What is Grave’s Disease?

Grave’s Disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes hyperthyroidism, a condition where your thyroid gland overproduces thyroid hormones. The additional thyroid hormones can negatively affect important aspects of your body and health including regulation of body temperature, your central nervous system, brain development. Left untreated, Grave’s Disease can also lead to uncontrolled emotions, weight loss, and fatigue.

Causes of Grave’s Disease

The exact cause of Grave’s Disease is still unknown to scientists and doctors. However, they do know that it is a result of a malfunction in your body’s immune system. A normal, properly functioning immune system will make proteins, or antibodies, to fight against specific bacteria and viruses. When you are affected by Grave’s Disease, the immune system malfunctions, producing antibodies referred to as thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins that attempt to fight the thyroids health cells.

Grave’s Disease generally occurs in people 40 and younger, and women are approximately eight times more likely to develop the disorder. If you have other autoimmune disorders such as Crohn’s disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, or diabetes mellitus, you are at additional risk of developing Grave’s Disease. Additionally, you are more likely to be affected by Grave’s Disease if someone else in your family has been affected by the condition.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Grave’s Disease

Symptoms of Grave’s Disease commonly include the following:

• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Unexplained weight loss
• Shaking hands
• Fatigue, emotional or physical
• Sleeping difficulty
• Anxiety, irritability, nervousness, or depression
• Low tolerance to high temperatures or heat
• Increased sweating
• Irritable bowels or diarrhea
• Changing menstrual cycles in women
• Erectile dysfunction in men
• Diminished or loss of libido
• Skin getting thicker and/or redder, typically on or around the shins
• Eyesight difficulties, including pain, inflammation, bulging, sensitivity to light, or loss of vision

Diagnosis of Grave’s Disease will typically involve a physical exam, a blood sample, thyroid tests, imaging tests (x-rays or an MRI), and ultrasounds.

Treatments for Grave’s Disease

Grave’s Disease is typically treated in one or more of the following ways:

• Thyroid surgery
• Anti-thyroid medication
• Radioactive iodine therapy

Thyroid surgery is a less common method of treating Grave’s Disease and is generally only undertaken when other options have been unsuccessful. If the thyroid is removed during surgery, you will need to undergo thyroid hormone replacement therapy regularly.

Anti-thyroid medications may be prescribed by your doctor in order to reduce your symptoms effects. These medications may include propylthiouracil, methimazole, or beta-blockers.

Radioactive iodine therapy is the most common treatment method for Grave’s Disease. It consists of swallowing pills containing doses of radioactive iodine-131, which help to stop the overproduction of thyroid hormones by destroying the cells producing the hormones.

In-Office Proceduresadmin2023-05-25T18:20:32+00:00

The services rendered at Alabama Nasal and Sinus Center employ the latest technology and techniques. Dr. Sillers, Dr. Lay, and their staff regularly attend training on the latest medical solutions available. Our aim is to provide you the highest level of care, education and research in the area of nasal and sinus diseases. Below is a list of services we provide. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or visit our patient information page.

Our services include:

• Balloon Sinuplasty
• Comprehensive Audiology & Hearing Aid Service

• Endoscopy
• Minor Skin Procedures

MiniCAT™ is a compact, upright computed tomography imaging system designed for high-resolution, low radiation dose

Xoran Technologies was founded in 2001 by two research scientists from the University of Michigan with the goal of developing common sense, innovative technologies that enable physicians to treat their patients more efficiently and more effectively.

Xoran’s dedication to meeting the needs of today’s physicians and patients includes patient-friendly open design scanners with low radiation dose, exceptional quality CT images from an easy to use turnkey system, and unprecedented technical support and personal attention from our world-class customer service team. Xoran is passionate about cutting waste and inefficiency out of the healthcare system. For more information, please call Xoran Technologies at (800) 70-XORAN or visit www.xorantech.com.

Alabama Nasal and Sinus Center would like to welcome you to our blog. Here you will find informative and useful postings about your health and our practice. At Atlanta Spine Institute, we believe that educated patients are better prepared to make decisions regarding their spinal health and wellbeing. Our blog was designed to provide you with valuable health care information, the latest medical developments and health advice from our dedicated team.

Alabama Nasal and Sinus Center hopes you find our blog to be a great resource for keeping up to date with proper health care and treatments for your spine.

