Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/11479
Thursday, June 3, 2010 – Daily News – 5A Hundreds of fatty tumors plague reader DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 53- year-old female who is about 50 pounds over- weight. I have saved, for years, the column you wrote on fatty tumors. I had a few of them, but my doctor said to leave them alone, even though they could be seen through my clothing. In the past two to three years, they have multi- plied, and I know I proba- bly have hundreds of them. I’ve had a few removed that are painful, and they were lipomas, as suspected. Some of the remaining ones are painful; some are not. Should I continue to “let it go,” or should I have more removed? In your column, you said it could be associated with Gardner’s syndrome. Should I look into that area? Would losing weight help, or would they just become more pro- nounced? DEAR READER: Most peripheral nerve tumors are benign. There are a number of types, including lipomas, gan- glion cysts, schwanno- mas, dumbbell tumors and neurofibromas. Lipomas present as soft lumps under the skin, commonly appearing on the back, neck, arms or shoulders, caused by slow-growing fat cells. As a general rule, they do not cause pain, but because they can compress nerves, you should have periodic exams. Ganglion cysts can occur almost anywhere but commonly form near the wrist or at the base of a finger. If there’s no pain, you can ignore them. If there’s pain, restricted use of a joint and paresthesias, surgical removal may be appropriate. A schwannoma is com- mon, slow-growing, benign and can appear anywhere on the body. Vestibular schwannomas occur near the cerebellum and brainstem. They can press on the nerves that control balance and affect hearing. Dumbbell tumors are so called because of their appearance. They may occur in the spine or lower abdomen by the hip. They can become intertwined with the sciatic nerve. If surgery is necessary, it should be accomplished at an extremely reputable facility. Neurofibromas are common in people diag- nosed with neurofibro- Dr. Peter Gott matosis. Most patients have mild symptoms, but related conditions, such as bone enlargement or deformity, scolio- sis and tumors affecting the eye, can occur. Colon polyps, multiple osteoma and soft-tissue tumors characterize Gard- ner’s syndrome. The aver- age age of diagnosis is 22. A common symptom, other than lipomas, is den- tal anomalies, such as multiple impactions. Treatment depends on the location and appearance of the lesions. Surgical excision may be recom- mended. Speak with your physi- cian about a weight-loss program. I don’t know whether losing 50 pounds would improve your situa- tion. I do know that fat cells increase in volume and size with weight gain, and liposuction, for exam- ple, will reduce the num- ber of fat cells in the body. If losing weight works, you will feel better and the number of slow-grow- ing fat cells within your body may be reduced. This is a win-win situa- tion. With respect to “leav- ing them alone,” I would buy that approach only if I were convinced all the lesions were benign and that removal, weight loss, liposuction and every other consideration has been ruled out. If you can’t get that assurance or other management options from your doctor, request a referral for a second opinion. To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “A Strategy for Losing Weight — Intro- duction to the No Flour, No Sugar Diet.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my web- site at www.AskDr- GottMD.com. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com. Worried about son dating underage girl Dear Annie: My 21- year-old son, ‘‘Charlie,’’ a college junior, is dating a 16-year-old high-school sophomore. His father and I are sick with worry. We sat Charlie down and explained that he is being unfair to such a young girl and risking jail, as well as his future. In addition, Charlie has been working toward obtaining a job that requires an extensive back- ground check, and this rela- tionship is no secret. Charlie thinks we are overreact- ing. He is certain this girl would ‘‘never do that to him’’ and that the relationship will not affect his job prospects. Her parents are aware they are dating and put no restric- tions on their daughter. Because we do not want our son to date her, this young lady thinks we don’t like her, which is not so. Do you have any advice for us, Annie? Part of me wants to back off, thinking some of her appeal is that we don’t approve. On the other hand, I am considering telling Char- lie that if he doesn’t follow our rules, he doesn’t live in our house. I don’t want a prison sentence to make my son realize he’s made a huge mistake. — Worried in NYC Dear NYC: In New York, a per- son under the age of 17 is consid- ered incapable of giving consent, which means if this girl and your son are having sex, he could be con- victed of a criminal act even if his girlfriend doesn’t accuse him. We also wonder why a Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar 21-year-old man is interest- ed in a high-school sopho- more. Kicking him out of the house is unlikely to wake him up, and if her parents are neglectful and uncaring, there’s not much you can do. Enlist someone whose opin- ion your son respects to talk some sense into him. But at some point, you can no longer protect your children and must let them learn their lessons the hard way. Sorry. Dear Annie: My wife of 16 years is depressed about gaining