chatwithketch

Q: Good morning Doc, please I will like to know if it is possible for a genotype to change. My fiancé and I went to laboratory on Saturday to check for our genotype. We had known before then (I am AS while he is AA) but d result shows I am AS while he is AC. He went to another laboratory and tested AS. I don’t know what could be wrong Doctor. I am really scared as we have done our introduction. Please I appreciate your response. Thank you

A: Thanks for writing in, dear.

Your question is quite interesting and sounds like the same one that somebody had asked me some years back…but that was about blood group. But the answer is really the same. Genotype cannot change from one test to the other…well, except the person had a bone marrow transplant. So, something must be wrong with the testing, reading or reporting of the test results.

So, I suggest that you both go to a tertiary center like a specialist hospital or a Teaching Hospital. The service here is more specialized and we should be able to get to the root of the real genotypes here.

As soon as you have the results then, you are your fiancé can have a discussion as to the implications of this.

For related posts, please click on the links below: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/07/28/daily-health-tips-can-i-my-blood-group-change-from-time-to-time/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/06/24/daily-health-tips-my-fiancee-and-i-have-as-genotype-should-we-get-married/

All the best!

Have a good night, everyone 😀

If you’re a new mum especially, a First Time mum (FTM), do you find yourself wondering the last time you actually rested properly since you had your baby? Whenever you want to rest, baby needs your attention and this appears to go on the whole day. Have you kissed your days of rest good-bye forever?

If you have teenage children, do you steal suspicious glances at them when you hear of children smoking or involved in any substance abuse? Do you wonder how to find out what’s going on in their heads?

And then more generally, do you wonder, ‘how is my food related to cancer? I always feel bloated…why?’

The book, Just For The Health Of It With Dr Ketch, explores these and other issues. Get yourself a copy from any of the underlisted outlets

1) Laterna Books online shop with nationwide delivery. Just click on this link:https://www.laternabooks.com/laterna_product_details.php?v=15450&c=44

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi

4) For those in Abuja and environs, please call 07030739403 or pick it up at No 5 Bricks Market, Dawaki 11 Market, Dawaki extension.

5) For those in Awka, please call 08189944090.

Have a great week ahead, y’all 😀

Q: I must commend the good works you are doing ma’am. God bless you. I asked a question on facebook sometimes last year but I didn’t get to see your response probably because maybe here is where you entertain question and then you post your answers on facebook. So may i ask another one bothering me? My son insisted on licking cherry (agbalumo in yoruba) with me yesterday. I made mistake of giving him with the seed and in seconds he had swallowed it. I asked for it and he said ‘its in my tummy’. I put my hand in his mouth nothing came. It had gone down the throat. He is just two years eight months. Please what can i do? Can he pass out in stool? Its almost 24hrs now and he is not showing any strange behaviour. Thanks

A: Thanks for writing in! And thanks for your kind words. Apologies for not responding to your earlier question. I get a lot of questions and it is really tasking to keep up with all. We are working on a platform for people who want a one-on-one to be able to book appointments and have that time dedicated to dealing with their issues. More information on that later.

Now to your question…

When we were younger, we were told not to swallow these seeds/pits or a tree of ‘whatever seed/pits you swallowed’ would grow on your head! It was quite effective and perhaps you should have tried same with your son! 😀 Just kidding…he wouldn’t even believe you anyway, They are much smarter than we were then 🙂 I also reckon that no strange behaviour is likely to manifest any time soon 😀

So, if it’s the one seed/pit that he swallowed, he will most likely pass it out in faeces.

However, please discourage him from swallowing these seeds/pits. Some of them contain poisonous substances that could cause harm if a lot of these pits are taken. Better safe than sorry.

If you still feel concerned, please see your child’s paediatrician.

Have a great weekend, everyone 😀

The fiery feeling of heartburn is the last way you want to remember a great meal. But when your doctor says you have chronic heartburn caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (see “What is GERD?”), you may worry that a bland and disappointing menu is in your future.

