Hello,

Thanks for your query at DoctorSpring. I understand that your mother has been suffering from high Blood pressure and knee pain for a long time.

As she is overweight , she tends to develop high blood pressure, Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, as well as joint pains.There is also a higher chance of her developing fungal infections in the folds especially the waist or groin due to obesity.

It can also contribute to shortness of breath while climbing stairs or walking short distances.Obesity depends on genetics, over eating , diet rich in carbohydrates, slower metabolism , physiological factors and so on. In course of time, she is prone for gall stones or cholecystitis. Whenever an individual is obese, they tend to put too much of weight on weight bearing joints like Hip, knee or foot .Invariably there will be a wear and tear leading to difficulty in walking .The swelling of the ankles is due to high blood pressure.

The presence of big ants on toilet seats when she passes urine is probably due to the sweet smell of the urine which could be due to Diabetes. She has to be thoroughly investigated for Diabetes by getting her Fasting blood sugar, post prandial blood sugar .In regard to the fungal infection , the medication would be ineffective if it is used only once a week .it would be best if you consult your dermatologist who will prescribe you the medications to be used daily.

Since her obesity is causing a lot of medical problems, she will have to try to loss some weight by taking daily walks once or twice a day. She also has to undergo a complete evaluation and get blood tests, thyroid profile, fasting and post prandial blood sugars, Chest X ray , X ray knee joint , Lipid profile and urine analysis and review these reports with the physician and orthopedician for further management of her condition.S he can take tablet ibuprofen twice a day after food for a week to relieve the pain. Hope this helps.

If you had any further queries, please ask as follow-up questions.
Thank you.

Hello again ,

I am happy to hear that your diabetes results are normal . In regard to the lipid profile result , your total cholesterol is within normal range . The triglyceride levels is borderline high ( i.e ranging from 150 - 199 mg / dl).

High density cholesterol (hdl) is also known as good cholesterol and low density cholesterol (LDL) is known as bad cholesterol . the hdl value is on the higher side and the LDL is slightly higher than normal range . This can be reduced with change in lifestyle and food habits . It is a completely reversible process .

I would suggest you to try a few remedies to reduce these values :
a) Start a physical activity like running , walking , yoga for about 30 minutes for 5 days in a week . Reduce your body weight .
b) Stop smoking and reduce consumption of alcohol to minimum .
c) Consumption of food products like tuna , sardines , nuts like walnut , almonds ,oats , whole grains , flaxseed oil.

Omega 3 fatty acids reduce the level of triglycerides and hdl . It would be best to avoid saturated fat and trans fat .

You can try these methods and it will definitely help in reducing it .You can also continue to use the medication as prescribed by your doctor for hypertension . Hope you feel better .

Thank you .