Is the accuracy of the RPR test still accurate 10-14 years after suspected contraction of syphilis? Had what I thought was an ingrown hair on my inside upper thigh. It went away in a week or two. Then later had a rash on the palms of both hands that I thought was a reaction to a floor cleaner. Don’t think I had that too long either, maybe less than a week. No other symptoms that I know of. 10-14 years later had an RPR card test in the hospital. Do not know the results but I was in for depression for 18 days and the records do not show any treatment with penicillin so I assume it was negative.

Fast forward to today, 24 years after the RPR test. (35-40 years after suspected incident). Have had a rash on my right torso which my doctor visually called herpes. Could be shingles. No blisters just a rash. (P.S.-Have been married and monogamous for 27 years.) The rash itches and lasts for about four weeks at a time. Over the past three years the rash has gotten to be less. Also,starting ten years ago I have had spastic colin for a couple of years, hives for two years, tinnitus, hemorhoids, aching knees (probably all old age). Anyway—should I be concerned and get another RPR test? Would it actually be correct after all these years if it was negative?

Sure would like an answer since this is worrying me some. Boy–sometimes the mistakes of the past do haunt you.

Thanks.

I have been suffering from mild tinnitus(ringing ears) for a couple of months now. I want to first find the cause of it. I’m 15 btw.
I naturally have a unaligned jaw. From a scal of 0-10, how possible is this the cause of TMJ/TMD and therefore tinnitus?
A few weeks after my tinnitus started, i started having weird mild neck uncomfortableness. Hahas. Like a feeling to stretch my neck/roll it around. Not sure if this is just in my mind though.
Also, if it it, how can i cure it? Expensive treatment?
More info on other cause or explainations are very much appreciated.
Thanks.

I have been suffering from mild tinnitus(ringing ears) for a couple of months now. I want to first find the cause of it. I’m 15 btw.
I naturally have a unaligned jaw. From a scale of 0-10, how possible is this the cause of TMJ/TMD and therefore tinnitus?
A few weeks after my tinnitus started, i started having weird mild neck uncomfortableness. Hahas. Like a feeling to stretch my neck/roll it around. Not sure if this is just in my mind though.
Also, if it is, how can i cure it? Expensive treatment?
More info on other cause or explainations are very much appreciated.
Thanks.
I never listen to overly loud music except this one thime a couple of days before the tinnitus started. I accidentally played my ipod at the max for about 5 or less seconds. I don’t think it is that significant to cause such damage though. (:
I never listen to overly loud music except this one thime a couple of days before the tinnitus started. I accidentally played my ipod at the max for about 5 or less seconds. I don’t think it is that significant to cause such damage though. (:

Who knows about a site where I can find out about a ringing in the ears.

Shortly after the turn of the new year, I honestly went to bed with perfectly fine skin, I woke the next morning with ~ 10 zits on my face. The next morning, I woke with an ~ 10 more. The next I woke with an additional ~10 more. I immediately tried treating them with OTC things. I do not recall the order, but I tried the AcneFree system, Clean-andClear "Morning Burst" "Oxygenating" Scrub, a Murad Adult Acne system, something called Trioxil and as my skin got more sensitive and less responsive, I tried an Olay blemish control product with only 0.5% Salicyclic Acid. I read on webmd about adult acne and saw the recommendation for alpha hydroxy acids, which the Olay and Murad products already had in them, but this lead me to try stronger AHA. I tried every product frrom Aqua Gylcolic.

After a month of experimenting, my skin was so sensitive, I couldn’t even use sensitive skin washes. I went to a dermatologist. She gave me adapalene. I tried that plus changing facial washes literally every day and even was forced for one week to go 3 days without washing at all b/c of extreme pain in the skin, and I’d never even used any of these products for more than twice a day.

About a week into the Adapalene (Epiduo) treatment, my skin sensitivity was somewhat under control. I found that if I merely washed with the AcneFree toner and no soap just once daily, I could apply the adapalene twice daily with only very minor irritation. About a week later, I switched to washing my face with Tom’s of Maine Soap b/c I liked the idea that it only had 4 ingredients, all natural as opposed to the 20 to 40 chemicals in a typical soap even for sensitive skin and with extremely weird chemicals.

After a month of the adapalene, I went back to the dermatologist. It seems over the months of January (OTC treatment) and February (adapalene treatment), NOTHING at all had changed about the zits. In fact, they exhibit a very strange behavior. They’ll come to a head, sometimes pop themselves and sometimes I’d pop them, and then they’d remain the same size, same redness and about a week later come to a head again, never going away or changing shape, size or color. This remains the case today.

The deramtologist then prescribed topical clindamycin in Benzaclin. I have been on this for nearly 4 weeks now. Nothing is changing still!!! The zits seem permanently stuck at their original size, shape, location, elevation and color.

My mother suggested perhaps it’s not at all acne. She suggested perhaps an allergy. I tried taking Benadryl, Clariton and Zantac (yes, a little kwon fact for allergic reactions). To no surprise, no change.

And oh, as part of my home treatment, from the very start of the "acne," I have been taking 90mg zinc as gluconate and oxide mix with 2 mg copper daily. Even though I had never had bad acne EVER, not even in puberty, I still picked up on this tip ~20 years ago. It’s not helping so apparently there is no need to continue. Nothing is helping so apparently there is no need to continue.

