The Medical Thread
 

I have no idea if we have one, but they can become quite handy. :p

Anyway, I have got a problem, and would like to know your opinions. I had surgery to remove a meibomian cyst (which is a cyst in the eyelid) about 9 months ago. I healed quite well back then, the surgery went fine, blabla.
The thing is, I *think* I have a recurring cyst. These past few days I have been suffering the same symptoms I had last time (painful and swollen eyelid, slightly itchy, etc) before I was diagnosed the cyst. Also, the swelling is located almost exactly where the cyst was last time, maybe 1/2 millimiters to the left. I am 97% sure it won't go away without surgery. Which is terrible, imo, as the surgery really hurt last time. I DON'T want to repeat it again. I'm terrified of it, and I have a high pain tolerance. Doctors don't bother me, but I hate everything that concerns the eyes. I have suffered from poor vision since I can remember and to me the eyes are really precious, fragile things. *Maybe* I should try a different eye doctor this time.

Anyone knows why these cysts may reocur? Also, what can I do to make these cysts disappear? I have read that warm compresses may work, if you do that treatment many times a day. Any tips? I will do anything to avoid another surgery!
(I wear contact lenses on a daily basis, by the way)

Meibomian cysts don't reocur. So maybe you should identify what type of cyst it actually is before considering your options.

Oh damn, that sucks. You have my utmost sympathy; it sounds very painful. And I'm not a doctor, nor do I have a vast knowledge of medical procedures and ailments, but I'll try to help.

The reason it may be recurring (and I'm not very knowledgeable about cysts, lol) could be because the doctor didn't get all of the cyst out during surgery the first time, or I suppose it could just be very persistent. I would advise you to talk to the optometrist who did the surgery before going to a different one; sometimes that just causes more trouble, loads of paperwork, they don't know exactly what happened during the first procedure, etc... But if surgery is necessary again, talk to them about the pain issue and see if there's anything they can do to make you more comfortable and let them know you want this thing gone this time. But if you don't like what you hear or you're really concerned about the doctor, don't be afraid to take your business elsewhere, especially if you feel they did a lackluster job the first time. And I've also heard that warm compresses may help, but again, I'd see your optometrist before trying anything at all.

But since you also wear contacts every day, make absolutely sure it isn't just an infection. I probably sound like a total nag here, but be sure to wash your hands before putting them in and taking them out, rinse them with solution before putting them in the lens case, change once a month (if you wear monthly disposables), don't wear them for too long, don't sleep with them in, change the solution every day, blah blah blah. I wear them every day too, and had an infection last year with symptoms very similar to yours.

But good luck. I hope everything goes well for you and it all clears up soon. :)

@Kakashi: Maybe it is another new cyst altogether. I find it odd that it's pratically in the same place as the other one was located, but maybe it's just a coincidence.

@blue skies: Thank you. Yes, it was painful, they stick a needle about 1 centimeter into your eyelid and it is probably one of the most sensitive areas in your body. I would really love to be able to go to my current eye doctor, but I study about 300km away from home, and I don't go there (my hometown) often, as it's not only tiring, but expensive. I'd rather go see a new doctor than having to wait...

I have been wearing contacts for over 5 years, and I've never even had a conjunctivitis, or any other infection. I do clean my contacts once every three days, I change the solution really often, etc. My higiene is pretty much perfect, as I mentioned I take good care of my eyes.

Thank you.

People have vastly different experiences with contacts. I've been wearing contacts for 34 years - a good percentage of them using a brand that was later found to eat eyeballs and never had a problem outside of "dirt in eye, aiee, contacts out!"

Sounds kind of like the first cyst irritated the area around it and may have triggered a nearby cyst. But on pain management -- talk to the doctor, tell them how much pain there was. Modern pain management is pretty good and there really shouldn't have been the level of pain you describe.

Basically "what blue_skies" said - rather than me just saying it in a different way.

Infection of throat - Anyone know what this is?
 

I was wondering if anyone ever had this in their throat... I'm big fan of anime and this forum and everyone here mostly helpful so I figured since I am not getting answers on medical forums id ask here =)

does anyone know what the hell this is at back of my mouth? Image of my mouth in spoiler for those that want to see.

I dont smoke, male and im 24.

it was small and white this morning and i touched it thinking it was food, then it bled a little. now its like u see. it moves slightly when i touch it, so its soft.

