Can Stage 1 Melanoma Look Like a Normal Mole?
Learn more about stage 1 melanoma and its appearance. It's a smart question: Can stage 1 melanoma look like a normal (benign) mole? “A stage 1 melanoma can look like a normal or featureless mole [...]
How Common Is a Blue Melanoma?
Maybe you’ve heard that melanoma can be blue, but how often is this? What is the answer to how common or often is a melanoma blue? “Not common. They are rare, aggressive and often lethal," [...]
Prediction of Chronic Subdural Hematoma: Symptoms After Fall?
Find out if neurological symptoms at time of head trauma that soon vanish are predictive of chronic subdural hematoma even with normal CT. Is a person more likely to develop a chronic subdural hematoma if, [...]
Elderly on Coumadin, Hits Head: Subdural Hematoma Risk?
Learn more about the odds of an elderly patient on Coumadin developing chronic subdural hematoma after hitting their head. It’s not a pretty trio: 1) Coumadin therapy 2) Getting hit in the head 3) Elderly [...]
Percent of People with Normal Head CT Who Develop Brain Bleed
A neurosurgeon answers the question of what percent of people with a normal CT scan after hitting their head develop a chronic subdural hematoma. Out of all the people who have a normal CT scan [...]
Time of Day Chronic Subdural Hematoma Symptoms Usually Start?
Is there a time of day that symptoms of chronic subdural hematoma typically begin? You may be wondering if there’s a particular time of day that a person, who’s destined to develop a chronic subdural [...]
Can Collagen Injections Cause Misshapen Lips?
Ever wonder if those horrid lip jobs are the result of botched collagen injections? You’ve probably seen photos of women with grossly enlarged lips that go beyond the infamous “trout pout.” Can collagen injections ruin [...]
Best & Safest Way to Plump Lips Medically & Look Great
A plastic surgeon explains what works best to medically make lips plumper and fuller. There’s more than one way to make lips plumper and fuller medically, but is one particular way the best? Let’s face [...]
New Mole but You’re 60-Plus: May Be Melanoma
If you’ve discovered a new mole and you’re 60-plus, don’t wait to get this checked out by a dermatologist. If you’re over age 60 you may be noticing new spots arising on your skin on [...]
Melanoma in Fingernails: Blacks Not Immune to Skin Cancer
People of color are at higher risk for melanoma (skin cancer) in their fingernails. Melanoma can arise in the fingernail, or nail bed, and is called acral lentiginous melanoma. Below is a photo of what this [...]
Do ABCDEs Always Apply to Melanoma; Can Cancer Look Normal?
What if a melanoma doesn’t conform to the ABCDE guidelines? Melanoma can pass as a normal mole simply because there’s always a beginning to this disease process. In very early melanoma, the ABCDE guidelines don’t [...]
Is Blonde Hair a Melanoma Risk in a Biracial Person?
Blonde hair (which usually goes with fair skin) is a melanoma risk factor, but what about for biracial people with olive or caramel skin? How often have you read that “blonde hair and blue eyes” [...]
How Common Is Melanoma Black; Can a Normal Mole Be Black?
A dermatologist discusses how often a mole with melanoma is a black color. I wondered how common is it that a melanoma lesion is black — not dark brown, but true black. And can a [...]
Are Many Moles on Dark Skin Still a Melanoma Risk?
You may know that having many moles is a melanoma risk factor, but is this still a risk if you have a dark complexion? Have you ever seen a person with a dark complexion and [...]
Can a Lentigo Turn into Melanoma?
A lentigo can pass as a mole or birthmark; can it ever become a melanoma? Whether or not a lentigo, which often looks just like a small mole or birth mark, could morph into melanoma, [...]
White Sticky Stuff on Inner Walls of Mouth: Causes
There are several possible causes for the white, slimy and sticky substance that forms on the inner walls of your mouth. Though experiencing a white, gooey substance on the inner walls of your mouth is [...]
Itchy Arms and Legs in Winter: Causes & Solutions
A dermatologist explains causes of itchy arms and legs during winter and what you can do about this. “Winter itch is extremely common,” says Gary Goldenberg, MD, of Goldenberg Dermatology, and assistant professor of dermatology and pathology [...]
Is a Scab that Won’t Heal Always Cancer?
Can a non-healing scab be benign or is it always cancer? You’ve probably heard for years that one of the classic signs of cancer is “a scab that won’t heal.” But is a non-healing scab [...]
Can Microdiscectomy Be Performed Under Regional Anesthesia?
If you need a microdiscectomy but are not suitable for general anesthesia, this procedure CAN be done using regional. You may fear general or be a poor candidate for it, but this doesn’t mean you [...]
Best Medications for Sciatic Nerve Impingement
A spine doctor explains about medications for the pain of sciatic nerve pressure. Sciatic nerve impingement can be caused by a herniated disc or a spasming piriformis muscle. Either way, the pain has been described [...]
