chatwithketch

Q: Thanks doc, this is so helpful but may I ask what causes PCOD and hyperthyroidism, thanks

A: PCOD is an example of a pathological cyst.

What’s a pathological cyst? Let’s start from the beginning…

Ovaries are small bean-shaped organs on either side of your womb. Every month, your ovaries develop sacs called follicles from where eggs are released monthly and female sex hormones produced. After the egg is released every month, the sac disintegrates. But sometimes, the egg is not released and the sac remains or the egg is released and the sac does not disintegrate. This follicle becomes the fluid-filled cyst sac. Usually this is not a problem as it could form during every menstrual cycle and usually resolves on its own. These cysts are called the functional cysts. However, these cysts could get very big and in some instances become twisted or they could rupture causing problems. This latter type is called pathological cyst.

Examples of pathological cysts occur in Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) and endometriosis. In the former, small cysts appear all over the surface of the ovary and is also associated with irregular menstruation and high hormonal levels. In endometriosis, the tissues of the uterus (womb) are found outside of the uterus. These two pathological cysts are associated with fertility problems. Functional cysts are hardly associated with fertility issues except they become extremely large.

Treatment depends on your particular situation. Your doctor could order serial scans to continually observe the size of the cysts and see if they reduce in size. Another treatment option is the use of birth control pills to prevent the development of more cysts in future menstrual cycles. The final option is surgery. Your doctor will determine what option works best for you.

Hyperthyroidism is a condition that occurs when your body produces too much thyroid hormones. These hormones are usually produced by a butterfly shaped organ located at the front of your neck, called the thyroid gland. These thyroid hormones produced typically control the rate at which the body converts food t energy (metabolic rate) and also controls a whole lot of other cells and tissues like your bones (the hormones determine how your body incorporates calcium into your bones), the rate of your heart beats, your muscle contraction, cholesterol levels etc

Most cases of hyperthyroidism is caused by Graves’ Disease in which the body no longer recognizes the thyroid gland as part of it and produces antibodies to fight it. In response, the thyroid gland produces excessive amounts of thyroid hormones.

As in the case above, there may not be any family history though it is known to run in families.

Thus in hyperthyroidism, you may have no symptoms (leading to a chance discovery) or symptoms would include fast heart beats/palpitations, swelling of the thyroid gland which is seen as a neck swelling (goiter). Irregular periods.The higher than normal metabolic rate would lead to symptoms like increased appetite, weight loss, sweating and increased sensitivity to heat, restlessness, tremors, tiredness, difficulty sleeping etc. In Graves’ Disease, there are also eye symptoms which include protrusion of the eyeballs, red and swollen eyelids, watering of the eyes and double vision.

The doctor will examine the person with symptoms and run blood tests to check for the level of thyroid hormones. Treatment could be with medications or through surgery or a combination of both.
You will need blood tests regularly though to monitor the level of your thyroid hormones.

Depending on your degree of weight loss, you may need to have a dietician walk you through your diet paces and ensure that you are getting enough calcium and vitamin D. Wearing sunglasses, using eye drops that moisten the eye (artificial tears) and ensuring that the head is elevated when sleeping or lying down will help reduce the symptoms of Graves’ Disease. If you smoke, stop…this may help prevent developing Graves’ Disease or prevent the eye problems associated with it, if you already have the disease.

Treatment for hyperthyroidism is usually effective and so you should be able to live a normal life.

Happy Workers’ Day, everyone 😀

Q: Please ma’am, can family planning injection cause delayed period and scanty period?

A: Family planning injections work by thickening mucous in the cervix, preventing sperm from getting into the womb (uterus) or by preventing the ovaries from releasing eggs every month (ovulation) and so the person taking the injections can’t get pregnant.

Taking these injections affect women differently. In the first few months, there be excessive bleeding during periods, followed by a period of lighter periods. This may yet be followed by a period of irregular or no periods especially in women who have taken these injections for up to a year. Irregular periods should be discussed with your doctor to ascertain the cause. It may be due to the drug or due to an infection which needs to be treated. Prolonged periods can also be treated.

When these injections are stopped, it takes a while for ovulation to be restored because these injections are long lasting. It can be as long as 2 to 3 months. In some other cases, this can last for about a year or even up to 2 years. This has nothing to do with the duration for which the injection was taken.

I hope this helps.

