Jet lag has left me feeling blue (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Jet lag has left me feeling blue

8:48am Tuesday 18th November 2008 in Questions & Answers By Dr Tom Smith

Q: How long does it take to get over jet lag? It is a week since I returned from Australia, and I am still waking up in the middle of the night. In particular my bowel movements are really awkward. I am getting the urge to ‘go’ at around five every morning, and it is very uncomfortable.

A: We usually recover by about an hour each day, so that from an 11-hour lag you will have from Australia, you will take about 11 days to be exactly back in your usual daily timetable for sleeping. If you normally have a regular bowel habit, say after breakfast every morning, that can take a similar time to return to normal. Your bowel and your sleeping pattern are bound together. In another week you should be back to normal. If the bowel trouble persists beyond that time, see your doctor.

Q: My father has had Alzheimer’s disease for five years, and has been on Aricept almost all that time. Now his doctors say he should stop the drug. We thought that it was doing him good. We accept that he is getting worse, but we wonder if the drug is slowing down his deterioration. So why has he to come off the drug? Will he get a lot worse faster now?

A: There comes a stage in Alzheimer’s disease when drugs like Aricept no longer have any effect. It appears that your father’s doctors feel that he has come to this stage. If that’s so, you won’t notice any immediate difference in him when he stops the drug. If you do, then discuss it with his doctors. I’m sure they will consider either starting Aricept again or giving him another drug.

Q: I am an apparently fit and healthy 25 year-old man who exercises regularly. Since I can remember I have been able to crack an ankle and a knee. However in the past couple of years I have become concerned as the majority of joints in my lower body tend to crack accidentally – if I am stretching for example. This includes ankles, knees, thigh and a couple of toes. Recently my shoulders have also joined in. Should I be concerned or is it normal?

A: Cracking joints are nothing to worry about as long as you don’t have pain in them, they don’t stiffen or seize up and they don’t give way or swell up. All you are hearing is the cartilage inside the joint or a ligament beside the joint slapping against the bony surface. We all have cartilage and ligaments – they are a normal part of all joints. It’s just that when we use them to move a joint, some are more audible than others. The noises are not a sign of impending arthritis. However if you develop pain, stiffening, or swelling in your joints, see your doctor.