Dr Rosemary

MEDICAL ADVICE COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR

you may well need to continue with this for the rest of your life.

I NEED to get up several times in the night to go to the toilet. It’s not too bad if I don’t have a drink from 3.30pm onwards but feel this is probably too long to go without fluid.

What is this level of sleep deprivation doing to me and is there anything I can do about it?

ANEEDING to go to the toilet several times in the night can be a sign of a urine infection or a problem with your bladder, where the muscle contracts when the bladder is holding only a small amount of urine.

It may also be a sign of a medical condition such as diabetes. In men it can also be a sign of an enlarged prostate. Going without fluids for more than 12 hours is not healthy and can lead to dehydration.

You really should see your doctor and have tests to sort out the underlying reason. An infection can usually be easily treated with antibiotics and muscle relaxants can be helpful in allowing the bladder to hold more urine. Please make an appointment at your surgery as soon as you can.

I DEVELOPED phimosis earlier this year and my doctor prescribed clotrimazole and betamethasone which didn’t work. Is circumcision the only solution to this problem?

APHIMOSIS is the medical term for being unable to pull back the foreskin from the head of the penis. In most boys, the foreskin cannot be retracted until the age of five and in some it may not be possible to pull it back completely until aged 10.

In children, a tight foreskin is usually a problem that occurs at birth but in your case it sounds as if you were able to retract your foreskin normally until earlier this year.

This suggests that you may have developed a skin condition known as lichen sclerosus or balanitis xerotica obliterans. The skin of the foreskin becomes