What Have I Got?
Questions Received:
Responses:
I am a 30 year old female and am always tired, mostly irritable, suffer mild hypertension (140/100), occasional palpitations and tightness in the chest area with a slight numbness down my left arm - What could this be?
4th April 2000
We are not in a position to offer a diagnosis. If you feel concerned about the symptoms you have described it will be well worth a visit to your doctor to try and identify the possible causes. A careful health assessment will be required, taking into account any medical and lifestyle factors that may be involved. Although you may be worrying that some of the symptoms may indicate a cardiovascular problem, quite often there can be other less serious explanations, and a visit to your doctor will help to ease any apprehensiveness.
I have a dry mouth and urinate often. I also have a dry sometimes sore throat. It seems like I have extremely dry sinuses - my nose continues to drip all waking hours. Could this be a heating system problem in our house?
1st April 2000
We are not able to offer a diagnosis as such - it will be worthwhile to visit your doctor who can then take a detailed clinical history and arrange for tests if appropriate. The following comments are for guidance only.
The precise cause of your symptoms can be approached through a process of elimination. For example, the air in your home may be sufficiently warm and dry to dehydrate the mucous membranes lining your upper respiratory tract. Adjusting the temperature in your house and increasing the level of ventilation, particularly in the bedroom, may bring relief. Your problems may be in response to 'foreign' proteins within the environment (an allergic response). It will be worth checking your immediate environment for a possible cause such as animal fur or house dust. Searching for a possible dietary link will also be worthwhile.
If possible take your temperature 4 or 6 hourly over a period of 24 hours to determine whether you have an associated fever. Should this be the case your doctor will know whether direct intervention is necessary or whether conservative measures will be enough to resolve the problem.
Taking into account the fact that you feel dry and urinate frequently, take a fresh specimen of your urine when you visit your doctor. Although you do not mention that your thirst has increased, your doctor may wish to exclude the onset of diabetes. This can be initiated by examining a specimen of urine and followed by blood tests if required.