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Her feet swelled overnight, and everyone told her it was normal.

Before she waits for it to pass, she should measure her blood pressure.

Pregnancy often causes gradual swelling in both feet. It may become more noticeable after standing for a long time or towards the end of the day. Resting with the feet raised usually brings some relief.

Sudden swelling needs urgent assessment, especially when the face or hands also swell.

A severe headache should raise concern. Blurred vision or flashing lights also need attention. Pain below the ribs or difficulty breathing makes the situation more urgent.

A blood-pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher during pregnancy requires medical assessment.

Swelling in only one leg tells a different story. When that leg also hurts or feels hot, a clinician should check urgently for a blood clot.

Clinicians use blood-pressure readings and urine tests to assess pre-eclampsia. These checks matter because pre-eclampsia can develop before a woman feels ill. It can also occur after childbirth.

For gradual pregnancy swelling, raise your feet when resting. Avoid standing for long periods. Comfortable shoes and gentle movement can also help.

The next pregnancy can have a different outcome.After two miscarriages, a positive test can feel like bad news.

The joy may come later. But it is understandable if you feel fear first.

About half of early miscarriages happen because the pregnancy developed with the wrong number of chromosomes. This usually occurs by chance. You did not cause it by anything you did – working, dancing, exercising or having sex.

After two losses, ask an obstetrician or gynaecologist for a proper review. Your doctor may examine your pregnancy history and check the shape of your womb. They may also request relevant blood tests including tests for thyroid problems, diabetes and antiphospholipid syndrome – a blood-clotting condition linked to repeated miscarriage.

Before trying again, start folic acid. When the pregnancy test becomes positive, contact your medical team and ask when you should have an early scan.

Please do not start medications such as aspirin or progesterone on your own. These treatments help in specific situations and should follow a medical assessment.

When doctors find no cause for repeated pregnancy loss, about 65 in every 100 women have a successful next pregnancy.

The bleeding came on the exact day her period was due.

The pregnancy test was positive, but she assumed she must still be menstruating.

She was not.

Pregnant women do not have menstrual periods.

A period happens when pregnancy has not occurred and the womb sheds the lining it prepared for a pregnancy. Once pregnancy begins, that monthly shedding stops.

Bleeding can still happen during pregnancy. The cervix becomes more delicate and may bleed after sex or a pelvic examination. An infection or a small area of bleeding inside the womb may also be responsible. Sometimes no cause is found.

Light bleeding does not automatically mean miscarriage. Many women who bleed in early pregnancy go on to have healthy babies.

However, you cannot identify the cause from the timing or colour of the blood alone. Bleeding may also occur with a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy, where the pregnancy is growing outside the womb. Later in pregnancy, bleeding may be connected to labour or a problem with the placenta.

Get emergency help if the bleeding is heavy or comes with severe stomach pain. Pain mainly on one side also needs urgent attention.

Do not wait if you develop shoulder-tip pain, dizziness or fainting. These can be signs of internal bleeding from an ectopic pregnancy.

Even if the bleeding is light and you feel well, contact your maternity clinician for advice.

The fact that it arrived “on schedule” does not make it your period.

Save this post. Someone may be using the calendar to reassure herself when she needs to be checked.

Original post:
https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/10/12/daily-health-tips-can-i-menstruate-when-im-pregnant/

The pregnancy test was positive.

She had barely allowed herself to feel happy before the stomach pain began.

Now every cramp feels like a warning that the pregnancy may be slipping away.

Stomach pain can happen during a healthy pregnancy. The reasons for this include the growing womb, stretching of the tissues supporting it, constipation and trapped wind.

Mild pain is usually less worrying when it eases after you rest, change your position, pass stool or fart.

Please get medical help urgently if the pain is severe or does not ease. Do not wait at home if it comes with bleeding, leaking fluid, fever or pain when urinating.

Pain mainly on one side needs attention, especially early in pregnancy. If you also develop shoulder-tip pain, dizziness or fainting, go to the hospital immediately. An ectopic pregnancy can cause these symptoms and may lead to dangerous internal bleeding.

Later in pregnancy, pain that comes in regular waves may be contractions and should be assessed.

You are not expected to work out the cause by yourself. If the pain feels wrong or frightens you, please see your doctor.

Save this post. Someone staring at two lines tonight may need

If someone you love collapses tonight, the emergency will not wait while your family searches for a phone number or argues about which hospital to use.

Make the plan now.

In Nigeria, save 112 as the national emergency number. Also save the direct number of a reliable local ambulance service or nearby hospital because response arrangements may differ by location.

Choose the hospital your family would use for a suspected heart attack or stroke. Know how you would get there if an ambulance is delayed.

Keep an updated medication list where another family member can find it. Write down any allergies and important medical conditions.

If someone becomes unresponsive and is not breathing normally, call for help and begin chest compressions. Push hard and fast in the centre of the chest.

If an automated external defibrillator, usually shortened to AED, is available, turn it on and follow its instructions. An AED is a portable device that checks the person’s heart rhythm. It will tell you whether an electric shock is needed and guide you through what to do next. You do not have to make that decision yourself.

