chatwithketch

Q: What will happen if I take amoxicillin without the prescription of my doctor? I take it because my ear is aching and I do not know why and now I feel dizzy. I thought it would ease the pain that I am feeling right now. Please reply

A: Hi! I am quite convinced that this is a serious matter with that crying face J

First, please go and see your doctor. Why would you take amoxicillin without knowing whether the pain is due to an infection or not? There are so many different causes of ear pain and I’ll give you a small list below:

Ear pain with fever can be due to ear infections or a cold. For more on ear infections and colds, please click on the links: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2016/10/18/daily-health-tips-ear-infections/ and https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/08/08/having-a-cold-heres-your-survival-tool-kit/

Ear pain with pain when swallowing can be due to sore throat and tonsillitis. For more on sore throat, please click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/12/17/daily-health-tips-sore-throat/

Ear pain with change in hearing can be due to earwax build up or foreign body in the ear. For more on this, click on this link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/05/30/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-swimmers-ear/

Ear pain with toothache can be due to teething in children. For more, click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/03/24/daily-health-tips-teething-and-constipation/

Please do not take antibiotics without a prescription. What you are treating may not need an antibiotic, you may not take sufficient quantities to deal with the infection if there is one, leading to resistance (meaning when you have a real infection, the drug may not work) or you may take too much or for too long leading to a super infection (a situation where even the good germs in your body are killed opening one up to infections that would not have happened, all things being equal). You don’t want any of this to happen.

So, your next logical step is to go visit an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) specialist to evaluate you and find out the real cause of your ear pain. Then s/he will start you on a definitive treatment. Until then, no  ore antibiotics, please!

All the best! 🙂

Q: Good evening Doc, please I want to ask what other way can you use to  cure nasal polyp and what is the correlation with  allergies?

A: A nasal polyp is a painless small growth in the nostrils with a stalk protruding from a surface. Though harmless, they can keep growing and block the nose if left untreated. Patients typically use the terms ‘stuffy nose’, ‘blocked nose’ or nasal congestion to describe this condition because of the obstruction (blockage) to the flow of air, in and out of the nose. It is not clear what causes this but it is thought that having asthma, allergy to air-borne fungi and a drug reaction to aspirin could predispose one to it.

Stuffy nose is the same description that patients with allergy use to describe their situation. In this condition, an individual’s immune system reacts in an exaggerated manner to certain foods or to pollen leading to nasal congestion due to swelling of nasal tissues (tissues in the nose) and blood vessels with excess fluid. This ailment tends to run in families and so history of people with same condition or asthma etc in that family is not uncommon.

To differentiate both, your doctor will look inside your nose. He/she should be able to see polyps in the nostrils where they exist. Treatment of nasal polyps include the use of steroid nasal sprays or drops to shrink the polyps. This can be upgraded to steroid tablets if the polyps are too big or fail to respond to nasal sprays and drops.

Surgery is an option after ten weeks and there is no relief. The only caveat here is that nasal polyps tend to recur. Please see your doctor immediately if you experience difficulty breathing, sudden worsening of symptoms or swelling around the eyes etc

In the meantime, to prevent nasal polyps or reduce recurrence, do the following:
Try drinking a lot of water
Use saline sprays instead of the nasal decongestants, if you’ve been indulging in this 😀
Use a humidifier which loosens the mucous. Turning on the hot water shower and inhaling the steam is another great idea.
Avoid irritants of the nose like smoke

Manage allergies and asthma. For more on asthma, please click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2016/02/24/daily-health-tips-can-asthma-be-cured/

Practice good hygiene by washing your hands often. This will protect against infections that can lead to swelling of nasal tissues and blood vessels with excess fluid inflammation in the nasal passages and sinuses.

All these measures will help reduce the nasal congestion.

Other causes of stuffy nose that your doctor may consider include:
Common cold. We are all familiar with this common cause of nasal congestion  This causes blockage of the sinus, which results in nasal congestion.

A nasal septum (the wall between the nostrils) that is crooked or bent to one side may cause nasal congestion. This ‘deformity’ may be from birth, due to injury or occur as a process of growth
Excessive use of nasal decongestants can also lead to this as after the decongestant is stopped, there is rebound nasal congestion. And so, one ends up with the same situation they were trying to solve from the beginning!  So, if you must, do not use your nasal decongestants for more than three days
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses (air cavities) that line the nose. When these air cavities (which are supposed to be filled by air) become filled with fluid as a result of blockage, bacteria, fungi and viruses can thrive in this environment and cause infection. Pus-like nasal discharge, facial pain and persistence of symptoms for more than a week, maybe suggestive of this.