All the best! 🙂

Ever heard the phrase, ‘put it in a bubble and blow it away?’ Well, if you haven’t, that pretty much describes what you should do when you start getting antsy about everything being perfect – note to self! 😀

For more, read the post below!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/trying-to-be-perfect-can-cause-anxiety

Q: It looks as if my body has been shutdown just to eat and drink still I will still be feeling thirsty and my throat will be scratching me

A: An itchy throat as the name suggests refers to an irritating/itching sensation in the throat often accompanied by pain and difficulty when swallowing, fever etc. The tickling sensation in the throat can be a source of mild irritation/annoyance.

Causes of itchy throat include:

• Allergies: Itchy throat due to allergies usually lasts longer than that from other causes. It is usually seasonal and may also be accompanied by other symptoms like runny nose, red and itchy eyes, shortness of breath etc
• Infections: These could be fungal (as occurs in people who are immune-suppressed like HIV positive people), bacterial (as occurs in sore throat from streptococcal infections) or viral (as occurs in common cold).
• Over-use: Excessive talking, shouting, loud singing etc can lead to drying out of the throat leading to itching.
• Dehydration: This can occur from smoking, not taking enough water or taking way too much caffeine-containing drinks or even from open-mouthed breathing when one has a cold etc. Diabetes mellitus is also a cause of dehydration with the frequent urination associated with it.

Treatment depends on the cause.

• Anti-histamines are used for the itching. This is particularly useful in allergies.
• Viral infections require only supportive treatment. For more on this, please click on
• Bacterial infections require antibiotics
• Drugs like ibuprofen will help fever and pain, if associated with this condition
• Screen for diabetes. Your symptoms of eating and drinking excessively sound like the classic symptoms of diabetes (or simply gluttony :D). Other symptoms to look out for are increased hunger, weight loss despite the increased appetite, increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, frequent infections of vagina, wounds etc

Other remedies include:

• Drinking sufficient water to prevent dehydration
• Salt water gargle: Add about a teaspoon of salt to lukewarm water (about 237 mls. If you have a 1 liter bottle, mentally divide this into 4 sections. One section will be approximately this amount). Sip the fluid, tilt your head back and gargle for about 10 seconds. Then spit the water out. Repeat about 3 times and continue to do this as often as needed during the day
• Throat lozenges help reduce irritation and also stimulate salivation which reduces dryness and throat itching. Please do not give to children younger than 4 years old as this may present a choking hazard
• Breathing in moist air from a humidifier or from steam bath is helpful
• Rest your voice

I suggest that you visit a doctor as soon as possible for a review and proper diagnosis.

All the best! J

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great day!

The question before us today is,’should you get a mammogram? If so, when?’ This question concerns everyone…not just women. Yes, men can also get breast cancer. To start up this discussion, please see below a question I had answered on this issue. Thereafter, you might want to click on the link to understand the controversy on mammogram 🙂

Q: Good day Doctor. Please what could be the cause of a swelling (a lump) in a man’s breast? Is it risky, ma’am & what are the steps to take? It’s been there for the past 5yrs now but it’s just been brought to my notice and he said it doesn’t hurt much. I need an urgent reply, ma’am.

A: Thanks for writing in.
When reporting a breast lump, it’s nice to put in some more information like whether the lump has increased in size, is associated with nipple discharge, whether there are any underarm swellings, change in appearance of the skin over the swelling etc.

A breast lump in a man is more commonly due to gynaecomastia…a condition in which there is painful breast tissue enlargement. This condition may be due to a hormonal imbalance or use of some drugs. For more on gynaecomastia, please click on this link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/12/06/daily-health-tips-enlarged-breast-tissue-in-men-gynaecomastia/

Other causes of non-cancerous breast lumps in men include lipoma (growth of fatty tissues that form a lump) and lumps due to injury or trauma to the breast (fat necrosis). However, the lump may also be a cancerous growth and this is important to rule out as most people assume that breast cancer occurs only in women. It can very well occur in men.

Please let him see a doctor as soon as possible to examine him and make a diagnosis immediately. Better safe than sorry.

For more, please click on this link to a Harvard Health post: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/screening-mammograms-one-recommendation-may-not-fit-all-2018041613603?utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BF20180423-Womens50&utm_id=891422&dlv-ga-memberid=11052531&mid=11052531&ml=891422
Have a good night, y’all 😀

Q: Hi Dr, my place is a place with lots of mosquitoes, hence my wife always opt for fleet (insecticide) and vacates the room until its effect is entirely gone in our room. But now that we’ve got a baby and she still go ahead to have the room sprayed with the insecticide fleet, it gets me disturb and I’m afraid. So I want to ask if it’s actually Safe.

