Archive for December, 2008

Dealing with Cataract

Thursday, December 25th, 2008

My father aged about 78 years underwent cataract operation in the left eye, which threw up many complications. After every few days there is liquid discharge with a feeling of sand particle irritation and slight pain, which continues for a few hours, and then subsides by itself. Doctor says that the cornea has hardened a bit, so no other operation should be carried. The normal daily medicines he is taking are Amlodeck 5 mg for hypertension, folic acid, and vitamins. He applies I LUBE drops for eyes.
Your father has a cornea swelling and breakdown which does occur sometimes following cataract surgery. It is termed as pseudophakic bulbous keratopathy where the front of the eye, or the cornea, swells and forms small fluid-filled blisters which rupture at regular intervals leading to acute discomfort. The best answer is to try a bandage contact lens over the cornea which will let it heal, and if that does not work, simply do a corneal transplant. Usually in these eyes the corneal transplant works well and the patient recovers useful vision with comfort.

Urinary Bladder Query

Thursday, December 25th, 2008

I feel an irritation in the urinary tract whenever I get the urge to pee. But as soon as I enter the John I cannot pee. This is especially so in public toilets. I feel great discomfort in public toilets, hearing noises inside, of people talking, etc, whereas if I am alone at home I can easily relieve myself. Do I have a problem? I fear what will happen when I start living in a hostel where I’d be forced to use a public toilet.
You appear to be suffering from a condition called Shy Bladder Syndrome, a.k.a. avoidant paruresis. Try this classic bladder-retraining technique: Have someone stand as close to you as you can tolerate while you try to go — even if he has to loiter outside the facility. Set aside an hour for each session; Drink lots of water first, so you’ll have enough ammunition for several attempts. Practice this 2 to 3 times a week as your friend/parent moves gradually closer, until your comfort zone shrinks to acceptable proportions. As for the irritation while passing urine, you probably have a mild Bladder neck spasm. Consult an urologist who’ll probably prescribe the drug Dynapress. You may need to get an Ultrasound KUB done.