• Cold weather
• Foreign body in the nose
• Presence of tumour
• Medications for high blood pressure
• Spicy foods (remember how you start sniffling once you start on a hot dish?)
• Stress etc

There’s a pretty long list of causes, but your doctor will attempt to narrow down to what the probable cause for you is.
All the best!

Q: Good evening doctor. I’m having headache with pains on the side of my face, ears sometimes with  my neck. I feel like heat on my face. Went to a doctor and ‘he’ said it’s allergy. He gave me antibiotic – at that I got relief but it started again. Please, I need your advice

A: Headaches with facial pain can be due to an infection of the neck, teeth or jaw coinciding with a headache or due to some chronic conditions or nerve disorders. Common causes include

Tension headaches: This is the more common type of headache seen as the everyday sort of headache. It affects both sides of the head as a constant ache and sometimes feels like pressure is being applied to the head or neck. Its causes are not very clear but they can be triggered by stress, hunger, dehydration, etc they can last a couple of minutes to several hours but are not severe enough to stop regular activities. Resting and sleeping well, eating properly and staying hydrated can help prevent this.

Migraines: These are felt as severe throbbing pain at the front or side of the head. Some people may experience other symptoms like nausea, vomiting and being sensitive to light. The pain lasts from a couple of hours or can stretch on for days. Thus, it is more severe than the tension headaches and can stop an individual from carrying out their daily tasks. Some find that they need strong medication prescribed by doctors to get relief but others are relieved by using over the counter medications.

Cluster headaches: These cause severe pain around one eye and are associated with red or watery eyes and a blocked nose or runny one. They tend to occur for one or two months at a time at about the same time of the year. Most times medications do not work for these headaches. Your doctor will prescribe specific treatment courses.

Neuralgia: Typically, the term neuralgia refers to peripheral neuralgia which is a painful condition due to damage of peripheral nerves by injury or disease. Symptoms of this condition include burning, prickling, or stabbing sensation felt anywhere in the body, and most commonly in the neck or the face.

Occipital and trigeminal neuralgia typically affect the head and face.

In occipital neuralgia, pain is felt on one or both sides of the head, the back of the head or at the base of the skull mimicking the symptoms of a migraine, complete with light sensitivity and pain with movement of the head. This happens when the occipital nerves, which run from the top of the spinal cord upward to the scalp, become injured or inflamed, resulting in a constant aching throb. Causes include injury, inflammation, or tight muscles that put pressure on the occipital nerves.

In trigeminal neuralgia, facial pain described as similar to an electric shock can be felt on any part of the face including the lips, jaw, eyelids, cheeks, nostrils, or forehead. It is caused by injury to the trigeminal nerves that control sensations in different parts of the face. The pain can be triggered by shaving, brushing the teeth, washing the face, or even applying makeup.

Problems of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ): The TMJ is found in front of the ears on both sides of the head, connecting the lower jaw to the skull. This joint enables eating and speaking by opening and closing the jaw. Disorders of this joint lead to stiffness and pain in the face, jaw, and neck, along with clicking and locking of the jaw. The latter symptom leads to difficulty with opening the mouth to eat or speak. Causes include teeth grinding, arthritis, congenital structural problems within the jaw.

Myofascial pain syndrome: This is associated with a dull ache radiating to the teeth, jaw, or ears, with difficulty in opening the mouth widely and chewing. Causes include jaw trauma, teeth grinding, infection, jaw clenching, stress and anxiety

I am a sucker for second opinions. Please seek a second opinion and make sure you are getting the help you need.

All the best!

Is intermittent fasting good for you? Apart from the spiritual impact, it does appear it is good for your weight! The Harvard Health blog post below tells you how. Before then, I repeat below I post I had made a while back on fasting.

Q: Hello Dr Ketch, what can I do to be healthy especially as we are preparing for our fast?

A: Thanks for writing in.

What to do? Keep eating healthy and focus on gentle exercises.
Breaking a fast is usually not as easy as it should be. You haven’t been eating and now it’s time to eat, so you pick anything you like to eat. Pretty open and shut, isn’t it? But actually, it’s not that easy.
Eating and drinking during a fast (religious or otherwise) should be easy…but is not always so. First, when a lot of people break fasts, they go on a binge. They eat the equivalent of what should have comfortably been taken over two or three meals! 😀 And then they break the fasts with the wrong meals: refined and processed foods (eg cakes, pies etc) which lead to blood sugar spikes. Complex carbohydrates are better options. Foods like local rice, beans, whole wheat grains, oatmeal etc belong to this group. These absorb water and are digested slowly. Remember that during a fast, your digestive system took a break. So, it only makes sense to re-introduce your body to food gradually with easy to digest foods. If you have ever tried to load your body with food immediately after a fast, you will recall the horrible cramps that followed as a result of trying to waken a sleeping digestive system too quickly

As for drinks, water is always a great choice. Drinks that contain caffeine may lead to dehydration as they cause one to urinate a lot.

