Dear Dr. Roach: About six months ago, I was walking on a downward-sloping trail and fell forward, slamming my abdomen and left hip on the ground. The only obvious injury was a fractured left rib. The rib did improve after about six weeks, but I was left with an abdominal ache. This continued for three months with diarrhea until late December, when I was hospitalized with colitis. The CT of the area disclosed no injury of the stomach, gallbladder, pancreas or spleen. A month later, a liver ultrasound also was clear.
I am left feeling very sick, aching and bloated in the upper abdomen. A friend suggested maybe a twisted bowel from the impact of the fall. I hope you can offer some advice or suggestions to help me improve. I am 76, and have always been active.
B.D.
I can鈥檛 suggest a way to connect a fall and the continued symptoms, especially with a CT showing things are OK. I don鈥檛 believe a twisted bowel (volvulus) is likely, since that goes spectacularly wrong in a big hurry, and shouldn鈥檛 just simmer along like whatever you have seems to be doing.
I do wonder about the colitis 鈥� you wouldn鈥檛 be the first person to have a previously unsuspected medical problem come to light because of an injury near the same area. Is it possible you have an abdominal condition, such as sprue or inflammatory bowel disease? It would be uncommon, but not unheard of, at your age.
听
Dear Dr. Roach: I have been having pain in my right thigh for more than a year. My doctor gave me pain pills (tramadol), which didn鈥檛 help, so she had me get X-rays. I was told I need a new hip. My hip is not sore. Should I be skeptical?
D.T.
It鈥檚 always wise to be cautious with a recommendation for surgery, and a second opinion is worth considering. However, it is common for pain due to severe arthritis in the hip to feel as though it is coming from the thigh or even the knee. The hip X-ray should be diagnostic.
Usually, before considering surgery, people have tried several types of pain medications, been through physical therapy, yoga or other exercise programs, had a trial of injections of corticosteroids or knee lubricant such as Synvisc, and possibly a complementary treatment such as acupuncture. Surgery is very useful when appropriate, but you don鈥檛 want to rush into it.
听
Dear Dr. Roach: I am allergic to tomatoes and tomato products. My throat closes up, and I can鈥檛 breathe. Twice, I had to go to the emergency room to get a shot.
Doctors say tomatoes have lycopene, which is beneficial for heart health. How can I get the benefits of lycopene but not have an allergic reaction?
A.T.
Lycopene, a vitamin A-like chemical found naturally in tomatoes, was thought to have benefit in protecting against heart disease and some cancers. More recent studies have cast some doubt on that claim. But if you really want a food with lycopene, watermelon is a good source.
Your tomato allergy is potentially life-threatening. You should speak to your doctor about a home version of the emergency shot (EpiPen), which you can keep on hand in case of a reaction.