To this day, I wash every morning with Tom’s of Maine and apply the Benzaclin before work. At night, I ‘wash" my face with the AcneFree Toner which has witch hazel and niacinamide and then apply Benzaclin again. This seems to produce only modest irritation. My skin basically burns nonstop but at a very acceptable level, and the skin doesn’t get noticeably red apart from the zits. However, the zits don’t change one iota. They look EXACTLY the same as they did nearly 2-1/2 months ago.

As anotther interesting side note. Approximately one week into the acne, I developed bilateral tinnitus of the classicaly type — constant ringing, 24/7. I knew I had an "auditory" sensitivity to Salicylates for years b/c even moderate doses of aspirin have produced transient tinnitus years earlier, even before I knew aspirin could cause such. However, these past incidences passed after ~24 hrs. This tinnitus remains 2 months later, and I have not used any salicylates topical or oral. It has not changed one bit either. It is the same intensity 24/7.

This seems a little odd to me to say the least.

Also, about one month ago, I started Burdock orally since it has been a tradition for skin conditions through the centuries though with absolutely no scientific basis. I will likely stop it soon (today).

Nothing had changed in my diet, in my lifestyle, in the washing detergent or fabric softner I use, in the close I wear or ANYTHING! Just BOOM!!! Out of nowhere. "Here buddy. Have a lifetime’s worth of zits."

I consider myself to eat healthy. I’d describe my diet as balanced. I rarely eat out, literally maybe once every 2 weeks. i normally go to the grocery store and buy mostly fruits, veggies and grains. I do not overindulge. I do not deprive myself. I do not eat on irregular schedules. I feel I eat light breakfast, lunch and dinner. I do not snack. I rarely eat junk foods. I typically only have

Who knows about a site where I can find out about a ringing in the ears.

I think I have tinnitus as I have had what sounds like morse code going on in my right ear for the past few days. It’s gradually getting more frequent. I have made an appointment with my GP tomorrow. Has anyone else had it? Did you get treatment and did it stop? Also, does it cause any permanent damage?
Thanks

Somebody help me with this (brain problems/anxiety)?
I want to start by saying I think I have severe anxiety, I will tell you all of my symptoms, and I want somebody to tell me what they think. I’m not stupid, I have got an appointment with my doctor tomorrow, but I just need some answers right now.

I have two things to ask my doctor.

I want to tell him firstly that I suspect I have a brain tumour. I am 17, and my symptoms are the following:

- I have for a while now suffered from migraines, they are not regular, but happen every so often, and when they do they are paralysing and unbearable.
- My mind keeps going blank, I am having real trouble remembering things in the short term – I will quickly forget names or details, often between hearing them and going to type them immediately.
- Following on from the previous symptom, my brain seems to be slowing down. I am having real trouble at college because my brain just won’t allow me to type essays etc, I will forget words and sit there staring at the screen for ages.
- A few weeks ago, whilst on holiday, my thumb started vibrating. I couldn’t stop it and it eventually went away, but then it started returning at random intervals. My eyelid has also started acting in a similar way.
- Today I feel very lightheaded, it’s like it’s a struggle to lift my head, and my whole body is trembling, not like a fit, but random jolts.
- A lot of weird things have been happening to me as well – for most of my life I have suffered what you could call deja vu, for a long time I have experienced things that I have dreamt about.But now, it’s getting strange. If I think about saying something, and don’t, somebody else will immediately say it. I don’t know what the term is for this but it’s scaring me now.
- Recently, tinnitus has set in, it was almost instant and I can’t remember anything that could have set it off.
- When I read things I am starting to miss out words – I have always enjoyed reading and I don’t remember experiencing anything like this before.
- Yesterday, I had a headache come on suddenly. It wasn’t a migraine and I killed it almost instantly with ibuprofen, but I still felt uncomfortable, although I didn’t have the pain, I could still feel it. I can still feel it today.
- Right now, I have completely forgotten most of what i have just written.

If I went in tomorrow and told my doctor all of this, would he suspect a brain tumour?

I don’t doubt that I am having severe anxiety attacks, my mother had severe anxiety after my dad died, and she is still on pills to control it. She says what I am experiencing is very similar to what she did, and I want to ask my doctor whether he thinks all of my symptoms could be physical problems caused by the anxiety.

If I asked, would he send me for a scan? Just to put my mind at ease, so I could be calm and ready to start treatment (either with pills or therapy) for the anxiety?

If you were my doctor, and I came in tomorrow and explained all of this to you, what would your immediate reaction be?

Please, somebody help me?

Since my dad died, I have suffered from depression, and serious obsessive compulsive disorder. The OCD has been severely exacerbated recently as well.

I keep remembering things now that i’ve posted it. one other thing is paranoia, I feel as though people are following me at night, and that people are talking or laughing at me when I walk past them. I went through a bad patch a few weeks ago where I kept seeing shadows out of the corner of my eyes.

My dad was also bipolar, and he killed himself, I don’t know whether this could affect your answer in any way. Maybe all of this is a late reaction to his death (after the depression).