I’m plagued with stomach problems and suffer outrageous loud burping – what can I do?
WINTER bugs are rife, and norovirus is proving really nasty at the moment.
Hospital admissions are at a high, hitting more than 900 daily – that’s 70 per cent up on this time last year.
Often called “the winter vomiting bug”, it’s highly contagious and can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and abdominal pain.
Most people recover within a few days but it can be severe for those with weakened immune systems, the elderly and young children.
To protect yourself, always wash your hands after using the toilet and before eating. Antibacterial gels don’t work against norovirus, so please use soap and water.
If you do get sick, stay at home for at least 48 hours after your symptoms have ceased.
If symptoms worsen, seek medical advice promptly and ring NHS 111 if you are not sure.
Here’s a selection of what readers have asked me this week, and please send in your own health queries to [email protected] . . . #
Plagued by stomach problems
Q: I AM a fit and healthy 70-year-old male, except for one issue – I’m plagued with stomach problems.
I underwent an X-ray and an endoscopy and, despite being given the all-clear, I find myself burping loudly for long periods of the day.
I’ve tried omeprazole and rabeprazole lately but to no avail.
Do you have any suggestions that might help me?
A: It sounds like your burping is problematic and excessive.
The fact that you have had investigations does help rule out some of the more worrying potential causes, such as cancer, or inflammation of the lining of the stomach.
Please check if you have been tested for a bacteria called helicobacter pylori, which can cause inflammation and increase the likelihood of belching.
You could perhaps be dealing with something called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, where stomach acid comes up out of the stomach into the oesophagus.
This can cause you to swallow more air.
However, you’ve already tried some medication which would be expected to help ease the symptoms. So what next?
Lifestyle changes can help to decrease the amount you burp.
Slow down your eating and drinking to help you swallow less gas – have a look at mindful eating approaches.
Don’t consume carbonated drinks including beer, or drink with a straw – both add extra gas to the stomach.
Avoid smoking, chewing gum and sucking on hard sweets, and if you wear dentures, make sure they fit properly.
Moving your body regularly will also be beneficial.
Walking and yoga, for example, can help release gas from the digestive tract.
Over-the-counter remedies could be worth trying out, too. Look for products that contain simeticone.
This combines the small gas bubbles in your gut to form bigger bubbles, and so allows trapped air to pass through your body more easily.
GO PRIVATE FOR CYST?
Q: I HAVE a cyst-type boil on my eyebrow that is bothering me, but the NHS won’t remove it because it’s cosmetic.
A local clinic privately charged me £40 for a consultation that lasted five minutes and then quoted me £800 to remove it.
I have had next to nothing from the NHS in my 69 years and I’m disgusted that I have been quoted this extortionate price.
What do you suggest I might be able to do?
A: I understand your frustrations, and unfortunately several years ago, due to huge financial restraints on the NHS, certain types of procedures which had previously been available were stopped as a way of saving money.
This included all procedures deemed to be cosmetic, rather than for medical need, and such things as skin lesions.
However, in your case, I have a suspicion that both the skin lesion on your eyebrow, and the left side of your nose may be basal cell carcinomas (BCC).
This is the least dangerous type of skin cancer which doesn’t spread to other parts of the body.
They are still best removed by a dermatology team as they usually continue to slowly keep growing.
If they are BCCs, they very much qualify for NHS treatment.
Of course, I am basing this purely on the pictures you have sent and the fact that your eyebrow lump has only been there for the past nine months.
I have not examined you or taken a full medical history, but I also see other signs of sun damage on your skin, such as the small brown patches on your scalp.
It’s worth getting a further check from your GP and asking them specifically to consider if they could be BCCs.
You could even send your query as an e-consult if this is quicker. The images may be helpful as your GP may be able to forward them to the dermatology team for their advice.
If it turns out to be, as you suspect, a cyst, then I would suggest to shop around for removal. A plastic surgeon will likely charge more than a GP who does minor surgical operations, who in turn will likely charge more than a private nurse who is qualified to do minor skin operations.
Please let me know how you get on.
Neck pain is so bad I cannot work
Q: I’M a 58-year-old woman and have had terrible neck pain for six years after a couple of car crashes.
Over-the-counter pain relief only partially improves things, and over the last six months the pain has become so bad that I have had to give up my job.
It has extended down my arm and across my shoulders.
An X-ray diagnosed spondylitis, so I am waiting for steroid injections. But what else can I do?
A: I’m so sorry to hear that you have been suffering with what sounds like awful, debilitating pain.
The next step, steroid injections, can reduce swelling and inflammation in the area where the pain is coming from.
Some people experience significant improvement in symptoms and it could help you get your life back on track.
But not all people benefit and, if this is you, you will need to go back to the team that is caring for you to see what the next options are.
Spondylitis is another word for osteoarthritis of the spine.
It can develop with age but musculo-skeletal trauma, such as a car crash, can make it more likely.
Neck pain and/or stiffness are very common, and sometimes the bony changes can put pressure on the nerves, causing pain, numbness and tingling either in the neck itself or into either arm.
This type of nerve pain from compression is called cervical radiculopathy.
And if there is any weakness of the muscles of the hand or arm, especially if it is affecting your strength and your function, this tends to make a case higher priority. So do inform your medical team if you develop this.
Finally, when all other measures have been tried, some people may be offered surgery to the affected spine.
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