Hi Dr. Ketch, I am a 22-year old boy. My father died of diabetes and most of his brothers are also infected with the disease. Not only that, my elder brother told me that our grandfather could have died of the same disease long ago in the village. Is there any chance for us, the children, to fall on the same line of the diabetes? If so, how can we prevent it?

A: Hi dear, thanks for writing in. Unfortunately, yes, if you have a family history (parents or siblings) of diabetes mellitus, you are more likely to have the same condition. BUT, that does not mean that you will have the condition. Having a positive family history is like having a loaded gun. The gun may be loaded for hundreds of years and cause no harm….provided nobody pulls the trigger. The problem only starts when the trigger is pulled. In the same way, having risk factors is like having a loaded gun. Going ahead to do things that increase your risk like not eating right or not exercising, is definitely pulling the trigger.

Find below, a reminder class on diabetes mellitus with potential triggers.

Usually starchy foods we eat are converted to glucose. The body, in response to the presence of glucose in the blood, releases insulin from the pancreas. The insulin helps the glucose to move into the cells where it is needed. In Diabetes Mellitus, it is either insulin is no longer or barely being produced (Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus) or the insulin is being produced in insufficient amounts or the cells no longer responds to the insulin prod (stimulus. The latter is called Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

There is little or nothing that can be done to prevent Type 1 as it is not yet clear what causes the body to destroy the cells that produce insulin in the body. People with this type of DM will require insulin injections. However, people with Type 2 DM can control their DM using a combination of diet and exercise (staying lean and staying active). With time though, they may require oral drugs and/or insulin.

Now, how do we make exercise a part of our day? You need at least 30 minutes daily. The requirement per week is 150 minutes and so you could do 30 minutes on 5 days of the week or 1 hour on 3 days of the week. Just break it up and find ways of doing the things you love in a more active way. Activity/exercise ideas are pillow fights, arm wrestling, taking walks, dancing, joining a gym, jumping jacks during commercial breaks etc. At work, being more active speaks to getting up and walking on the spot whenever you get a phone call, walking to the printer to pick up documents and walking to colleagues’ desks to ask questions/confirm issues, walking over to the bank ATM instead of driving there, using the stairs and not the elevators, installing an exercise/activity reminder on your computer to remind you to get active if you forget to do any of the above 😀

How can we make healthy foods the easier choice? Surround yourself with the right foods. Fresh fruits, veggies, dried fruits (which can also be added t nuts), nuts, dairy like yoghurt etc Then make the right choices. It’s one thing to buy up all the healthy things that have been suggested, it’s another to eat them and not reach for the doughnut that your colleague just brought into the office. In our high powered, we-are-all-busy-racing-to-somewhere world, eating breakfast may sound like a luxury, few can afford, but guess what? Studies have shown that eating breakfast may reduce the risk of obesity and Diabetes. So, whether you’re skipping breakfast because you think you don’t have time or because you want to lose weight by kipping meals, it’s bad news. So, how can you ensure that you’re not only eating breakfast but eating the right foods?

Here are our tips for eating a healthy breakfast on the run:

Oatmeal is always a great idea. Rich in fiber which reduce cholesterol and help protect your heart and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. If you’re not a huge fan of oatmeal, you could sprinkle some cinnamon on it and be sure to take with skimmed milk. Another idea for oatmeal I learnt from a chef is overnight oats. Soak your oats with milk and unsweetened yoghurt overnight (just enough to cover the oats). Cover and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, bring out and sprinkle some cinnamon, add some apple or banana slices, a couple of nuts (optional)…and you’ve got a delicious bowl of healthy deliciousness in your hands! Some whole wheat/grain cereals (unsweetened) also not go amiss. Whole grain bread with peanut or almond butter (peanut butter is just ground up peanuts or groundnuts), an egg with a cup of fresh juice or some fruit slices also sounds good If you want to go for a smoothie, be sure to add some veggies (carrots, a handful of green leafy veggies etc) to ensure it is super healthy and not just another sugar rush, like I had yesterday!😀

And for more tips on how to keep eating healthy, even if you’re dining out, click on the link below!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/tips-for-healthy-eating-away-from-home