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Diseases & Conditions Archive
Articles
When You Visit Your Doctor - Vaginitis
Vaginitis
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- How long have you had this vaginal discomfort?
- Does it itch or burn?
- Do you have vaginal discharge? Does it have a bad odor? What is the consistency?
- Are you pregnant?
- Are you sexually active?
- Is sexual intercourse painful?
- Do you have pain or burning with urination?
- Are you urinating more frequently?
- Do you have urinary incontinence?
- Are you post-menopausal?
- Do you have vaginal dryness?
- Do you have diabetes?
- Have you recently taken antibiotics or corticosteroids?
- Is your immune system suppressed in any way?
- Do you take birth-control pills?
- Do you wear tight pants or synthetic fabrics (nylon)? (These are all predisposing factors for yeast infections).
- Have you or your partner ever had a sexually transmitted disease?
- Do you have fevers, chills, abdominal pain, joint pain, or a rash?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Abdominal examination
- Pelvic examination
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Sample of the vaginal discharge to examine under a microscope (wet smear)
- Cultures of the vaginal discharge
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When You Visit Your Doctor - Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- How long have you had painful joints?
- Which joints are involved and which are most painful?
- Is the pain worse or better after walking or other exercise?
- Does the pain wake you at night?
- Does it occur at rest?
- Do you have swelling or deformities in any joints?
- What activities can you no longer do because of the arthritis?
- How long ago did you stop doing them?
- How far can you walk?
- Do you have difficulty opening jars or grasping objects?
- Do you have any other conditions, such as heart or lung disease, that also limit your ability to function?
- What have you done to treat your osteoarthritis?
- What therapies help the most?
- Do you use a cane (for osteoarthritis of the knee or hip)?
- What medications do you take (over-the-counter and prescription) to treat the pain?
- How effective are they?
- Do you know the side effects of each medication?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Joint examination
- Muscles
- Gait
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Blood tests if your symptoms are atypical for osteoarthritis
- X-rays of the involved joints
- CT scans of the involved joints
- MRI scans of the involved joints
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When You Visit Your Doctor - Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's Disease
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Do you have a tremor of the hands at rest?
- Have you noticed a slowing of your movements?
- Do you have a stooped posture or a slow, shuffling gait?
- Are you becoming more unsteady?
- Are your muscles becoming more rigid?
- Have you noticed your handwriting is getting smaller?
- Do you have any problems with speech?
- Are you depressed?
- Do you have problems with memory, concentration, or problem-solving?
- Do you have a family history of Parkinson'聮s disease?
- Are you taking any medications?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Complete neurological exam focusing on gait, muscle tone, strength, and vision
- Mini Mental Status Exam (to test memory and concentration)
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- The diagnosis is made based on medical history and physical exam
- SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography)
- Response to drug treatment, such as a trial of levodopa
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When You Visit Your Doctor - Peptic Ulcer Disease
Peptic Ulcer Disease
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Do you have diffuse or localized abdominal pain?
- Does the pain ever travel to the back or chest?
- Do you have nausea associated with the pain?
- Does eating make the pain better or worse?
- Do you have black or bloody stools?
- Do you ever vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds?
- Do you take any medications (for example, pain relievers)?
- Do you smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol?
- Do you drink caffeine-containing beverages?
- Have you ever been tested or treated for a bacteria called H. pylori that can infect the stomach lining?
- Do you have a family history of peptic ulcer disease?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Careful abdominal exam
- Rectal exam
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Stool testing for blood
- Blood or breath test for the presence of H. pylori
- Upper endoscopy (internal examination of esophagus, stomach, and duodenum)
- Upper GI series
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When You Visit Your Doctor - Rash
Rash
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- How long have you had the rash?
- Where did it start?
- Has it spread?
- Is the rash only on parts of your skin that have been exposed to the sun?
- Does it itch or hurt?
- Is the rash red, pink, or purple?
- Is the rash smooth or bumpy?
- Have you had sores in your mouth, eyes, or other mucous membranes?
- Have you had blisters on your skin?
- Have you had trouble breathing?
- Have you had a fever?
- Have you symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection (for example, a cold)?
- Have you had vomiting or diarrhea?
- Are you taking any prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, herbs, or supplements? Did you start any of them in the past two months?
- Have you had any new exposures to foods or chemicals?
- Any exposure to insects?
- Have you had any recent sun exposure?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Temperature
- Examination of your skin, mouth, eyes, mucous membranes, lymph nodes, liver, and spleen
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Skin scrapings for microscopic analysis or culture (if the rash looks infectious)
- Complete blood cell count or other blood tests (if you appear sick or have a fever)
- Skin biopsy
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When You Visit Your Doctor - Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Have you had difficulty breathing? For how long? How far can you walk without feeling winded?
- Do you ever have chest pain or tightness? If yes, is it related to activity?
- Have you had a persistent cough? If yes, is your cough dry or do you produce sputum?
- Do you suffer from fatigue or malaise?
- Have you had any fevers?
- Have you recently lost weight? If so, how much?
- Do you have pain in your joints, bones, or muscles?
- Have you noticed any lumps in your neck, armpits, or groin?
- Have you noticed any rashes or changes in your skin?
- Have you had blurry vision or watery eyes?