Remember that meals should be balanced, containing all food groups: proteins (fish, chicken etc), carbohydrates, fats and oil ( eg olive oil used for cooking), minerals and vitamins in the veggies used to cook etc Healthy methods of cooking like boiling, steaming, grilling should be used as opposed to frying.

Easy to digest fruits like grapes, watermelons and apples are great options. They are easy to digest and absorb while providing the body with needed energy and nutrients. Juicing or eating slices of them…it doesn’t matter. Most people would break with citrus fruits like oranges but their acidic content may be too much for your stomach to handle.

Remember that during your fast, given that you’re on a calorie restrictive diet, go easy on the exercises and focus on stretching and gentle walks.

For additional resources, click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2016/07/05/daily-health-tips-should-a-pregnant-woman-fast/ and the Harvard Health blog post below:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

Q: Hey Doctor, I hope you are fine. I went to visit my hubby in November, then we had unprotected sex for 2 months. In February, I started to feel something funny about my body. When I get up, my pressure goes up and I have back pain. I thought it was nothing. In my tummy I could feel something beating fast. In March, I started vomiting whenever I ate chicken. In addition, I have green lines on my chest and my hands. My boobs got big and hurt. My periods didn’t stop but only going for 3 days now – weak blood. Now I am ugly. I have pimples and my tummy is too big. Yesterday, I went to a doctor. He touched my tummy and he said he can ‘hear’ the baby’s head but the time he touched it, it hurt. So, he sent me to scan and  there was nothing. The person who did the scan did not see anything. He told me that I could not be pregnant if I was having periods. I just left. I was confused. What’s the problem because I can hear the movements and the kicks. Please help me. What’s happening to me?

A: Hi dear, thanks for writing in.

There are usually 5 Fs that can cause a swollen tummy. They include fat, faeces, flatus, fetus and fluids. If an ultrasound has been done to confirm the presence of a fetus (baby) and it’s negative, we may need to start looking for other sources of this swelling.

How long have you been married? Are you under pressure to have a baby? There are instances where a woman (and in some instances, a man) truly believes she’s pregnant but she’s not. This is called a false pregnancy and the person in question has a lot, if not all, the symptoms of pregnancy!

The exact cause of this false pregnancy, also known as pseudo-cyesis (pronounced siu-do sa-ye-sis) is not really known but it does appear that psychological issues (perhaps from being pressured to get pregnant, having had repeated miscarriages, worry about ever getting pregnant as menopause approaches) may lead to a situation where the body of a woman in this situation begins to produce pregnancy signs like swollen abdomen, swollen breasts etc. The brain then swings into action, erroneously interprets these signs as those of pregnancy, and begins to produce pregnancy hormones which lead to pregnancy symptoms like nausea and vomiting, absence of menstruation, weight gain etc. These symptoms could last for weeks, months or sometimes, even up to years. Sounds stranger than fiction, right?!

I suggest that you seek a second opinion. Have another doctor evaluate you to confirm the presence or absence of a pregnancy. If it is confirmed that pregnancy is absent and there is objective abdominal swelling, then the doctor will examine you and order investigations to find out the cause(s). Definitive treatment may also involve psychological therapy if indeed you are not pregnant but genuinely believed that you were.

All the best, dear. Let me know how it goes.

Loads of hugs coming your way…..

Q: Good evening doc . Please i need your advice, i went for scan and i was told my liver is accumulating some fat. I am confused because I don’t even taste alcohol. So doctor what do I do?

A: Hello! Thanks for writing in.

Unfortunately, fatty liver can occur in people who do not take alcohol. It’s actually also referred to as non-alcoholic fatty liver. In this condition, there is inflammation of the liver. As the liver tries to stop the inflammation, scarring of the liver tissue occurs. With more inflammation, more scarring occurs and fibrous tissue spreads to take up more and more space in the liver. If this continues uninterrupted, the abdomen starts to swell as fluid builds up in the abdomen, the veins in the esophagus, swell, rupture and bleed, confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech may also occur. Yellowness of the eyes and enlarged breasts in men could also occur. Ultimately, the person may end up with liver cancer and end-stage liver failure. Having said all this, it is important to note that not everyone with non-alcoholic liver disease progresses to cirrhosis.

