Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/11532
Friday, June 4, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Seizures without cause? Old flame burning through dad’s savings DEAR DR. GOTT: I am writ- ing to find out what you think we should do, because all the specialists are baffled about my husband’s ill- ness. Six months ago, he began to have seizures for no known reason. He was in ICU for three weeks with a diabetic specialist, an endocrinolo- gist and a neurologist on his case. They ran every test possible to rule out this or that for the cause of the seizures. All tests came back negative. His glucose is under control. He contin- ues to have “spells,” with symptoms of lead feet, sweating legs, headache and the smell and taste of burnt beef in his mouth. He takes synthroid, 175 mcg, once a day. I am won- dering and have asked if there is a possibility of him having a reaction to this medication. It falls on deaf ears. Last night, I called the ambulance, as he was hav- ing one of those spells again and could not walk. His speech and thought processes were slow. When the EMTs arrived, he seemed normal. Four hours of observation confirmed that everything was nor- mal. This is not normal for him and never has been. I was questioned why I was wasting precious time call- ing an ambulance for something like this. I responded I am not a doc- tor and cannot diagnose what is happening. We have done everything the doctors have required and still want answers as to the cause. I feel they are treat- ing the effects without checking into the possibili- ty of it being a reaction to medication. DEAR READER: Seizures are commonly brought on by sudden, abnormal electrical activi- ty of the brain. Causes include head injury, drug overdose, brain tumor, accidental poisoning, low blood sugar or sudden lack of oxygen to the brain. They are divided primarily into two categories — focal or partial. Focal seizures occur on both sides of the brain, partial seizures on one side. They may present with muscle spasms, unusual sensa- tions (such as your hus- band’s taste of burnt beef), loss of consciousness and more. In some cases, the Dr. Peter Gott cause is never identified, but the activity doesn’t necessarily repre- sent epilepsy. I would like to address your hus- band’s daily use of synthroid. When was he diagnosed as being hypothy- roid? Is there a cor- relation between the time he went on the medication and the time the seizure activity began? The dosage is a rather strong one. Was he begun on a lower amount and increased over time? Has he been tested on a timely basis? The inert ingredients in synthroid include con- fectioners’ sugar, acacia, lactose monohydrate, mag- nesium stearate, povidone and talc. The dose also includes FD&C blue No. 1 Aluminum Lake and D&C red Nos. 27 and 30 Alu- minum Lake dyes. Perhaps he is responding to the col- oring. Were he on a lesser dose, the dyes would vary in intensity. If he had a CT scan to rule out a brain tumor, didn’t sustain a head injury within the past month or so, hasn’t been accidentally poisoned, and can’t attribute the activity to a recent occur- rence, perhaps the med- ication is the cause of the seizure activity. I recommend he ask his physician for a little indul- gence. If the medication isn’t vital, perhaps they can compromise on a trial without it. He might con- sider diet modification — include cabbage, Brussels sprouts, lima beans, broc- coli, cauliflower, potatoes, bananas, and supplemental vitamins B and C. Fats, sugars, red meats and eggs should be consumed in moderation. And he should exercise 15 to 20 minutes every day unless his doctor says otherwise. If no improvement is found, request a referral to a new neurologist for a sec- ond opinion. To provide related infor- mation, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Thyroid Disorders.” 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. Dear Annie: My father is 78 years old and has been a widower since Mom died four years ago. Last June, an old acquaintance resur- faced and swept Dad off his feet. ‘‘Lisette’’ once served jail time on drug charges, yet Dad is acting like a teenager in love and gave her control of all his finan- cial and medical decisions. She alienated him from his family and friends. She convinced him to sell his house, and in a year’s time, $75,000 disappeared, along with our par- ents’ life savings. To make matters worse, Dad recently had a stroke and was diag- nosed with dementia and cancer. Lisette does not want to care for him, but has convinced him that his children will not care for him, either. She refuses to allow hospice to come into the home. She is ver- bally abusive and won’t allow him to keep any personal possessions (keys, wallet, phone, etc). When he’s in the hospital, she never visits. We are afraid Dad will die alone. We love our father dearly. Any of the four of us would willingly take him and arrange for hospice to help him be comfortable and maintain his dignity. We don’t even know if Dad is getting the proper pain med- ication. Lisette has taken him to dif- ferent doctors to get prescriptions that we aren’t sure she is giving him. We think she may be selling the pills. Please help. — Heartsick Daughter Dear Daughter: Call Adult Pro- Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar tective Services in your area, or the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, to report that you believe your father is being neglected and/or abused. You