Dysphagia refers to difficulty swallowing. It may make it tougher and more time consuming for you to transfer food from your mouth, through your esophagus, and down into your stomach. In some cases, dysphagia can cause pain while in other cases, it can make swallowing impossible. While dysphagia is more common in elderly patients, it can arise at any age.

Causes of Dysphagia

The physical act of swallowing is more complex than people realize. Here’s why: There are approximately 50 sets of muscles and nerves that must function in order for you to swallow easily and properly. Due to the complexity of the multiple muscles and nerves involved in swallowing, there are many potential causes of dysphagia, including the following:

• Acid reflux or heartburn
• A condition called achalasia that affects the lower esophageal muscle
• Inflammation of the epiglottis (epiglottitis) or esophagus (esophagitis)
• Cancer in the esophagus (esophageal cancer) or stomach (gastric adenocarcinoma)
• Herpes that affects the esophagus or oral area
• Infectious mononucleosis (mono)
• Spasms in the esophagus muscles
• Foreign objects stuck in the throat that go unnoticed
• Damage to the esophageal tissue
• Radiation therapy for cancer
• Neurological disorders, damage, or conditions

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Dysphagia

The symptoms of dysphagia can include the following:

• Pain while swallowing
• Difficulty or the inability to swallow
• Recurrent heartburn or acid reflux
• Abrupt unexplained weight loss
• Gagging or choking when swallowing
• Uncontrolled drooling
• A hoarse voice
• Feelings that food is getting lodged in your throat or chest area

You should visit your ENT specialist if you are facing recurring symptoms of dysphagia. In the event you’re experiencing breathing issues, an object becomes lodged in your throat, or you’re unable to swallow, you should seek emergency care immediately.

Diagnosis of dysphagia will commonly include a physical exam and a series of tests to determine the specific cause of your dysphagia. Tests may include x-rays, swallowing studies, or an endoscopy of your esophagus.

Treatments for Dysphagia

Treatment for your dysphagia will depend on the type that is causing the swallowing issues. If you have oropharyngeal dysphagia, you may be treated through swallowing exercises and techniques that help to overcome your dysphagia.

If you have esophageal dysphagia, your treatment may include one or more of the following:

• Surgery to address the condition that is causing the issues such as an esophageal tumor, pharyngoesophageal diverticulum, or an achalasia.
• Medications, such as those to reduce acids in the stomach or muscle relaxants to address esophageal spasms.
• Esophageal dilation, which involves your doctor using an endoscope with an inflatable balloon like device that stretches the diameter of your esophagus.

For severe cases of dysphagia, where it is difficult or impossible to swallow, your ENT specialist may recommend a feeding tube or a specific liquid diet.

Sleep apnea refers to when you’re breathing frequently stops and starts during sleep. The three types of sleep apnea are as follows:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea – most common form of sleep apnea that is a result of the throat muscles relaxing.
• Central Sleep Apnea – less common form of sleep apnea that is a result of your brain not sending the proper signals to your muscles that perform breathing.
• Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome – refers to someone who is affected by both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

Causes of Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of your throat relax when they shouldn’t. Your airway becomes narrow when these muscles relax, causing breathing difficulties and a lowering of the blood’s oxygen levels. If the oxygen levels drop too low, your brain will attempt to wake you as a defense mechanism so that you can establish proper breathing. Normally, the brief period that people are awake to reestablish breathing is not remembered the next day, but it does result in disrupted sleep.

Central sleep apnea is less common than obstructive sleep apnea but can be just as troublesome. It involves a failure of your brain to send signals to the muscles that perform breathing. Normally this will result is you stopping breathing for short periods of time which can cause you to briefly wake or be out of breath.

Conditions that increase your risk in developing sleep apnea can include:

• Obesity
• Family history of sleep apnea
• Being male
• Being older
• Having a thicker than normal neck or a narrow airway
• Nasal congestion, whether from an infection, allergies, or abnormality
• Excessive consumption of alcohol, tobacco products, or use of sleeping medication
• Heart conditions

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Sleep Apnea

Symptoms most often associated with sleep apnea can include:

• Heart issues or high blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Excessive snoring, snorting, or gagging in your sleep
• Repeated brief waking during sleep
• Liver issues
• Feeling tired during waking periods

Diagnosis of sleep apnea will usually involve having a sleep study done to monitor your breathing, heart rate, leg and arm movements, and brain waves. These tests can be done in overnight sleep centers or some can be performed during at home sleep testing.

