Herpes :: My Second Recurrence
I was diagnosed with herpes when I was 19 years old. Fast-forward 35 years... I am experiencing my second recurrence. How common is this? Has this happened to anyone out there?
View 1 RepliesOvarian Cancer Recurrence
Two days ago my CA125 marker went from 14 at my last two month check up to 68.5. My dr says this is a significant rise in tumor marker. I have been in remission for 4 and a half months. Where does ovarian cancer spread to and how? Initially I had 7 hour surgery and they said they got all the cancer. I had 6 months of chemo and I feel fine. I don't understand and am scared.
View 8 RepliesBalanitis - Red Spots Recurrence?
I'm a 26yo uncircumcised male. I've noticed a couple of times I have some red spots in my glans and the inside of the foreskin. This are not painful and they disappear quickly (a night, a day or so) and I've had a few recurrences. I notice sometimes white mucus, which it think it's smegma.
Apparently I got a negative test a few weeks ago, which the laboratory told me it was normal to get 0.00. However this was done before 8 weeks of my last contact.
Questions are:
1. Does this sound like Balanitis?
2. In which cases is balanitis a sign of herpes? Only during initial infection? Or recurrences too?
3. If it is caused by herpes, could it be painless? Could it be accompanied with smegma?
Pityriasis Rosea Recurrence
I was interested to read other experiences. I am currently experiencing a recurrence of pityriasis rosea. I had the first occurrence about 9 or 10 years ago and my Dr too was not only surprised to see a rare disorder but to see it in someone at my age. I was 27 then. Even more surprised now at late 30's!
I too thought there was a patch of ringworm on my arm and recently had an awful cold and took 2 days off work (that's really rare for me as I'm a bit a workaholic). I didn't pay any attention to it at first, the spots that now cover my tummy, and a fear of having chicken pox actually made me look into what I had. When I read the symptons I realised that my symptoms are classic. I would have left it at that, because I'm not suffering at all - not even itchy spots, provided I don't scratch the herald patch - I don't even notice it. It was only when I read that only 2% recurs that I read on and found your experiences.
My herald patch and spots has been so typical in both cases that there is no doubt it is pityriasis rosea. My Dr the first time told me that it was most likely to be stress related.
My only curiosity this time is why now? It's made me consider taking a holiday in the sun (how often is the diagnosis to spend time in the sun?) to make sure I'm not opening myself up to to something more sinister - maybe this is nature's little warning that I'm over doing it.
Does anyone else think like that?
Perilymph Fistula Recurrence 24 Years Later
In the spring of 1990 after a chronic right middle ear infection, I began having bad vertigo, nausea, and disequilibrium problems. I saw the ENT recommended by my PCP and after testing that came back normal was scheduled for exploratory surgery. A perilymph fistula was visualized and patched. Recovery was normal with some slight dizziness continuing for a few months and then resolving. Postoperative testing revealed no loss of hearing from the surgery and I was released from care to resume normal life.
Fast forward to March 2014, severe disequilibrium, tinnitus, and noticeable hearing loss brought me back to the same ENT (A relief, as he remembers me as being his only visually confirmed PLF) Testing showed hearing in the right ear normal but not as good as the unaffected left ear, other testing showed a possible recurrence of a PLF in the the same ear (right). I am scheduled for surgery on April 30, 2014.
There was nothing during this time that would account for the fistula to recur, no heavy lifting, head trauma, air travel, upper respiratory illness, etc. He feels that I may have a predisposition to increased pressure in my inner ear that causes the fistula to recur. Has anyone heard of this? And, if so, why would it take 24 years to happen again?
Recurrence Of Achalasia After Heller Myotomy
I'm now 38 and was diagnosed with achalasia in 1998. The condition stated in late 1997 and progressed very quickly. I was unable to eat any form of solid food and every meal had to be accompanied by buckets of water!
I had the myotomy and a fundoplication in Sept 1999.
However, the symptoms soon returned. They never got as bad as they were before the operation, but I think suffers of the condition become very adept at managing the condition.
I went through a series of dilations and other tests until, in 2005, my surgeon decided that another operation was the only hope. However, by this time, I had completely lost confidence in my surgeon and decided to live with the condition.
I have found that swallowing has continued to get worse over the years, but I manage it reasonably well by drinking lots of water with meals and avoiding problematic foods such as bread, pasta and fruit.
However, I suffer from dreadful substernal pain and have been admitted twice to A&E with a suspected heart attack. My use of painkillers is now at pretty serious levels so I am having the condition investigated again.
I guess that I knew this was inevitable, but I'm not looking forward to the barium swallows, endoscopy, manometry etc and I guess further surgery is unavoidable.
I utterly sympathise with those who have the condition. It is painful, restricting and embarrassing - you only have to regurgitate an oesophagus full of chewed food over a plate to realise what a bummer of a condition this is. It may not be life threatening, but it is certainly not fun!
I wish everyone with the condition every best wish in managing their condition.
PS - I really struggle with my weight and am now 5 stone overweight which must be a record for achalasia!!! Would love to hear from anyone in a similar position.
Bowel Disorder :: Anal Fistula Recurrence
So I have had an issue with fissures in the past, due to being on pain meds for pancreatitis for months and cooccurrent constipation. I have already had one surgery to heal the fissure, and it seemed to work. So when I started have that same burning pain when I had a BM I assumed that was what it was. I became really used to it, and it went on for a LONG time. Flash forward to now. I noticed a couple weeks back what looked like pus on my toilet paper when I wiped after urinating, and was freaked out. I pushed on the area near my anus and more pus came out. I assumed my fissure got infected somehow and left it alone. It happened again, this time I was home so I grabbed a hand mirror and looked down there. I saw a bloody spot that was leaking blood slowly about 1 inch from my anus, and I freaked out. I had NO idea what it was, so I googled it and looks like it may be a fistula. It seems to "close up" and go away for a while, then I can smell something and when I go the bathroom I am leaking a little bit of blood/pus from the hole. Seems to happen randomly, its opening doesn't seem to have any correlation with when I have a BM and BM's aren't bloody typically. I have been using anti bacterial soap down there frequently now and I can feel what feels like a ridge under the skin running from the hole to my anus if that makes any sense?
I am completely embarrassed. I am 28 years old and a female, someone who doesn't even leave the house without makeup and this situation is so bad. It smells, I feel like I smell 24/7 (nobody has mentioned it but I feel like I do) and I am almost too embarrassed to go to the doctor. Doesn't help that I am overweight, and though I am meticulously clean (I even use a bidet) I feel like somehow the doctor will judge me as a gross fat girl.
Shingles :: Recurrence With Swollen Lymph Nodes , Cheek Filled With Liquid?
I am 21 now, I had gotten shingles when I was 20. I only had it for a week luckily but, it was on my face...around my left eye and cheek area. While I had it, I had a lymph node swollen behind my ear that was pretty large also a couple lymph nodes on my head that were swollen as well. Both with piercing, constant pain. Then with the Shingles, the marks on my face and near my eye also hurt BAD. I got through all of that, no scarring.VERY lucky on that one. But now about 8 months later I have the same lymph node behind my ear swollen, my cheek actually filled up with fluid one day and when I opened my mouth something popped, all the fluid was released and the trash can became my best friend that night. NASTY. I thought it may have been a abscessed tooth causing the swelling and fluid build up, but after the fluid left my body my tooth stopped hurting. Now I'm just kinda lost and looking for some help on what may be going on.
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