Dr. Tyrel K. Somers, MD

Going to the emergency room is always a tricky thing to navigate. Pain that is associated with a herniated disc can often be debilitating. I would recommend speaking with a medical provider about your pain. However, if you can schedule an appointment or present to an urgent care clinic first for your evaluation; that would be more ideal. If you need immediate care that cannot be provided by an office based visit; then emergent care is your only option to help with the discomfort.

Though the risk of getting COVID-19 does not increase because of type 2 diabetes, studies from population data shows that your risk for worse outcomes increases due to type 2 diabetes. Diabetes patients also tend to have more underlying heart and kidney disease that can also place them at risk for worse outcomes. I recommend that you limit exposure to others and only travel out of your home for essentials. If you feel comfortable wearing a mask when you are out of your home, I feel that this would be helpful. Remember to keep your distance and to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after contact with a foreign or contaminated surface. Stay safe!

Chronic back pain can be a challenge to manage as I am sure you are well aware. Most often it comes from multiple different systems that compound your pain. Most importantly, you should find a provider that is willing to help you navigate your pain. You will need to discover what is triggering your pain and how to best treat the underlying issue. I apologize that I have to answer this question broadly but treatment should be directed at what is directly causing your pain. I hope this helps.

While brown sugar may seem like an alternative to white table sugar, it is actually made by adding molasses to table sugar making the two of them minimally different. Artificial sweeteners may seem tempting to use as well but they often stimulate your body to desire sweets making them not a good alternative. If you are looking for a possible sweet substitute then honey would be an option though a diabetic patient should minimize its use as well. I hope this is helpful.

IBD or inflammatory bowel disease is actually a grouping of several diseases placed into a category. Considered to be primarily Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, IBD is thought to be an inflammatory process within the bowel wall. Most are caused by an autoimmune process meaning your body’s immune system begins the inflammation process against its own tissue. While lab tests might suggest these inflammatory diseases, diagnostic testing is often needed. A colonoscopy is often the best test as it can obtain biopsies to confirm the disease while visualizing the bowel to determine the extent of the disease. Imaging such as a CT scan might suggest IBD as well.

Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation scattered throughout the large bowel and in the end portions of your small bowel. While it can be controlled by medicine, it often can lead to flair ups of inflammation that are often accompanied by bloating, abdominal pain and blood in the stool (though that may not be visible). Abdominal pain can be increased by bloating during these flair ups and can be exacerbated by fiber intake as it is a bulking agent in the bowels. Many foods have fiber in them including fruits, vegetables, breads, grains, nuts and others. During a flair up, eating some of these foods in a larger quantity can cause more discomfort during one. Let me be clear on something though, you can eat most foods during regular day to day life. While some foods have been shown to cause inflammation and some foods are not really good for you in general (like fried or fast food), eating them in limited quantities is often okay. I hope this information is helpful to you.

Hip pain can come from a variety of problems. They can range from musculoskeletal pain or arthritis all the way to fractures and problems with blood flow into a joint. Sometimes joint pain can occur from another joint causing the problem especially your knees. A good start is to use ice/heat on for 15 minutes then off for 15 minutes for a total of one hour. Tylenol and/or Advil may be used as directed. If those are not effective, consultation with your primary care practitioner can be done to ascertain the cause of your pain and appropriate treatment. I hope this answer was sufficient.