The Doc Replies

Can she overcome her fear of flying?

Q

I’m flying to Canada soon. I’ve never been on such a long flight and am very anxious about it. A few days before I’ll suffer with nerves in my stomach.  

A

Fear of flying is fairly common. For people with severe anxiety affecting their ability to live normally there are courses available through the aviation authorities which help people with this. I’m not keen on the use of drugs or alcohol because they don’t always make you feel better and tend to leave you less able to cope with the other aspects of travel. But if you feel the nerves are severe you could ask your doc to prescribe you something.

Q

I was diagnosed with helicobacter pylori and was prescribed quite large doses of medicine for a week. The symptoms of chronic acid and reflux disappeared and I wasn’t prescribed any other medicine. My friend had the same thing and was told to take omeprazole every day afterwards indefinitely. Should I be doing this?

A The medicine you received usually gets rid of the bug and no long-term treatment is required. This isn’t always the case and some people require ongoing treatment. Maybe there’s another reason for your friend taking these drugs such as an alternative diagnosis or perhaps your friend is on anti-inflammatories and the omeprazole is to protect the stomach from these.

Q

 After our grandchildren have their hair washed they’re sent to bed without having it dried. Is this OK? 
A

I personally wouldn’t do this and wouldn’t recommend it to my children as I think it would be uncomfortable and cold. However, I’m unaware of any medical reason why it shouldn’t be done. 
Q

my wife was diagnosed with an acute gallstones problem and is awaiting surgery. Since the diagnosis she’s had regular and severe allergic reactions needing hospital treatment. These reactions are taking longer to stabilise but no-one can offer a reason for them. 
A I think the two problems are unlikely to be related unless she’s taking medication for symptoms, which are triggering allergies. Since her reactions are severe and regular I’d expect your wife to be referred for allergy testing to see what’s causing them.
Q I go to my doc quite a lot and my late gran believed you shouldn’t go unless it was something very serious — what do you think?
A

A patient’s use of medical services varies depending on their medical need, understanding and personality. The result is that some are frequent consulters but aren’t necessarily ill and other people don’t attend when maybe they should. If medical issues worry you then you should seek medical advice. It’s then up to the doctor to guide you in the use of their services.
Q

Sometimes I’m woken in the night with a pain in my left hip. It’s like a red-hot poker and only lasts seconds but is very bad.
A It’s likely to be a muscle and bone problem and it’s possible as you move this aggravates the pain. Depending on your age and other medical conditions this could be arthritis. If you’re fully mobile in every other respect it’s unlikely you need treatment, but if you’re getting pain at other times and it’s restricting your lifestyle then go to your doc.
 

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