It grew within 2 days.



meh quite a weird thing to post here i know, I just really find people helpful here in past lol. Anyway i hope its nothing serious.

tumor?:uhoh:

It kind of looks like a tonsil stone. If it is one, you should be able to remove it pretty easily, but if you're worried, you should go see a GP for a real diagnosis. I don't know of any on the AS forums. :)

You should make an appointment with your doctor and have it checked! As for what it could be? Any wrong answer could cause you further stress, and your likely to find more wrong answers on this forum than not. My advice is go to a doctor and pay no attention to anyone else’s opinion! :)

lol i can contradict you there :heh:

Do the right thing. If you don't know, see a doctor like Xvoki stated.

From the looks of it, it does resemble a tonsil stone. However, it is not a good idea to guess. Its a better idea to seek the advices of a medical professional and get treatment.

As a suggestion, if it bleeds when you touch it, it is best not to do so. Instead, it would be a good idea to rinse your mouth with salt water as a means of disinfection and perhaps, try a lozenge to ease the pain, if not take Tylenol or its equivalent.

It's a tonsil stone. Gargle using a mouth wash or salt water, and make a doctors appointment to get it removed. Sometimes they dislodge, but if it's bleeding you'll want a doctor to make sure it's not something more serious.

Other than that, I wouldn't rely on internet or self diagnoses for serious treatment. See a professional asap.

okay thanks for replying everyone.

i went with the assumption that it was a tonsil stone and tried to remove it with a q-tip, however...

its more like a white bit of flesh that hangs down and it can move around. only reason u see it way it is is because salvia is sticking it to the roof of my mouth.

so its a white bit that actually hangs down from roof of my mouth.

Case Study: Waking up with a swollen finger...
 

So I woke up at around 5:00 AM with a swollen ring finger (right hand) and an itchy area near my thumb (metacarpal). I was freaking out at finger and thought that I broke my finger while sleeping (haha...), but I realized that my roommate left the door open.

However, I see no -clear and visible- bites. It may be a bug/spider bite due to the itching, but I'm not too sure due to the lack of a clear and visible bite (and the fact that the thumb's metacarpal is far from the ring finger... odd that those two separate areas would have symptoms: the metacarpal itching and the ring finger swollen and unable to be bent).

After eight more hours of sleep, the swollen finger got a bit better and it is less swollen. Good sign I guess, but what do you guys think? Bug bite? This is the first time that I had something swell up THIS MUCH. In fact, my previous bug bites only swelled up on the area of contact, but this time my entire finger (and a little bit of the area following it) was bloated.

i dont know why your finger would swell :)... I would google it lol

anyway that thing in my throat healed within 3 days of it appearing... sorta weird thing to get, but at least its gone.

Swollen finger with itch? If its just swollen finger, it could be something serious like high cholesterol, but that shouldn't occur with itch. If its itchy near the swollen finger, then its most likely an insect bite. Either apply some lotion or leave it alone, it heals by itself usually.

Stomach problems
 

Since this thread is about random medical problems...

I seem to have a problem with eating not just stuff with high levels of sugar, but anything that has fried food or pretty much anything that is not in the grain category. Anybody hear anything like that before?

*YAWN* I couldn't sleep, thought I'd get out of bed and answer some medical problems.

That sounds odd, I need more information. Do you wear your ring to bed? Do you use a computer mouse a lot? Do you have an allergy to bug bites? But it may have gone already, sometimes these things vanish on their own. If the problem persists, consult your doctor. :)

I’m glad it’s gone. I guess it was probably caused by your teeth, or a sharp object, rubbing against the soft skin. :)

Are you saying eating some food products causes you stomach upsets? Some people do have unusual reactions to food types. I would suggest consulting a doctor. He may advise an allergy test, etc. :)

I get stomach pains when eating most foods.

I can't eat most foods. Just grains and apples. I went to two doctors and they said nothing was wrong, but there obviously is.

It’s a wild guess on my part, but I suspect an allergic reaction is causing the upset stomach. Another possibility is a psychological eating disorder. Please note that these are wild guesses, and should not be taken as fact.

Try going to a different doctor, and this time suggest the two possibilities I have made. Try writing a list of all the foods that give you problems, and those that don’t, and take it with you as well. And this time don't take no for an answer. I wish you luck. :)