Health

Spooning your way through a tub of ice cream has become an exercise in torture. When your teeth touch anything frosty, you feel a dull throb or sharp twinge.

The culprit It’s likely that the tooth’s nerve has become damaged, usually because the surrounding pearly white is cracked or rotting away. Unless you get it patched up quickly, bacteria in your mouth can infect the nerve. And you definitely don’t want that breeding colony to spread throughout your body, says dentist Kimberly Harms.

The fix Time for a cavity check! You may just need a filling to cover the exposed nerve. But if it’s infected, you’re in for a root canal, in which the tooth’s bacteria-laden pulp is removed and replaced with plastic caulking material. Antibiotics can clear up any infection that has spread beyond the mouth.

Last updated: Tue, 2010-06-22 12:01

By Sonia Goliath (not verified) on 2009-10-21 12:25

Good day

With reference to your article "Seven Pains You Should Never Ignore" , more specifically to "Abdominal discomfort with gas or bloating" I would like to make you aware that these symptoms are also found in IBS sufferers, the discomfort actually causes pain. IBS does not unfortunately recieve much coverage but there are many ladies and gent sufferers. I had it for 3 years and officially was only diagnosed when I went to my gaeny to complain about abdominal discomfort with bloating and a burning pain in my stomach. The pain kept me awake at night. The gaeny sent me to a surgeon. I was booked into hospital because they feared that it could be an ulcer (I already had a pap smear). Lucky for me the culprit caucing the pain was bacteria having a party at my expense.

IBS is a chronic condition.

I enjoyed your article ans just wanted to make you aware of IBS.

Regards

By Thamar Houliston on 2009-10-21 12:32

Thanks so much for informing us!

By Kathryn (not verified) on 2010-05-01 09:20

i am an SA athlete in duathlon, and i had severe back pain for few months, I thought nothing more of it as stiff back muscles and had some Cataflam and rest, Pain never went away, had an MRI done and turns out I have a L5-S1 disc prolapse, hasnt herniated yet but is quite close to my spinal cord.

pain is getting to the point that I cant bend/ get up in the morning, with pins and needles in my right foot and pain in my left hip.

i am only 24, very fit and cant see how I at my age could be going for a L/s fusion? what are my options?

By Anonymous (not verified) on 2010-05-19 13:32

As far as the sharp pain in your side is concerned, do not hesitate to contact your GP should you feel any recurring/persistent pain in your lower abdomen.

Ovarian cystitis is a condition that can easily be treated provided there is an early diagnosis.

Ovarian cystitis may be incorrectly diagnosed as appendicitis or even IBS. I lost my right ovary and fallopian tube after such misdiagnosis. While I still have half of my reproductive organs intact and operational, the psychological impact of such surgery is far-reaching.

So ladies, spread the word, take care of your reproductive potential!

By Thuto on 2010-07-28 16:38

i tend to have a sharp pain in my left breast but when i do my monthly i dont detect anything, iv asked a doctor to check and they didnt find anything. this scares me alot because alot of my relatives-gran, mom & aunt, had cancer and im scared that this could be a sign. i dont know what causes the pain, i can get it twicw a month then nothing for 6months.

what could it be?

By Kalyn (not verified) on 2010-10-01 10:11

These symptoms are also consistent with colon cancer - a tumour can narrow the colon and cause bloating and discomfort. Don't dismiss anything as just 'period pains'. Get it checked out by a doctor. An ultrasound won't pick up a tumour in the colon, you'll need a colonoscopy. Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer in both men and women, and doesn't only happen to 'older' people. I was 44, and had no family history of cancer, nor did I have any lifestyle factors that would predispose me to the disease.

By Kalyn (not verified) on 2010-10-01 10:13

My comment above referred to 'Abdominal discomfort with gas or bloating'.

By resego on 2010-10-26 10:10

Very informative

By Sanelisiwe (not verified) on 2010-11-08 15:40

I didn't know about ovarian csyst until I couldn't walk a few weeks ago. i went to a gynae and I'll have to removed it asap as it is fitting my whole womb. I'm better now but am having the surgery next week.

By Anonymous (not verified) on 2011-01-09 13:42

I have been recently diagnosed with endometriosis. I have been asked by my gynae to keep a pain chart for 3 months. My worry is that the pain I experience is from no-where! I have no way to predict when I'll be in pain or how long it would last. (With this incident - I had shooting pains down my left leg for six hours - pain meds were ineffecive.)

And now tingling toes on the same leg - Gynae is back tomorrow - I hope she has answers - anyone else out there advised to learn to manage their pain? - "Endometriosis has no cure" - so I'm told.

By Anonymous (not verified) on 2011-03-09 09:06

Make sure that you're diagnosed correctly if told you have endometriosis. I was told the only way to get a completely accurate diagnosis is to have a laproscopy. It could be something else, so make sure.

By addie on 2012-01-24 17:17

That's a scary list and it really got me worried because I saw myself exposed to some of these risks and I realized I need a lifestyle change. It's not like I miss doctors too much, not long ago I hired a depuy hip recall lawyer for my hip replacement mess...

By punguta (not verified) on 2012-05-17 16:34

Not long ago I was diagnosed with yeast infection and I treated it with threelac
. I never realize how important is to treat in time a health warning sign, to not degenerate into a complication. Now I pay attention to every unusual symptom that could jeopardize my health. Do the same and you won't regret it. As a woman you are obliged to take care of you.