To learn more about GERD, please click on the link below: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/11/13/daily-health-tips-can-i-take-folic-acid-if-i-have-gerd/

To learn more about chronic heart burn click on the link below:http://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/what-to-eat-when-you-have-chronic-heartburn?

Have a fab weekend!

There are many causes for vitamin B12 deficiency. Surprisingly, two of them are practices often undertaken to improve health: a vegetarian diet and weight-loss surgery.

Source: Vitamin B12 deficiency can be sneaky, harmful

Q: Hello, I am a sickle cell also, I am addicted to pentazocine. I take three to four ampoules everyday since last year. It’s now a year. I inject myself pentazocine everyday.

Please help. How can I stop? I tried to stop, but I can’t. I live in Ibadan.

A: The first step towards dealing with an addiction is realizing that you have one. You’re already at this point. And remember all the people who love you, people who are rooting for you, people who, practically, feel as much pain as you do whenever you’re unhappy…think of these people and remind yourself that they make life beautiful for you.

More specifically to your matter, pentazocine is a pain killer, originally thought to be non-addictive, but that has since been found to be a drug of addiction that affects mood and behavior. This drug is used for moderate to severe pain and I assume that this was prescribed during an episode of bone crisis, perhaps. It can be taken as tablet or as an injection which should be taken under a doctor’s supervision. So, it’s worrisome to me how come you have an abundant supply of this drug. Are you buying it or getting a supply from somewhere?

Pentazocine can cause addiction and subsequently people addicted to this can go into withdrawal if they try to stop taking it because they have already become physically dependent on it. The drug appears to make addicts more sociable, euphoric and serene. The presence of underlying psychological problems like depression can compound this issue. Using the drug intravenously puts you at risk of developing dangerous skin conditions like severe abscesses and ulcers that could lead to amputation of the affected limbs. I’m sure you don’t want that.

To wean yourself off this, it’s usually best to get into a voluntary program for drug addiction where there will be a combination of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. A long hard look at one’s life including unhealthy relationships, toxic home/family environment etc will be encouraged. The program will involve detoxification, exercise, counseling and other creative activities like music, art, dance, drama etc Getting enrolled with a help group will also be helpful, if this can be found.

If you perhaps live in an area where none of the above can be readily achieved, you may have to go it alone…perhaps with the support of family. There are two options: cold turkey (where you stop completely at once and ride out the withdrawal symptoms) or where you stop gradually and you reduce the dose of drugs from 3 ampoules daily, to 2 and then 1 and then on alternate days until it’s completely tapered off. Please try!

Nothing good in life comes easy. You do need to work at this if you want to be free.

I am rooting for you! All the bestJ

Q: Doc, I need help. Can I become affected because every time when I urinate, I use tissue?

A: Thanks for writing in.

Please clean up after you have urinated. If you don’t, then the urine and other secretions accumulate on your panties and make the area nice, warm and moist and a wonderful culture medium for micro-organisms to thrive.

Now, be sure not to wipe too ‘hard’ or ‘vigorously’. Y’all know that the skin down there is delicate and can irritate the skin there leading to inflammation and itching. Infections are likely to follow. So, or two wipes should be good, if you emptied out completely. Another option is to use wet toilet tissue.

Have a good night, everyone 😀

In our African environment, mothers with post-partum depression feel ashamed to admit the fact that they are finding it difficult to bond with their babies, feel inadequate and just feel withdrawn from everyone. The Harvard Health post below explores this phenomenon. I have also included a link to a post I had made on this.

Daily Health Tips: Post Partum Depression And More Questions On Ebola!

Early detection of postpartum depression is key to ensure the best health for not just women, but for their new infants and family members as well.

Source: Postpartum depression: The worst kept secret

Kegel exercises are not only for women. Women and men both have pelvic floor muscles, and these exercises can assist men with a variety of medical issues.

Source: Not just for women: Kegel exercises good for men too