hi doc ,i live in holland but i am english,i am worried about my husband (hes dutch but he cant help that !!! ) he has seen a doc here but with no result to the problem . he has a hard lump behind each ear and the skin on his ears is very dry and he has tenderness in his ears also , he has lost a little weight , about 3 kilos in a couple of weeks and he eats like a horse ,he is 32 years old and smokes about 25 _30 a day , hes gonna kill me for saying that , he is very active and fit , and i am worried about him , somtimes he feels sick in the morning ( hes not pregnant we are careful ) if you have any ideas that he could surrgest to his doc here i would appreciate i

Dr. Joshua’s Answer:

I’m sorry, I can’t help his being Dutch either - I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do. Clearly beyond the reach of any Earthly medicine.

As for his symptoms - the business with the ears is not easily solved without being able to have a look. What did his doctor say? Sounds like it could be a seborrhoic eczema (greasy rash), which is treated with corticosteroid plus antifungal ointments. If the ears are tender, there could be an infection on top of that. On the other hand, it’s hard to say what the lumps are. Perhaps they are just part of his normal anatomy - have they always been there or have they appeared recently?

Weight loss and morning sickness are a more serious consideration. If these symptoms persist, a thorough work-up should be done, including a careful physical examination and lab tests. It is not necessarily anything serious, but these symptoms warrant further examinations to exclude several potential serious illnesses that could be causing them.

I recommend that he see his doctor again. And he needs to quit smoking. See this post for my advice on that.

Good luck!

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