2 months ago
Q: I’ve been taking a statin and a blood-pressure pill for respective years now. However, astatine a caller check-up I was informed that I had developed chronic kidney disease, which came arsenic a full shock. I americium 80 and person ever enjoyed bully health. Could my medicine person caused this kidney problem?
Dr Ellie replies: Statins and humor unit medicine are important narcotics to trim nan consequence of bosom illness – but, successful immoderate cases, these pills tin origin different problems.
Statins trim cholesterol, which is 1 of nan fats successful nan bloodstream that tin lend to deadly bosom illness aliases having a stroke.
Statins are not known to origin chronic kidney disease, nevertheless successful uncommon cases nan pills tin trigger a information called rhabdomyolysis which tin harm nan kidneys.
One of nan astir communal types of blood-pressure medicines are angiotensin receptor blockers, aliases ARBs, and often person an effect connected nan kidneys.
Statins are not known to origin chronic kidney disease, nevertheless successful uncommon cases nan pills tin trigger a information called rhabdomyolysis which tin harm nan kidneys
These ARB medicines relax nan humor vessels by blocking nan accumulation of definite hormones successful nan kidney, which helps little humor pressure. However, this tin besides limit kidney function, which tin sometimes lead to chronic kidney disease, wherever nan organs slow extremity working.
However, it is important to constituent retired that nan benefits of taking these narcotics almost ever outweigh nan risks.
High humor unit is 1 of nan astir communal causes of chronic kidney disease. This intends that not taking ARB narcotics is much apt to lead to kidney illness than taking them.
The medicines are moreover deemed safe capable to beryllium regularly prescribed to patients who already person kidney problems, albeit astatine a little dose.
What’s more, chronic kidney illness is an exceedingly communal condition, which affects astir 1 successful 5 group complete nan property of 80.
Whatever nan cause, it’s important that you find retired nan severity of your chronic kidney disease.
In nan meantime, don’t extremity taking your different regular prescriptions unless your expert says otherwise.
Q: After precocious suffering a stroke, I developed terrible symptom and was prescribed regular morphine. However, it makes maine consciousness for illustration a zombie for hours afterwards. My GP says slow-release morphine tablets are not presently disposable successful nan UK – is location thing other I tin return instead?
Dr Ellie replies: Unfortunately GPs and pharmacists are spending a batch of clip astatine nan infinitesimal dealing pinch medicine shortages.
For personification pinch chronic pain, nan business is peculiarly dire. Pain guidance is simply a full speciality of medicine successful itself, and it tin return months aliases moreover years of trying retired different regimes and non-pharmaceutical options to thief personification through.
So it is incredibly frustrating and debilitating to find a authorities and it not beryllium disposable here.
Using regular opioid medications whitethorn besides not beryllium nan champion action to relieve pain.
A symptom guidance squad aliases symptom session tin look astatine each nan options to thief dainty personification pinch chronic symptom holistically and safely.
This would impact medicine but besides psychological therapy and workout treatments arsenic well.
Consider looking beyond nan opioid medications to anti-inflammatories and topical treatments, arsenic good arsenic nervus painkillers. A GP should beryllium capable to prescribe 1 of these alternatives arsenic good arsenic mention you to a symptom specialist.
Q: I americium a 67-year-old female and person ever had a sluggish bowel system. Last twelvemonth I was diagnosed pinch diverticulitis. I’ve started exercising much and eating plentifulness of fibre, but I still struggle pinch nan symptoms. What should I do?
Dr Ellie replies: Diverticular illness is simply a bowel information that causes group to suffer on-and-off symptom successful nan little portion of nan abdomen. It happens erstwhile small pouches shape successful nan little parts of nan bowels called nan colon.
It tin origin bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and, astir commonly, tummy pain, peculiarly connected nan near side. It tin besides origin mucus aliases humor successful nan stool.
Increasing nan magnitude of fibre you devour is 1 of nan astir important and effective intends of combating this.
It should ever beryllium done slowly, to debar triggering imaginable bloating and wind.
Adults request astir 30 grams of fibre a day, and astir of america successful nan UK don’t eat enough, according to Government figures.
Fibre successful meal cereals aliases porridge is simply a bully start, alongside consequence and vegetables pinch their skins, rye crackers, oatcakes and nuts aliases seeds.
Alongside this, successful bid for nan fibre to do its job, you request to portion 2 to 3 litres of fluid a time to thief pinch nan bowel movements. Exercise besides helps. Specific laxatives, called bulk-forming laxatives that incorporate a batch of fibre, are besides used, which tin thief easiness nan constipation aliases diarrhoea that galore sufferers experience.
A GP tin besides connection prescriptions for anti-cramping medications, to thief pinch pain.
The kindness Guts UK has fantabulous proposal disposable connected diverticular disease, including easy ways to summation fibre successful meals. You tin find retired much by visiting gutscharity.org.uk.
What do you do to support nan grey astatine bay?
Going grey has ever been considered a truth of life – a destiny awaiting almost each of us, immoderate sooner than others.
And successful each my years arsenic a GP, I’ve ne'er had a diligent inquire if thing tin beryllium done to banish their metallic locks. It has ever been viewed arsenic an inevitability – moreover for stars for illustration George Clooney, beneath pinch woman Amal.
But while nan process is mostly dictated by your genes, it turns retired location whitethorn beryllium things you tin do to slow nan encroaching grey hairs.
In caller years, investigation has recovered elemental steps specified arsenic tackling accent and wearing a chapeau successful nan sun tin support nan grey astatine bay – astatine slightest for a while. So person you managed to support your ain hairsbreadth colour into later life and, if so, what’s your secret? Please constitute maine astatine nan email reside beneath and fto maine know.
There’s still screen if you’re sick abroad
One of my large recreation worries aft Britain near nan European Union was nan imaginable of having to fork retired for aesculapian treatment if immoderate of nan family sewage sick connected holiday.
But I’ve only precocious discovered that while nan European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – which entitled each UK citizens to free emergency attraction anyplace successful Europe – was scrapped aft Brexit, it has been replaced by thing called nan UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which offers almost identical benefits successful nan EU and immoderate different countries.
If your aged EHIC paper has yet to expire you tin transportation connected utilizing it until it does, past switch it pinch a GHIC, which is elemental to get via nan NHS website.
You’ll still request recreation insurance, though, because nan GHIC paper will not screen nan costs of aesculapian repatriation – wherever you are flown location nether nan attraction of a expert – nor non-urgent treatments, specified arsenic prescriptions.
Do you person a mobility for Dr Ellie Cannon? Email [email protected]
Dr Cannon cannot participate into individual correspondence and her replies should beryllium taken successful a wide context.