also can contact the National Center on Elder Abuse (ncea.aoa.gov) to find out whether your state has a hotline and other resources. If Lisette is not taking prop- er care of your father, you need to wrest control away from her. Dear Annie: I have a friend who is a habitual braggart. It doesn’t bother me, but whenever she is with my other friends, they com- plain about it and tell me they don’t want to be around if she is invited. Every conversation must be about her, all the great things she does and the wonderful stuff she has. In truth, she really doesn’t have much to brag about. Is there a polite way to let her know her behavior is a problem for others? — California Dear California: Most bragging is the result of insecurity. Your friend feels inadequate, so she tries to build herself up, not realizing how others perceive it. You can try reassuring her of her worth, but sometimes these things require pro- fessional help. If you think she would be receptive, have a quiet talk with her and explain that peo- ple respond better when you seem more focused on them instead of yourself. Dear Annie: After reading the letter from ‘‘Getting Anxious,’’ I had to write. I, too, suffered from hyperhidrosis until I was 32. I remember reading to my son’s kindergarten class about a rain- storm, and one little boy thought it was really cool that the book was ‘‘raining’’ on my hands. I also used different medications, prescription antiperspirants and homeopathic treatments, with no luck. My dermatologist told me about a procedure called endoscop- ic thoracic sympathectomy. She referred me to a vascular surgeon, who operated the following week, and my insurance covered the cost. I was back at work the next day with minimal pain. My skin is sometimes too dry, but it was worth the trade. No more puddles under my paperwork. No more passing my babies off to friends, saying, ‘‘Oh, his diaper leaked.’’ No more pretending to be rude so I won’t have to shake hands. This surgery changed my life. I’m more confident and successful. Please encourage her to do it. — Not Sweating It in Kentucky Dear Kentucky: Surgery is a highly personal choice, and there are always risks. But the testimoni- als we have received from readers indicate that they are glad they had it done. Thanks for sharing. 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, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Store offers help recycling old TVs With 23 percent of households planning to buy a new high-definition television set in the com- ing 12 months, according to a recent Consumer Electronics Association study, many customers will be thinking about what to do with or how to dispose of their old tele- vision set. Sears recognizes the need for smarter recy- cling solutions and is launching a television drop-off and haul-away program for California residents. This new program is the latest benefit Sears offers its customers through its already exten- sive, company-wide green initiatives. Sears was also recently named the 2010 Energy Star Retail Partner of the Year for its outstanding contri- bution to reducing green- house gas emissions through its numerous ini- tiatives focusing on edu- cating customers about Have your brain turn into Or Join Summer SERRF 2010! energy-efficient prod- ucts. Through the newly launched program, cus- tomers can help the envi- ronment by dropping-off their old televisions for free recycling at a Sears full-line store in Califor- nia, including the Red Bluff location. This ser- vice is in addition to the new haul-away service that also allows cus- tomers to have a televi- sion of any size or type picked-up directly from their home for a fee and recycled. A reduced rate for haul-away will be applied for customers who pur- chase a new television and have it delivered. All televisions received through haul-away will be entirely recycled. “As customers contin- ue to seek more eco- friendly ways to dispose of aging technology, we are excited to be offering a new service that allows them to live an even greener life by recycling their old televisions responsibly,” said Karen Austin, president, Home Electronics for Sears Holdings. “Whether pur- chasing a new television or simply looking to dis- pose of an old one, we encourage our customers to look to us as a resource in helping the environ- ment.” The at-home Sears television haul-away pro- gram will be available to customers by calling 1- 800-664-2722 and sched- uling a pick-up time. This service is provided to customers within cer- tain delivery areas for an initial $75 for the first set and $25 for each addi- tional set that is picked up at the same time. However, when coordi- nated with the purchase and delivery of a new television, a reduced rate of $10 for this service is available. Customers can avoid the fee by bringing their television to a local store for disposal. To fulfill in- store requests, customers will be asked to provide a Sears Blue Electronics Crew associate with their name, address and phone number. For information on the latest television product offerings from Sears, visit www.sears.com/electron- ics. For bus schedule information go to www.tehamaschools.org ENDORSED BY ✓Red Bluff Peace Officers Association ✓Tehama County Law Enforcement Management Association ✓Tehama County District Attorneys Investigators Association cohenforda.com RE-ELECT Tehama County District Attorney Paid political advertisement GREGG COHEN Paid for by Re-Elect Gregg Cohen District Attorney 2010