Treatments for Sleep Apnea

Milder cases of sleep apnea are often treated through simple lifestyle changes such as weight loss, changing sleeping positions, quitting smoking/drinking, or treatment for allergies. If your sleep apnea is more severe, treatments can include:

• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to assist in breathing.
• Oral appliances that are designed to adjust the position of your jaw and tongue.
• Surgical procedures to correct conditions causing sleep apnea.

Tonsils and adenoids are part of your body’s immune system. Specifically, they help protect you from bacteria and viruses that can enter your body through your nose or mouth. You have two tonsils that are visible in the back of your mouth. Your adenoids, which are not normally visible without special instrumentation, are located behind your nose and roof of your mouth.

Common difficulties with tonsils or adenoids that may require treatment include bacterial or viral infection (tonsillitis), and swelling/inflammation

Causes of Difficulties with Tonsils and Adenoids

Infection of the tonsils or adenoids is most often caused by a viral infection. Viral infections usually heal on their own or can be treated with over-the-counter medication. Typical recovery times for viral infections of your tonsils or adenoids are about one week.

Bacterial infection of your tonsils or adenoids are more serious than viral infections. Bacterial infections normally requires treatment with prescribed medications or antibiotics.

Other common causes or infections that can result in difficulties with your tonsils or adenoids include:

• Contact with another sick person
• Streptococcus pyogenes infection (strep throat)
• Epstein-barr virus, or mononucleosis (mono)

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Tonsil and Adenoid Difficulties

Symptoms that are often associated with difficulties with your tonsils and adenoids include the following:

• Sore throat
• Voice hoarseness
• Yellow or white spots on the tonsils
• Tonsils appearing red or swollen
• Foul smelling breath
• Jaw or neck tenderness
• Neck stiffness
• Difficulty swallowing, including pain when swallowing, coughing, or gagging
• Headaches
• Fever or chills
• Earaches
• Stomachaches

Diagnosis of difficulties with your tonsils or adenoids will often involve reviewing your symptoms and a physical examination. The examination may include using a lighted mirror to inspect the tonsils, mouth, tongue, and throat area to look for signs of infection. Your ENT specialist will also likely use a stethoscope to listen to your breathing, feel your neck area for swollen lymph nodes, or potentially taking a swab or blood sample to test for different infections.

Treatments for Tonsil and Adenoid Difficulties

Bacterial infections of the tonsils and adenoids are usually treated with prescribed antibiotics. If you suffer from frequent infections of your tonsils or adenoids, your ENT specialist may recommend surgery to remove your tonsils (tonsillectomy) or adenoids (adenoidectomy). If your airways are partially blocked due to inflammation, steroids, such as prednisone, may be helpful in treating the symptoms.

Skin cancer is defined as the abnormal growth of skin cells. Melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma are the three main types of skin cancer. Skin cancer will most often develop on areas of your body that receive more exposure to the sun’s rays. Repeated overexposure and long-term damage from ultraviolet (UV) rays, or radiation, from the sun is one of the most common skin cancer causes. You can help to reduce your chances of developing skin cancer by reducing exposure to the sun, using sunscreen, and visiting your doctor if any abnormal changes to your skin develop.

Causes of Skin Cancer

When your skin cells develop mutations in their DNA, skin cancer develops, causing the mutated cells to grow uncontrollably and form cancerous cell masses. You skin is divided into multiple layers, with the outermost layer referred to as the epidermis. Your body continuously sheds dead skin cells in the epidermis layer as more cells take their place. The epidermis is where skin cancer originally develops.

The epidermis layer is comprised of three different types of skin cells including:

• Squamous cells – functions as the skin’s inner lining and is located directly beneath the outer surface of your skin.
• Basal cells – This type of skin cell produces new skin cells and is located below the squamous cells.
• Melanocyte cells – These cells produce the chemical (melanin) that gives your skin its color and are located in the bottom portion of the epidermis. Melanin helps to protect your skin from further damage from UV rays.

Depending on which type of cell in the epidermis the skin cancer begins will affect the severity of the cancer, diagnosis, and treatment options. Some of the risk factors and causes of skin cancer and damage to your skin cells are listed below.

