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0 View comments Two-and-a-half years ago my daughter developed a blood clot in her right leg, which then travelled to one of her lungs. She was only 37 and was put on the blood thinner warfarin.   She’s since suffered from severe chest and leg pains. A recent scan revealed slight damage to one of her lungs, but everything else was in order. She’s also developed iritis four times. Blood tests revealed ‘elevated ESR levels’, but the doctor’s secretary had no idea what this was. Can you shed any light on these conditions? Mrs K. Palmer, by email. Iritis is a severe and painful inflammation of the coloured tissue in the eye (the iris) Your anxiety is understandable — there is uncertainty here, and you have a sense all is not well. Yet, so far, a diagnosis giving a rational explanation that ties together these events is lacking. Without that, there can be no treatment to prevent future ill-health. A deep vein thrombosis leading to a pulmonary embolism (blood clot

2 View comments For A number of years, I have suffered from erectile dysfunction.I am a 58-year-old diabetic, but am otherwise fit and healthy. Viagra is proving less and less effective, but my GP treats my issue as an inconvenience rather than a problem. I am due to get married in June and have avoided intimacy due to fear of failure (my partner thinks I want to wait until we are wed). Is there anything that can help me? A. G., London. There has been some research linking diabetes to low testosterone in men, so your levels should be tested This is a distressing situation, and a common one — more than 50 per cent of diabetic men in your age group have some degree of erectile dysfunction (ED). This must be eroding the joy and optimism you feel at the prospect of impending marriage, and although your tactic so far has been avoidance, this may be stacking up greater pressure for the future. The cause of your erectile dysfunction lies with your diabetes. Long-te

0 View comments Last February I noticed I was saying the wrong words, writing the wrong letters and my balance was off kilter. A scan revealed I have narrowing of the arteries in my brain. I told my doctor I am terrified of having a stroke (I haven’t told my husband of my diagnosis and have blamed my balance problems on a wonky knee), but she laughed and said it won’t be my problem, it will be my husband’s.Is there anything I can do to help myself? Name and address withheld. Your scan revealed that the carotid arteries in your neck have become furred, and the arteries within the brain may also have showed signs of blockage Upon reading your letter I was dismayed at the clear lack of support or reassurance you have received. Your diagnosis sounds as if it has been delivered without explanation — and further inquiries have done little to ease your anxiety.   Your scan revealed that the carotid arteries in your neck, which carry blood to the brain, have become

2 View comments For the past 20 years I’ve been taking levothyroxine for an under-active thyroid.A friend has just been diagnosed with the same condition, and informed me that the medication should not be taken at the same time as milk, because milk wraps itself around the tablet and stops it working! I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this. Gwen Cotton, Oxfordshire. Milk is high in calcium and hence your pills should not be taken with this Your friend is correct — almost. But before I tell you why, let me explain a bit about your condition. Hypothyroidism, an under-active thyroid gland, is a condition requiring lifelong treatment. A properly-functioning thyroid produces the hormone thyroxine — this has widespread effects throughout the body and plays a key role in dictating how much energy your body uses. As a result, the hormone affects many different processes. Symptoms of low thyroxine levels include feeling the cold, constipation, weigh

1 View comments My 41-year-old son has been diagnosed with haemochromatosis, excess iron in the blood. The treatment is for him to have half-a-litre of blood removed every week for a year. I am very concerned — can he replace this blood so quickly?And should he not have some kind of supplement to his diet to help his body deal with this? Robert Robson, by email. Three-quarters of people with haemochromatosis will have weakness and lethargy, and there may also be liver damage and pigmentation of the skin This treatment does sound alarming, but pleased be assured — your son has been correctly advised and is being properly treated. His condition, haemochromatosis, is a genetic disorder that causes the intestine to absorb  excessive amounts of iron from food during digestion. Iron is an essential component of the blood, and is responsible for transporting oxygen around the body as part of the compound haemoglobin. However, in excessive amounts it can be harmful.

0 View comments For a number of years I have suffered from the sensation that my heart has skipped a beat. Tests have confirmed that my heart is sound, but over the past few weeks these heartbeats, which my doctor told me are called ‘ectopic’, have increased in number and severity. My GP has prescribed beta blockers, but what can I expect with these? I am 51 and pre-menopausal. Mrs S. Robinson, Hampshire. Ectopic heartbeats can occur in perfectly healthy hearts Please do not be alarmed — ectopic heartbeats happen to all of us, it’s just that most of the time we’re unaware of them. ‘Ectopic’ in this context just means out of synch, as the condition leads to extra or skipped beats. When they are noticed, we refer to them as palpitations — you can experience them as a fluttering feeling, or a sense that the heart has missed a beat, or a sudden forceful beat. Ectopic heartbeats can occur in perfectly healthy hearts, often without any cause. But they can also be t

3 View comments Around a year ago, I started to have difficulties swallowing after suffering from two tummy bugs. Doctors have since diagnosed nutcracker oesophagus. Could you tell me something about this condition, as I have never heard of it. Mrs J Barker, Cyprus. One reader has been diagnosed with nutcracker oesophagus (file picture) Funnily enough, I had never heard the phrase either until a year or two ago — it is one of those glib descriptive names that has now stuck. But although the name is new, most doctors have known about this condition for some time — and please be assured, although it is annoying it is not serious. Nutcracker oesophagus is a malfunction of the muscles in the oesophagus, also called the gullet. When you swallow, the food does not simply travel by gravity down from your mouth to your stomach, but instead it is massaged down by a series of co-ordinated muscle contractions, called the peristaltic wave. Sometimes this process becomes