How Painful is Therapy for a Bulging Disc Supposed to Be?
How can a patient do physical therapy for a herniated disc if it hurts too much to exercise? What if you have a herniated disc and find that the physical therapy exercises are impossible to [...]
Risk of Stroke after TIA “Soft” Symptoms vs. “Hard”
The risk of stroke seems to differ depending on type of transient ischemic attack symptoms a person experiences. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a mini stroke, when a clot forms in a blood vessel in [...]
TIA Symptom: Body Pulling to One Side?
If your body suddenly feels like it wants to pull or veer to one side, could this mean a transient ischemic attack? If you’ve recently experienced the sensation that your body was pulling to one side, [...]
Can a Recent Transient Ischemic Attack Be Detected on Exam?
Is there a special test that can tell if you just had a transient ischemic attack? A TIA (transient ischemic attack) is a mini stroke—and even though the symptoms may vanish after only 30 seconds, [...]
Single Symptom TIA vs. Multi-Symptom
If you think a TIA that causes only one symptom isn’t as serious as a multi-symptom transient ischemic attack, you’re in for a shock. Suppose you have sudden-onset blurry vision but no other symptoms, and you [...]
Can a Doctor Tell if You Had a TIA By Looking into the Eyes?
A transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke) is a scary thing, and a doctor will use a special instrument to peer into the patient's eyes. This will help the physician, giving information or clues to see if [...]
When Is Surgery Needed for a Lumbar Herniated Disc?
What is the point at which it’s time to seriously consider surgery to remedy a herniated disc in the low back? "Learning to live with the pain" is the mantra heard by many people who [...]
Can a Bulging Disc Be Untreatable?
Find out from a doctor if a low back herniated (bulging) disc can be untreatable. A bulging disc puts pressure on nerves that come out of the spinal cord. A bulging disc occurs when the [...]
Herniated Disc Surgery: What’s Involved
Find out what’s involved in surgery to treat a herniated (bulging) disc. A herniated disc is common in the general population, but not all cases produce symptoms. When symptoms do develop, they include the following: Pain [...]
Causes of Chest Pain, Jaw Pressure in Middle of the Night
A cardiologist names some likely causes for chest pain and jaw pressure in the middle of the night. The cause of pain in your chest or pressure in your jaw that awakens you in the middle [...]
Best Exercises for a Low Back Herniated Disc
Here is what a pain specialist doctor recommends as best exercises for a herniated disc in the low back (lumbar region). A herniated disc in the low back (lumbar spine) is very common, and also goes [...]
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Knowledge Is Power Founded in 2012, Scarysymptoms.com has established itself as a leader for providing visitors in-depth information about their symptoms -- not the template information of most other medical sites, but information straight from [...]
Can a Pulmonary Embolism Kill You on the Way to a CT Scan?
A pulmonary embolism is suspected, and the patient is being taken to the CT scanner to confirm this. The D-dimer was positive and the patient is exhibiting the classic symptoms of a pulmonary embolism. But [...]
Is Chest Pain, Breathing Trouble After Pulmonary Embolism Treatment Normal?
Is it normal to have trouble breathing and chest pain after successful treatment of a pulmonary embolism? Might these symptoms reflect anxiety over the pulmonary embolism, or is it more likely that this means you [...]
Pulmonary Embolism: What Can You Do Besides Call 9-1-1?
Would you know what to do, besides call 911, if someone near you seemed to be showing signs of a pulmonary embolism? After all, a PE can kill in minutes. “Sudden onset of shortness of [...]
When Are IVC Filters Used for Pulmonary Embolus Prevention?
How many hospital patients would die from a pulmonary embolism every year if from this point on, all surgery patients received an IVC filter -- patients undergoing surgeries that increase the risk of a DVT? Surgeries [...]
Heart Attack after Normal Stress Test: How Does this Happen?
Yes, a person can have a normal stress test but a heart attack shortly after, says a cardiologist. Ever wonder if you can have normal stress test results, then suffer a heart attack soon afterwards? [...]
Can Troponin Elevation Mean Something Other than Heart Attack?
Patients who present in the emergency room with chest pain are given a troponin test (blood sample is taken by nurse). Troponin is a protein enzyme that leaks from the heart when this muscle is [...]
Does Zero Calcium Score Always Mean Clear Arteries?
If your calcium score is ZERO, how confident should you feel about not having heart disease, and having nice clean arteries? Did you recently get your coronary calcium score measured and it was zero, but [...]
Why Does Anxiety Cause Premature Ventricular Contractions?
Anxiety can cause PVCs (premature ventricular contractions), especially if you have anxiety over PVCs. But just how does this happen; what is the mechanism? “Anxiety causes increased stimulation of beta receptors on the heart, which [...]
