Dear Doc,
Dear Dominic,
It would be advisable to be reviewed by a psychologist and an urologist. You can get an urologist at any of the big public and private hospitals. Also, maintain healthy weight, exercise regularly, get adequate sleep (seven to eight hours a day), avoid alcohol and cigarettes, and find a way to manage stress. If you have any other chronic illnesses, then they need to be managed well.
You may also benefit from pelvic floor exercises: contract the pelvic muscles for about 10 seconds, 10 times in one set, six to 10 sets in a day. To identify the specific muscles, stop the urine mid flow when you are urinating.
Dear Lilian,
This egg develops within a follicle, and is released during ovulation. If the follicle does not break open to release the egg, then it forms a follicle cyst, which usually resolves by itself. Another type of functional cyst is the corpus luteum cyst. This forms if the follicle doesn’t shrink after releasing the egg during ovulation.
The cyst may persist and even bleed and cause pain. The corpus luteum cysts are more likely to form if the person becomes pregnant.
Non-functional cysts can develop because of other health concerns like polycystic ovarian syndrome (the ovaries have many small cysts, and there is a hormonal disorder), endometriosis (growth of endometrial tissue in places outside the inner uterine lining), pelvic inflammatory disease (infection within the pelvis) and some cancers.
However, polycystic ovarian syndrome can affect fertility. In polycystic ovarian syndrome, the ovary has many cysts containing immature eggs that do not reach the stage of ovulation. Hormone levels are altered, which disrupts the menstrual cycle. Extra androgen hormones (testosterone) are also produced. The symptoms include irregular periods, heavy bleeding, acne, excessive hair growth, weight gain, hair loss on the scalp, and dark patches on some areas of the skin. Because ovulation rarely happens, it is difficult to conceive.
Daktari,
Dear Simon,
ACL injury, either a sprain or a tear, is common in sports that require sudden stops, sudden changes in direction and jumping such as football, rugby, basketball, gymnastics and skiing. When there is a tear, you may hear or feel a “pop” at the knee, followed by pain, rapid swelling, reduced range of motion and knee instability.
Rehabilitative therapy is used for ACL injuries, including the RICE method – rest, using ice packs, compression and elevation.
However, an ACL tear cannot heal by itself. If you want to continue with sports or if the knee is unstable during everyday activities, or if there are multiple tissues that are torn, then you would benefit from surgical reconstruction followed by rehabilitative management. It is crucial to get assessment for stability before resuming sports due to risk of re-injury, like what happened before. Multiple injuries cause further instability and raise the risk of developing osteoarthritis.