• Overexposure to UV rays, usually from the sun.
• Contact with harmful, toxic, or cancer causing materials, chemical, and substances.
• Pale skin makes your body more susceptible to damage from UV rays.
• Living in higher-altitude. As you increase in elevation on the earth, there is less atmosphere to filter out harmful UV rays.
• If you have excessive moles you are at a higher risk level for developing skin cancer.
• Predisposition to skin cancer (family history).
• Immunodeficiency conditions.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Skin Cancer

Skin cancer will typically develop on areas of the skin that receive more exposure to the sun, such as areas around the head and face, neck, chest, arms, and legs. Symptoms and signs of skin cancer can include the following:

• Lesions or scar-like bumps
• Scab or sore that bleeds, heals, then comes back
• Waxy bumps on the skin
• Red and firm bumps
• A crusty, scaly lesion
• Moles that change in color and size
• Painful or itchy lesions

You should visit your doctor if you notice abnormal moles, lesions, bumps, scabs, or scars. Diagnosis of skin cancer will typically involve examining the area of concern and taking a sample to perform testing (biopsy).

Treatments for Skin Cancer

Treatment for skin cancer will depend on the type and how far it has spread. If caught early enough, skin cancer may not require further treatment except for removal of the growth. Additional treatment for skin cancer may involve the following:

• Surgical procedures including excisional or mohs surgery
• Cryotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Biological therapy
• Photodynamic therapy

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss or sudden deafness, is a rapid loss of hearing occurring over 1 to 3 days. It should be considered a medical emergency. A person who experiences SSHL should visit a doctor immediately.

A doctor can determine whether a person has experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss by conducting a normal hearing test. If a loss of at least 30 decibels in three connected frequencies is discovered, it is diagnosed as SSHL. Hearing loss affects only one ear in 9 out of 10 people who experience SSHL. Many people notice it when they wake up in the morning. Others first notice it when they try to use the deafened ear, such as when they make a phone call. Still others notice a loud, alarming “pop” just before their hearing disappears. People with SSHL often experience dizziness or a ringing in their ears (tinnitus), or both.

Some patients recover completely without medical intervention, often within the first 3 days. This is called a spontaneous recovery. Others get better slowly over a 1 or 2 week period. Although a good to excellent recovery is likely, 15 percent of those with SSHL experience a hearing loss that gets worse over time.

Approximately 4,000 new cases of SSHL occur each year in the United States. It can affect anyone, but for unknown reasons it happens most often to people between the ages of 30 and 60.

Sudden hearing loss treatment is somewhat controversial.  Almost all otolaryngologist agree that early treatment (within three weeks from onset of symptoms) with steroids results in better outcomes than no treatment at all.  There are numerous oral steroid regimens that have been used over the years.  These are usually some high dose of prednisone for several days, followed by a slow taper over 1-2 weeks.  Alternatively, many physicians are using intra-tympanic steroid delivery to treat recalcitrant SSHL and as initial treatment in many cases of SSHL, where oral therapy is contraindicated.  This technique required a myringotomy (an incision in the ear drum) and then instilling a small amount of steroid into the middle ear space, where the medicine can be absorbed directly into the inner ear through the porous round window.

If you have experienced a sudden decline in your hearing in one or both ears, that does not spontaneously resolve in a day or so, you should consider your condition an emergency that needs immediate attention by a physician who can diagnose hearing loss and rule out treatable causes of hearing loss.  This usually means an otolaryngologist (ENT specialist).  Sometimes, something as simple as build-up of ear wax can cause sudden hearing loss and can be treated in the office.  If, however, other causes of acute hearing loss are ruled out, steroid therapy is indicated and should be started as soon as possible.

Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic conditions, but is an invisible handicap. Affected individuals are often ashamed or embarrassed by their handicap and pass it off as just another thing to live with. Unfortunately, such a passive approach may harm your overall health, as the studies cited above demonstrate.