This condition usually does not present with symptoms. Where they exist, the patient may complain of upper right abdominal pain and perhaps, tiredness. This condition is common in people around the ages of 40 to 50 years with risk factors for obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although the exact cause of this condition is not known, it is thought to be associated with being overweight, high blood sugar and high blood fat (triglycerides) in the blood. The risk factors to developing this condition include:

• High cholesterol. For more click on the link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/12/31/daily-health-tips-how-can-i-remove-bad-cholesterol-from-the-body/;
• High triglycerides in blood
• Obesity
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus. For more click on the link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2016/11/14/daily-health-tips-world-diabetes-day/
• Polycystic ovary disease. For more click on the link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2016/12/22/daily-health-tipswill-i-need-to-take-pills-forever-for-pcos/
• For more click on the link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2016/09/29/daily-health-tips-thyroid-problems/

To prevent this ab initio, it’s the 3 things we talk about often:

• Diet: eat healthier. More fruits, veggies, healthy fats, whole grains.
• Exercise: At least 150 minutes every week.
• Maintain a normal body weight. Be guided by your BMI and try to lose some calories daily as you also reduce your intake

If you already have the disease, the steps above can help you control the disease. In addition:

• If you’re diabetic, get it under control. For more tips, read https://chatwithdrketch.com/2018/01/25/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-family-history-of-diabetes/
• If you have high cholesterol, make changes to your diet and reduce this. Read https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/04/23/daily-health-tips-can-my-diet-help-reduce-my-cholesterol-level/

• Avoid alcohol or any other toxin that could cause further damage to your liver eg herbal medicines etc

So, I suggest you have a long chat with your doctor about treatment options available to you – this would typically start with lifestyle modifications focused on weight, diet and exercise. If cirrhosis occurs, liver transplantation is an option.

All the best!

Have a good evening, y’all 😀

Do you find yourself getting bored with your menu? Eating the same thing all the time? If you have a set menu for meals at home, when was the last time you changed it? Are you and your family stuck with the same food choices?

In Africa, we talk about the fact that our foods are heavy on starch but you can combine them in such a way that you make the best of the nutrients available. For tips on how to spice up your menu read thishttps://chatwithdrketch.com/…/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-heal…/ and the Harvard Health post below.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dietary-rut-5-ways-to-snap-out-of-it-2018062014079

Q: Good morning doc. I have been having this body itching for the past two months and I have taken drugs but it would go and come back again. The itching occur mostly in the evening, what could be the cause and what should I take to stop it?

A: Body itching can be caused by different conditions including:

• Skin reactions to heat or allergies
• Skin conditions like eczema, dandruff or psoriasis. For more on eczema and dandruff, please click on these links https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/03/01/daily-health-tips-what-can-i-do-about-the-eczema-on-my-skin/; https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/05/18/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-help-with-dandruff/
• Parasitic infestations like scabies. For more on scabies, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/07/22/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-scabies/
• Fungal infections like jock itch or athlete’s foot. For more on scabies, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2018/03/31/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-athletes-foot/
• Hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause
• Other medical conditions like thyroid, liver or kidney problems
• Dry, cracked or irritated skin. For more on eczema and dandruff, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/12/29/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-i-itch-after-every-bath/
• Nerve dysfunction
• Medications

Treatment of skin rashes is, of course dependent on the cause. It may include any or a combination of medications (anti-histamines), wet dressings on affected areas and phototherapy. If the itch is severe enough to affect your daily life, lasts more than 2 weeks, keeps coming back, is all over your body, is associated with other symptoms like yellowness of the eyes, please see your doctor immediately.

What can you do at home to provide relief and minimize harm to yourself? I’ll split them into dos and don’ts

Dos

• Keep your nails short so that you don’t do mortal damage if you do scratch J
• Or if you don’t want to do that, you could wear gloves to sleep at night – that way, even when you scratch unconsciously, no harm done
• Try patting the itchy part instead of scratching
• A cold compress held against the itchy part can also help reduce itching
• Wear more cotton fabrics to allow your skin breathe and not chaff your skin
• Use cotton beddings for the same reason

Don’ts

• Avoid hot baths. Keep bath water cool or lukewarm. Want to know why? Read this!
• Avoid vigorous drying off after a bath. Dab your skin dry
• Avoid perfumed products – soap, deodorants, shower gels, lotions etc
• Avoid tight-fitting clothes. They make a bad matter (itch) worse 😀
• Avoid harsh detergents for laundry
• Avoid spicy foods – they increase blood flow to the skin and make itching worse

Have a good evening 😀

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkse2EDA7WF/?taken-by=ddrketch