If the person suddenly develops a drooping face, weakness in one arm or a change in speech, suspect a stroke. Note the time the symptoms began and get urgent medical help. Do not wait for the symptoms to disappear.

Do not give food, water or herbal mixtures. Do not give aspirin unless an emergency professional specifically advises it. A collapse may have several causes, and some strokes are caused by bleeding.

Before today ends, complete the emergency card on this poster. Let everyone in your household know where the information is kept.

The best time to make an emergency plan is before your family needs it.

Mummy survived the stroke. That was the prayer.

Then she came home, and the family discovered that survival was only the beginning.

She cannot walk without help. Her words no longer come easily.

Can she still improve?

Yes. Stroke recovery does not have a fixed deadline. Some people improve quickly. For others, progress continues slowly over months or even years. The amount and pace of recovery will differ because every stroke affects the brain differently.

The right rehabilitation depends on what the stroke changed.

A physiotherapist can help with strength, balance and safer movement.

A speech and language therapist can help when speaking, understanding or swallowing has become difficult.

An occupational therapist helps the survivor relearn everyday activities such as dressing, bathing and feeding.

Changes in mood, memory or behaviour should also be discussed with the healthcare team. They are not simply stubbornness or ingratitude.

At home, practise only the exercises recommended for her. Give her enough time to answer. Do not shout because her speech has changed, and do not speak as though she is no longer in the room.

Watch her carefully during meals. Coughing or choking may mean that swallowing is unsafe. Stop the meal and ask for a swallowing assessment. Food or liquid entering the lungs can cause serious illness.

Do not measure her recovery against another stroke survivor’s progress.

Look for the small victories that are easy to miss.

Remember the man from yesterday whose weak arm recovered after ten minutes?

Now imagine you were beside him when the weakness began.

What would you do?

Today is World Stroke Day. If someone suddenly develops a weak arm, a drooping face or a change in speech, one sign is enough to suspect a stroke. Get help immediately.

While help is being arranged:

• Note the exact time the symptoms started.

• Keep the person safe, calm and supported.

• If the person becomes unconscious but is still breathing, place them on their side.

• If the person stops breathing, begin CPR if you know how, or follow instructions from the emergency call handler.

Do not give food, water or herbal mixtures. A stroke may affect swallowing and the person could choke.

Do not give aspirin unless a medical professional tells you to. Some strokes are caused by a burst blood vessel, and aspirin could make the bleeding worse.

Do not massage the weak arm or leg. Do not wait for sleep, prayer or a home remedy to make the symptoms disappear.

Pray for sure. But let prayer happen while help is already on the way.

The first treatment is not at home. It is getting the person to the hospital fast.

Save this post. Someone may need you to remember it.

His arm suddenly became weak.

Ten minutes later, the strength returned, so the family cancelled the trip to the hospital.

That relief can be dangerously misleading.

Temporary stroke symptoms may be caused by a transient ischaemic attack, called a TIA. This happens when blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted briefly.

The weakness may disappear. The speech may return to normal. But at home, you cannot tell whether the person has had a TIA or a stroke. Emergency assessment is still needed.

Remember ‘BE FAST’

B for sudden loss of balance
E for sudden changes in eyesight
F for one side of the face drooping
A for weakness or numbness in one arm
S for slurred or confused speech
T means it is time to call for emergency help

Call even if the symptoms disappear while help is on the way. Note the exact time they started. Do not give food, drink or aspirin unless an emergency professional tells you to do so.

Nearly one in five people with a suspected TIA will have a stroke within three months. Almost half of those strokes happen within two days.

A TIA is not a harmless “partial stroke.” It is an opportunity to investigate the cause and prevent a potentially disabling stroke.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth
#StrokeWarning
#BEFAST
#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

Your report says “enlarged heart.”

The word “enlarged” may sound as though the heart has grown bigger and stronger.

It usually does not mean that.

An enlarged heart is a finding, not the final diagnosis. The muscle may have thickened because it has been working against high blood pressure. It may also have stretched because it has become weak or damaged.

Other possible causes include heart-valve problems, a previous heart attack, severe anaemia and thyroid disease.

The next step is to find out what has changed and why. A heart ultrasound can show which chamber is enlarged, whether the walls are thickened and how well the heart pumps.

Ask your clinician:

1. Which part of my heart is enlarged?
2. Is the muscle thickened or stretched?
3. How well is my heart pumping?
4. What is the likely cause?

Can the heart return to its normal size?

Sometimes. This is more likely when the cause is temporary or treated early. In other cases, the enlargement may remain, but treatment can reduce the strain on the heart and prevent further damage. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.

Do not begin strenuous exercise or stop prescribed medication until your clinician has explained what the finding means for you.

Seek emergency help for chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting or a fast or irregular heartbeat accompanied by dizziness.

Bigger does not automatically mean stronger.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#EnlargedHeart

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch