the link >
https://www.amazon.com/Curad-Mediplast-Corn-Callus-Remover/dp/B001GBFBLA/ref=sr_1_7?crid=24QD8JRPS2TB0&keywords=curad+40%25+salicylic+acid&qid=1573288240&sprefix=Curad+40%2Caps%2C226&sr=8-7

NAD but I lost my dad to Bowel Cancer and also worked as a Pathology Collector attached to an Oncology unit.I'm sorry to hear your diagnosis, but hopefully things will stabilise soon and you improve.

My main advice was what I learned when looking after dad and my patients; Pear juice is a natural laxative to help with the med induced constipation. If ginger isn't your thing for nausea, my dad lived on Fruit Tingles. I am Aussie an these are too, so I'm hoping you can get them online or at a specialty candy store, but they have sodium bicarbonate in them that causes the 'tingle' and it can actually help settle a stomach. My dad also had issues with the smell off food preparation so we used to cook his stuff in bulk and freeze it so it just had to be re-heated for them.

Best of luck and I hope things change for the better soon.

​

Amazon Fruit Tingles

Baking soda ingredient in natural deodorants typically cause itching and rashes. Try to use natural deodorants without baking soda. Organic 101 on Amazon has some great natural deodorants without baking soda and are also Usda organic so you can actually trust the ingredients.

.

if interested here is their amazon link. They have a 30 day money back guarantee as well if you dont like it:

https://www.amazon.com/ORGANIC-101-Certified-Extra-Strength-Deodorant/dp/B01N0ZYGXP/ref=sr_1_183_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1541107602&sr=1-183&keywords=natural%2Bdeodorant&th=1

(Not a doc) but... I have had many clients benefit from this cheep product. It’s amazing!


Antifungal Tea Tree Oil Body Wash, Helps Athletes Foot, Ringworm, Toenail Fungus, Jock Itch, Acne, Eczema & Body Odor- Soothes Itching & Promotes Healthy Feet, Skin and Nails 9oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HNWNXAW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tHoxCbWR27FFE

If it is indeed ringworm, this product should help and even creams for athlete's foot. On my island, the popular home remedy is making a paste with water and sulphur powder which is very cheap and available in drugstores.

Hopefully someone with more expertise comes along with more recommendations.

Really? The product I bought was this. I assumed it was safe and akin to a gentle soap. Can you tell me more on why a product like this would not be safe specifically what would it cause a imbalance of?