Q: My daughter is on a waiting list for a kidney; no one in the family is a compatible donor, so this may be a very long wait. How can we get involved with something like the 60-person kidney donation chain I heard about? — Francine R. in Seattle
A: Chain 124, as it was called, was put together by the National Kidney Registry. It involved 30 live donors and 30 people in need of a kidney. Willing, but incompatible donors — like your relatives — were hooked up with strangers who had compatible kidneys. This daisy chain of hope was crisscrossing the country when the first person in the exchange found a compatible donor. Talk about a generous heart — the donor was someone who didn’t have a relative on the waiting list, but who wanted to help!
You Docs suggest that you get your daughter on their waiting list as well as national lists such as the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
What’s unique about kidney donation is that it can come from a live donor.
Other organ donations come from a person deeding their body part to the National Network of Organ Donors after death.
Q: I spend all day at the computer, and my left arm and hand hurt really badly when I type. Is that carpal tunnel syndrome? — Christy R., Birmingham, Ala.
A: For people who’ve been sidelined by bouts of carpal tunnel syndrome there’s good news: Breakthroughs in managing this problem have revolutionized the outcome for millions of people.
What is CTS? It’s pressure on the nerve that runs through the carpal tunnel — a narrow, passageway that connects the forearm to the hand. Symptoms include numbness and tingling in the hand and fingers.
Who Gets It? Some folks are born with a cramped tunnel. CTS also is related to overactivity of the pituitary gland, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions.
What it isn’t. We You Docs have even better news: You probably don’t have CTS. The aches and pains people get from using the computer keyboard are usually from repetitive-use injury, not CTS. So relax — and try these simple steps:
• Take a couple of days away from the keyboard.
• Go to physical therapy; stretching exercises can help.
• Examine your desk setup: Your keyboard, screen and chair need to be positioned correctly.
The You Docs, Mehmet Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen of Cleveland Clinic, are authors of “YOU: Losing Weight.” To submit questions, go to or e-mail youdocsdaily@realage.com.