weight. She has given birth to two wonderful children and, according to her, is about 40 pounds over- weight. I’m not the ideal weight, either, and could stand to lose the same amount. Annie, I tell my wife every day how gorgeous and sexy she is, and I mean those words from the bottom of my heart. How can I make her understand that she is as beautiful as the day we met? She needs no makeup to look spectacular. If she walked into a room wearing rags, she would still be the prettiest woman in the place. I hate seeing her sad. Her smile is too pretty to hide. Any advice? — Chris in Massachusetts Dear Chris: It’s obvious that you love your wife, but her self- image has taken a hit you can’t eas- ily fix. Women are particularly sus- ceptible to societal pressure to be thin, and after two kids, her body may look substantially different than she’d like. Since you also need to lose weight, enlist her help. Get into a workout regime, and ask her to join you so she can provide incentive and encouragement — for you. It could do you both a world of good. Dear Annie: Here is yet another hair coloring story. Recently, while I was sitting in a hospital waiting area, I saw an older man get up to visit the restroom. Upon his return, he sat down next to me and pro- ceeded to get comfortable by lean- ing on my shoulder. I said nothing, waiting for his wife to discover what he had done. She finally got his attention and said, ‘‘We are sit- ting over here.’’ He then looked at me and real- ized his mistake. He gasped and stuttered for a second and said, ‘‘I just saw the white hair and sat down.’’ I will be 80 this fall, and it’s nice to know I can still pick up the boys. — Joan Dear Joan: Your letter was too cute not to share with our readers. Thanks for a good chuckle. Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611. More utility customers eligible for lower bills yet enrolled. Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced Tuesday that thousands of additional gas and electric customers may now be eligible to receive a discount on their monthly energy bill thanks to an adjustment in the Califor- nia Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program’s income qualifications. With hot summer tem- peratures right around the corner, now is an ideal time for PG&E’s eligible customers to sign up for a discount on their energy bill. Every year, the Califor- nia Public Utilities Com- mission adjusts the maxi- mum qualifying income levels for CARE to reflect current federal poverty guidelines. The latest adjustment means more PG&E customers may now qualify for the program based on their pre-tax annual income, as follows: Size of Household Previous Income Guide- lines 2010) (June 1, 2009 – May 31, New Income Guidelines 1 – 2 $30,500 $31,300 3 4 5 6 $35,800 $36,800 $43,200 $44,400 $50,600 $52,000 $58,000 $59,600 Each Additional Person Add $7,400 $7,600 On average, CARE Shasta College offers free experts workshop The Small Business Development Center at Shasta College and College of the Siskiyous announces a free workshop offered at the SBDC Training Center, 1420 Butte St., Redding at the north end of the Market Street Promenade. Here is a chance for busi- nesspersons to "ask the experts" questions regard- ing professional business needs. This workshop will be offered 5:30-7 p.m. Thurs- day, June 10. The presenter will be Carel Marbry of CFG Solutions, a local Advanced QuickBooks Pro Advisor, who specializes in QuickBooks Point of Sale and other QuickBooks financial products and she will present: QuickBooks Point of Sale Consultant. Carel will address any prob- lems you may have experi- enced, as well as assess POS needs. There will be a question and answer period. This workshop is offered free of charge, and classes fill-up quickly, so pre-regis- tration is required to reserve a seat. To register for this workshop, or to answer any questions, call the SBDC Office at 225-2770. saves households $46 per month on their gas and electric bill. Since the pro- gram's inception in 1989, PG&E customers enrolled in CARE have saved more than $3.7 billion on their energy bills. Currently more than 1.4 million customers through- out PG&E's service area are enrolled in CARE. Thousands of additional households in Northern and Central California are eligible for CARE, but not Eligible PG&E cus- tomers can apply for CARE by going online to www.pge.com/care and be enrolled in the program within two business days. Customers may also enroll through the toll-free multi- lingual assistance line at (866) 743-2273. The dis- count will appear on their bill after a full billing cycle. In addition to the CARE program, PG&E offers a host of other pro- grams to assist customers during challenging eco- nomic times. PG&E's Breathe Easy Solutions™ help customers manage their energy costs when life brings financial chal- lenges or unexpected changes. Additional details, as well as eligibili- ty requirements and enroll- ment instructions, can be found at http://www.pge.com/myho me/customerservice/finan- cialassistance/. Health, Life, Auto, Home, Commercial, Professional Liability Free phone quotes 530-824-9900 Monday-Friday 9-5 1610 Solano St. #B Corning Lic.#0C37035 “Committed To Protecting •Tough, Aggressive, Prosecution of Violent Juveniles • Operation Safe Sam: To Catch a Predator GREGG COHEN cohenforda.com Paid for by Re-elect Gregg Cohen District Attorney 2010 District Attorney Public Safety” •Tough Gang Prosecution Standards • Aggressively Monitor & Prosecute Sexual Offenders