There are sometimes treatable causes of hearing loss. Neural hearing loss is not “fixable”, but it can be rehabilitated. The main way hearing loss is corrected is by hearing aids. Many patients refuse to even consider hearing aids because they know someone who bought a pair of hearing aids and they never used them – tossed ‘em in the top drawer and never took ‘em out again. That is truly a shame. I never want anyone to pay for something that is not going to work. The key to happiness with your hearing aids is accurate diagnosis followed by proper counseling regarding the best type of hearing aid for your hearing impairment, and service after the sale. Ideally, you will have a chance to try out the hearing aids first, before buying. I’m proud to say that we are able to provide such comprehensive service here at Alabama Nasal and Sinus Center. We have two excellent audiologist who have specialized training in diagnostic testing and rehabilitation of hearing loss. If you have questions about hearing loss and/or hearing aids, please call to schedule an appointment, 205-980-2091.

Tonsils and adenoids are part of your child’s body’s immune system for fighting against infection. They are lymph nodes that are located in the back area of the throat, behind the nose. Pediatric tonsillitis refers to when your child’s tonsils become infected with bacteria or viruses.

Causes of Pediatric Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis is normally the result of a bacterial infection or viral infection, sometimes occurring due to strep throat. Pharyngitis refers to an infection that occurs further down the throat from the tonsils. Common causes or infections that result in pediatric tonsillitis can include:

• Epstein-barr virus, or mononucleosis (mono)
• Streptococcus pyogenes infection (strep throat)
• Contact with another sick person, sometimes occurring through hand-to-hand contact or sharing a glass

The different types of pediatric tonsillitis include:

• Acute tonsillitis – severe symptoms that originate quickly
• Chronic tonsillitis – symptoms do not go away after treatment
• Recurrent tonsillitis – refers to having several episodes of tonsillitis in the same year

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Pediatric Tonsillitis

Pediatric tonsillitis will likely have your child showing some of the following symptoms:

• Scratch or hoarse voice
• Sore throat lasting more than two days
• Difficulty or pain when swallowing or breathing
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Ear pain
• Foul breath
• Fever
• Yellow or white dots on the tonsils

Pediatric tonsillitis will usually be diagnosed by a doctor performing a strep test, which may involve either a rapid test, or a cotton swab rubbed against your child’s throat that is sent to a lab for a test.

Treatments for Pediatric Tonsillitis

Viral infections causing tonsillitis will usually go away on their own after a few days. You can help to lessen your child’s symptoms through over-the-counter pain medications, lozenges, and gargling with warm salt water.

If the tonsillitis is a result of a bacterial infection (strep throat), your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to fight the bacterial infection. Antibiotics will usually help to lessen the symptoms within a few days.

If your child is affected by chronic or recurrent tonsillitis, your doctor may recommend a surgery that removes the tonsils, also called a tonsillectomy. Tonsillectomy surgeries generally take about 20 minutes and does not include an overnight stay.

Any viral infection of the ears, nose, sinuses, or throat is known as an upper respiratory infection (URI). It can be spread by direct contact, a cough, or a sneeze. While the most common URI is the common cold, sinus infections, sore throat, and ear infections are other examples of URIS that may arise.

URIs are widely seen in the fall and winter when the weather is colder but can also occur in the spring and summer months. Most of the time, a URI is no big deal and goes away on its own in a week or so.

Symptoms of URIs

Since children spend ample time in daycares and schools near other children and adults, they are at high risk for developing URIs. Many adults have had URIs in the past and therefore have stronger immune systems and are less likely to catch them again. While a typical adult will deal with two to three colds each year, a child may experience three to eight.

There are a variety of symptoms that come with URIs. If you are experiencing one, you may notice congestion, discharge in your nose, fatigue, and headache. You may also face a low-grade fever, pain while swallowing, wheezing, and pressure in your sinus areas. Fortunately, most URIs and their symptoms improve within 7 to 10 days.

URI Treatment

Although antibiotics do not help URIs, there are over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen that can treat their symptoms. If you decide to take them, however, do so in moderation as they can lead to side-effects. Rest and nasal sprays as well as home remedies like gargling salt water or drinking tea can also help.

In the event your symptoms do not subside after a week or so or become worse over time, consult a doctor. A doctor can perform a thorough exam and determine if the URI is a sign of a more serious condition such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and allergies. In the event this is the case, antibiotics or an alternative treatment may be necessary.

URI Prevention

There are a number of ways you can reduce your risk of catching a URI. Wash your hands regularly with soap and warm water. This way, you’ll prevent the spread of germs. Also, stay away from anyone who has a URI and wipe down door knobs, countertops, and other frequently touched surfaces. In addition, do not smoke or vape and use a tissue to cover your mouth every time you cough or sneeze.