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Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Surgery
General Surgery
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
39 Answers
8 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Unlikely appendix: As an education for you, an appendix does not usually cause symptoms that last for days without becoming very problematic. When it gets inflamed it be... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Not sure: Sorry, I am not sure what ready your syndrome is. Would you be able to provide more information.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Many possible: There are many warning signs. Having chest pain is a common one. Also, if you get chest pain while walking or exerting or if you get short of breath. ... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Agree with prior: A CBC is great to sometimes catch cancer, but as mentioned it is specific to blood cancers. It is not the best test for some of those as well! there... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 65-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Sounds complicated: Given your history, it sounds very complicated! recovering from a perforated colon, a colonoscopy is good to help get answers. There are very advance... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
2 comments
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Do it!: It is safe to do that and should not cause you any problems. In fact it might help you prevent problems from being on antibiotics. The data for this h... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Ibs: Ibs does not usually change the color of stool however some people get very constipated and others get diarrhea and that will dictate how the stool ch... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Blood yes: Hemorrhoids can bleed - as many internal hemorrhoids to. Internal hemorrhoids are inside and only sometimes come outside. These usually don't hurt b... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Sometimes can: Zedar1,
for a cancer to be seen on laparoscopy it has to be big enough to be seen and has to stand out from normal findings. Most laparoscopy is no... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 58-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Yes, maybe: If it is not draining or infected it is likely that the lining has formed and is not a problem currently. It should be okay to go swimming however goi... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Not sure: I am not sure what you are describing exactly. Sometimes you can get a skip the beat that sounds like what you have are having but this should not be ... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Yes,actually!: The gallbladder only contracts when it is told to squeeze. You can prevent this by avoiding fatty foods and spicy foods. If you feel like you could l... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Weeks sounds right: Many cancer tests are done by special laboratories and the blood work it will need to get sent to them. It takes time for the sample to get sent to th... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Should be ok!: We often operate on people who are on thyroid replacement. The important piece is that your thyroid hormone levels should be appropriate. You just ha... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Good thought: It could be related but usually complications are pretty soon after surgery, not years. It could be a hernia from one of the incisions as well. Havin... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Personal trainer: The best way to start out slow would be to find somebody to be one on one with.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Very Unlikely: Hemorrhoids are usually very local to the anal area. If you have vaginal symptoms as well you should visit someone to evaluate what is going on.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Stronger!: Stage four cancer pains can be very significant. That much Ibuprofen can cause a lot of gastrointestinal upset. I would highly suggest seeing a physic... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Need an exam: If you have pencil like stools you either have very very large hemorrhoids (which would be very obvious) or something more worrisome. You should find... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 16-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Maybe scar?: It's hard to tell exactly what happened by your description however it sounds almost like you had an infection that turned into a scar. It sounds like... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Should see someone: Depending on how soon after your gallbladder was removed this is occurring changes what the problems could be. A good physical exam and history and po... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Could be: Could be. The possibility is there however be sure what type of test sticks you get at the drugstore to check this. Some may not be sensitive enough ... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 23-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Congrats!: First off, congratulations on losing so much weight. That is not an easy feat and is one to be commended. Unfortunately a lot of people have a belly a... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Yup!: The calculators estimate that your conception was likely on christmas eve.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 16-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Cardio: The best activities to increase your heart rate are any type of big cardiovascular exercise. Some of the most common would be running or bicycling.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Maybe: Hypertonic saline is drawing the fluids out of your nose. This is not fixing of the underlying problem and could cause irritation in your nose. It so... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Hmm: The pattern of your symptoms does not fit anything that is extremely obvious. It might be worth having somebody check it out so that you can get some ... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Good prognosis!: It is not unheard of to have follicular variant. This does not change your risk factors very much and actually the most important factor is your age. ... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Diverticulitis: Most commonly in your age group fistulas form due to childbirth and complications of it. It is possible however to get information to cause a fistula ... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Sounds frustrating!: I see you have had your gallbladder out. If the surgery was recently, it could be a complication. There are also times where you can have a gallstone... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Everything is possib: Seafood has been known to have food borne illness. That is however less likely with the regulations going on in the us. Is still always a possibility ... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Prostate: A vasectomy only takes out the tube connecting to be testees to the rest of the system. The prostate has storage, called the seminal vesicles, and cre... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 52-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
More information: Not sure what you mean by pile, would you be able to provide more information?
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Ouch!: Sounds like quite the reaction! i worry that it's infected, which can be very serious. The best thing is to let someone see it, soon!
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
A bit more specific: The thyroid has t3, (liothyronine) t4, and TSH as hormones, so be careful at just calling it t. Sometimes people refer to "t" as testosterone. There... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Unlikely appy: Appendicitis is something that usually comes, stays, and becomes a big problem. It does not usually come and go. It's also usually does not cause sign... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Thyroid: I am not sure what you are meaning exactly. You can measure thyroid hormone through blood tests and various ways. You can also use ultrasound to look ... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Related: A thrombosis simply means a clotting of. This usually means that it formed at the site where it is a problem. An embolism is essentially a clot or oth... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 23-year-old male asked:
Dr. Michael Sternanswered
Surgery 11 years experience
Need eval: It sounds like you have some congenital anomalies that maybe contributing to your condition. I would highly suggest seeing somebody especially a gastr... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions, provide medical advice, write prescriptions, and more.
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
3
Recommendations
48
Thank you notes
Nov 20, 2013
Great answers! Thank you!
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Stern is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Stern is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! thanks Doc Very helpful it is true and it is proven.
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! Thank you for all your help. Your time is greatly appreciated!
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Thanks
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Albany Medical College, NY
Graduated 2011MD
Residency
MAINE MEDICAL CENTER
Awards
HealthTap Founding Doctor
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