- Have you ever had red or painful eyes or a past diagnosis of uveitis?
- Do you smoke cigarettes?
- Have you had an abnormal chest x-ray in the past?
- Do you have a family history of sarcoidosis?
- Are you taking any medications?
- Have you ever been on steroids or any other treatment for you sarcoidosis?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Temperature, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, heart rate
- Heart and lung exam
- Joint exam
- Skin exam
- Lymph node exam
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Plain chest x-ray
- Chest CT scan
- Pulmonary function tests
- Bronchoscopy with lung biopsy
- Blood tests
- Formal eye exam
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When You Visit Your Doctor - Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- With each of the bladder or urinary tract infections that you have you had, as far back as you can remember:
- What were the dates of each?
- Was a urine culture done to prove you had an infection?
- What treatment was given, and how quickly did you get better?
- Did you have a fever, pain in your back, or nausea and vomiting?
- Have you ever been told that you have abnormalities in the way your kidneys or bladder, or the tubes connecting them, are built?
- Do you frequently develop bladder or urinary tract infections after sexual intercourse?
- Do you have any chronic medical problems (for example, diabetes or neurological disease)?
- Are you on any antibiotics to prevent recurrent bladder or urinary tract infections? If so, which one?
- If you are a woman, what type of contraception do you use (for example, a diaphragm, spermicide)?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Abdominal exam
- Genital exam
- Back exam for the presence of tenderness in the area of the kidneys
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Clean-catch urine specimen for urinalysis and culture
- Ultrasound of the bladder
- Full pelvic/renal ultrasound
- Abdominal CT scan
- Cystourethrogram
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When You Visit Your Doctor - Shingles
Shingles
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Do you have a history of chicken pox?
- Does your skin hurt, itch, or feel numb?
- Is the pain sharp, dull, or piercing? How long have you had it?
- Do you have a rash? If so, for how long?
- Is the rash in more than one place on your skin?
- Is the rash on one side of your body only?
- Has the rash at any time looked like small blisters?
- Do you still have pain even if the rash is gone?
- What triggers the pain (for example, a light touch)?
- Do your symptoms interfere with your ability to sleep or perform activities of daily living?
- Are you taking any medications?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Skin exam almost always confirms the diagnosis
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Skin scraping to examine under the microscope, or for viral culture, immunofluorescence, or polymerase chain reaction testing (rarely needed)
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When You Visit Your Doctor - Spinal Stenosis
Spinal Stenosis
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Where is the pain in your back?
- Does it radiate to your legs?
- Is it worse when you walk?
- Does the pain from walking occur suddenly or gradually?
- Is it relieved by standing?
- Is it relieved by sitting or lying down?
- What bothers you more, the pain in your back or the pain in your legs?
- Does the pain worsen when you cough or sneeze?
- Do you have numbness or decreased sensation in your legs?
- Have you had problems with your balance?
- Have you had any changes or difficulty in your ability to urinate?
- How long have you had the pain?
- Is it getting worse?
- How much does it limit your usual activities?
- How is your quality of life affected by the pain?
- Have you ever had spinal surgery?
- Have you ever injured your back?
- Have you ever had hip surgery?
- Do you have diabetes?
- Do you have poor circulation, such as peripheral artery disease?
- Do you have foot ulcers?
- Have you ever had vascular surgery?
- Do you have any sort of neuropathy (nerve damage)?
- What are you doing to treat the pain?
- Have you seen a physical therapist?
- Are you interested in an injection of a cortisone-like medication into your back? Do you know anything about this procedure?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Spine
- Hip
- Pulses in the feet, behind the knee and in the groin
- Neurologic exam
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- X-rays of the spine
- CT scans of the spine
- MRI scans of the spine
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When You Visit Your Doctor - Thrombocytopenia
Thrombocytopenia
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- What medications do you take (including over-the-counter drugs and herbal remedies)?
- Have you been ill recently?
- What other medical problems do you have?
- Could you be pregnant?
- Have you ever been tested for HIV?
- Have you had fever?
- Have you had rashes?
- Have you had diarrhea?
- Have you had abdominal pain?
- Have you had headache?
- Have you had neurologic symptoms?
- Have you been lightheaded?
- Have you been short of breath with minimal exertion?
- Have you had chest pain or pressure?
- Have you had a cough?
- Do you have any bruises or nosebleeds?
- Do your gums bleed when you brush your teeth?
- If you are a woman, have you had unusually heavy menstrual periods?
- How long have you had symptoms?
- Does anyone else in your family have low platelets?
- How many alcoholic beverages do you drink in an average week?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Eyes
- Mouth
- Heart
- Lungs
- Abdomen
- Skin
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Blood tests, which might include complete blood count with microscopic evaluation, kidney function tests, liver function tests, antinuclear antibody, an HIV test
- Bone marrow biopsy
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Recent Articles
Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health
What can magnesium do for you and how much do you need?
Dry socket: Preventing and treating a painful condition that can occur after tooth extraction
What happens during sleep 鈥� and how to improve it
How is metastatic prostate cancer detected and treated in men over 70?
Could biofeedback help your migraines?
What is autism spectrum disorder?
Plantar warts: Options for treating this common foot condition
Cancer survivorship: What comes next after treatment
Nutritional yeast: Does this savory, vegan seasoning pack a nutritional punch?
/
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