Q: Good morning doctor. I have dark circles round my eyes. It first started to show when I moved to a very sunny environment and sometimes my eyes itch a lot and as a result of scratching it might swell. I don’t know whether to see a doctor. It makes me lose confidence.
A: The skin around the eye is very thin and as a result, any movement of fluid in or out of the area is very visible there. Typical examples are thedramatic sunken eyes when one is dehydrated (maybe from stooling) and the equally ‘gossip-worthy’ swollen eyes after a night of crying
Usually in the body, fluid would move from an area of low salt concentration to an area of high salt concentration (osmosis). After crying, your salty tears are an attraction for fluids, which move from areas of low salt concentration to accumulate there. On…
‘Decongestants commonly used by people with allergies, such as pseudoephedrine (eg Actifed) and phenylephrine (eg Sudafed PE), constrict small blood vessels in the nose. Although this eases nasal congestion and improves breathing, the effect isn’t limited to the nose’. Blood vessels all over the body are constricted causing the heart to work that much harder pumping blood all over the body. Excessive use of nasal decongestants can lead to rebound nasal congestion after the decongestant is stopped. And so, one ends up with the same situation they were trying to solve from the beginning plus an elevated blood pressure! So, if you must, do not use your nasal decongestants for more than three days.
June 14th every year is World Blood Donor Day. This day is set aside to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. It also raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure that all individuals and communities have access to affordable and timely supplies of safe and quality-assured blood and blood products.
Have you ever given blood? Do you plan to? Now, before you stroll down to the next clinic to donate, please read the post below…an earlier post I had made on requirements for donating blood. Enjoy….
To donate blood, you have to be at least 17 years or over, in good health with a healthy blood count and weigh more than 50kg, you can donate whole blood every 56 days and your blood will be screened for viruses and bacteria.
Now to specifics….
Before the blood donation, be sure to do the following:
Ensure that you are eating an iron-rich diet like green, leafy veggies, red meat, cereals fortified with iron etc.Avoid fatty foods
Be sure to avoid alcohol and take in lots of fluids (water and other juices)Bring along your donor card and form of ID
Avoid vigorous exercise
During the blood donation, be sure to
Wear loose and comfortable clothing which can be folded above the elbow.
Relax and let the bleeding proceed
You shouldn’t feel any pain after the initial prick. If you do, please call the attention of the medic close by.
After the blood donation,
Don’t be in a hurry
Relax and have a snack and a few drinks (non-alcoholic, please)
Avoid smoking in the first 2 hours
Avoid alcohol in the first 8 hours
Avoid strenuous exercise and do not carry heavy stuff with that arm for the rest of the day
Keep the pressure bandage on for about 30 minutes afterwards
Keep the plaster on though for about 6 hours after.If you feel lightheaded, please lie down, drink a lot of fluid and rest until you feel better
If the donation site starts to bleed, please apply pressure and elevate arm. If this continues, please see your doctor.
Q: Good evening Doctor, I am 30 weeks pregnant and unfortunately my house help left for school about 3 week ago. Now all the house chores such as sweeping, washing, mopping etc. are on me now. Please, will this have any negative effect on the baby? I am very worried. A: Hi dear. Thanks for writing in and congratulations on your pregnancy. I assume that it’s your first from your question 😀 So, pregnancy is not a death sentence or an illness, really. It is a natural condition and so, potentially, you can do a lot of things without any problem. Now there are caveats…if you have threatened abortion (miscarriage), your doctor will advise you to be on strict bed rest and not to lift a finger, literally 😀 There are a few other conditions that may limit what you can do, but your doctor will definitely be the one to issue those orders. In any case, whenever in doubt, please consult your doctor. Having said that, bending to sweep or mop is okay in pregnancy but it has to be done the proper way…bending at the knees and not twisting your body while at it 😀 I suggest that you use the long-handled brushes/mops for sweeping/mopping as opposed to the local/native brooms/scrubbing brushes that require bending…in probably uncomfortable ways.
Pregnant women get lots of advice: from friends, mothers, mothers-in-law, colleagues, husbands etc. Sometimes it’s confusing to know what’s true and what’s not. As a follow-on of my post a few days ago, I give you some more pregnancy myths and my take on them:
Advice The first breast milk, colostrum, should be discarded as it is dirty and causes rashes in children
Fiction (False) Colostrum is the first milk produced by the mother and is loaded with antibodies and nutrients needed by the baby. Babies should not be deprived of this milk.
Advice Women should not take the prenatal vitamins (antenatal drugs) given at the hospitals because it makes babies grow unnecessarily big.
Fiction: The iron tablets are important to prevent anaemia (blood shortage) in pregnant women and the folic acid ensures that baby’s spine develops well with no defects. In fact, it is advised that women who wish to get pregnant should start taking folic acid about 3 months before they conceive. Any other ones you know? Have a great evening 😀
Q: Hello Dr ketch, please, I am 11 weeks pregnant and for the past 1 week, it’s as if I’ve been feeling movements in the stomach. Is it normal or do I need to check a doctor? In my first pregnancy, I did not feel the baby till 20 weeks and above. Again, besides the ultrasound, how can I know if I’m having twins?
A: The first time you feel your baby’s movement is known as quickening and the time women feel it varies person to person. It ranges from 16 to 25 weeks but women who have had babies before may feel this much earlier. Women describe it as different things: a bubbly feeling; butterflies in their tummy; gas etc.
How to know if you’re having twins? Well, ultrasound is your best bet. But there are some other ‘signs’ that may be suggestive:
Q: Good evening ma’am. Please Doctor, can taking of COLD WATER prevent someone from conceiving? Thanks. God will continue to strengthen you in all your endeavors.
A: There are so many stories and taboos surrounding pregnancy that we need to address, really. Some pregnant women are practically banned from drinking cold water during pregnancy for this and other unclear reasons. There’s no medical basis for any of these stories. If you have a cold and you’re staying off cold water and filling up on warm fluids, I get it! 😀 However, if it’s for any of the ‘traditional reasons’ kindly ask for an explanation if you’re uncertain. Your doctor is always a great and useful resource.
So, in simple language, ‘no. drinking cold water cannot prevent conception.’ And it cannot cause a problem for your baby when you’re pregnant. Whenever I am pregnant, I not only drink cold water but…
