Recent Questions by Dr. K.

I have a dear friend who recently had hip replacement on the left side. When he woke up from the surgery, his left foot would not move! His orthopedic doctor informed him that the mylind sheet of the nerve was bruised. The surgery was done on November 17th of last year. To date he has to wear a foot brace and there is no dorsi flexion. Is this a permanent condition. My friend is an exercise therapist, very active, prior to the surgery. He has not yet had the EMT test. Is this a permanent condition? Are there any doctors who are specialists in this problem? The foot worked before surgery and the foot is paralyzed after surgery. Thank you for your help.

Hello doctor,I am a hypochondriac and I have a weird question to ask. I had been to a lab for some blood work today and and while I was taking my jacket off, my phone fell down. There was a trash can there.
It wasn’t a trash can of bio waste but just a trash can for used gloves, alcohol swabs etcNow I did not see where my phone bounced off of but my immediate reflex reaction was to pick it up and put it in my pocket. I realized what happened and used a hand sanitizer on my hands and later when I got out of the clinic, used it in my phoneNow I do not have any cuts or bruises on my hand that I can see or feel or know of.My question is : would there be some contamination on my phone bad enough to infect me and cause any STDs?I did take a picture of the trash can and the place where it fell. It did not end up in the trash can. But might have bounced off of it.Please help. Thanks

Passed sins... drinking and drugsFrom the age of 18-35, I would binge drink alcohol on weekends, usually every second or third weekend. I was not an occasional drinker, but more of a social drinker on certain occasions, like going out to clubs. I know this kind of behaviour is quite common among young people in the Western world. From the age of 27 onwards, I started experimenting with drugs, such as MDMA, cocaine, GHB and methamphetamine. Mostly just experimenting, but towards the end, aged 32-35, I found that after heavy drinking I would seek out cocaine, abusing it at least once a month, usually taking just a few lines.I have had periods in my life where I would binge drink and use cocaine once or twice a month, for around 10 hours at a time. Afterwards, I felt terrible and usually crashed in bed for a full day afterwards.Now, I have been sober for a year and it has been the best decision of my life; I feel happier and more productive. My question is, how much damage do you think I have done to my body and its organs, such as the heart, kidneys, brain and liver?What can I do to ensure I remain healthy? I want to make sure I don't suffer a heart attack when I'm 55 due to past indiscretions. What should I do to make sure I don't suffer any long-term damage? Will my body be able to heal itself? I am grateful that you took the time to read this lengthy email. I would be grateful for any advice and guidance you could provide.Thank you