chatwithketch

Q: Good afternoon doctor. Please I’d like you to advise me on what to do about hemorrhoid growing on my anus like that of a chicken. Somebody told me the permanent solution is to cut it off. I really do not like the idea because I believe there should be other treatments that can help. Please I don’t like this thing on my anus. Please Dr. I need your help. Thanks

A: Hi dear! Thanks for writing in.

The first thing I need to tell you is that you MUST NOT cut anything! Trust me, you run the risk of creating more problems!

Piles, known as haemorrhoids in medical lingo are swollen veins in the anal canal. They can be internal, external or both internal and external can co-exist. Internal haemorrhoids occur when veins swell within the rectum and external haemorrhoids are found under the skin around the anus.

These haemorrhoids develop when there is undue pressure in the pelvic and anal area as can occur when people strain to pass faeces (if they have diarrhoea or are constipated), in pregnancy (especially the last 6 months), in obese people, people who eat diets low in fibre and people who practice anal intercourse. When women strain in labour, haemorrhoids can also be made worse.

It is important to consult your doctor/obstetrician before using any medication in pregnancy including this.

In the meantime, limit the discomfort you have by keeping the anal area clean, using wet wipes (non-perfumed) or washing with unscented soap to clean up after using the loo, sitting on a bowl of plain warm water for about 15 minutes about twice or three times per day, applying cold compress and not standing or sitting for too long. Some believe sprinkling some powder there helps…it doesn’t! Avoid it 😀

To prevent this, ensure that your diet has sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables. Remember that if you take a regular flat plate, half of this should be filled with fruits and vegetables, half of the plate with complex carbohydrates and the last half with proteins.

Limit the time you spend sitting on the toilet seat (read your newspapers elsewhere :D), use the toilet as soon as you feel pressed (that way the fluid in the stool is not absorbed making the stool hard) and then don’t strain when you do go. Drink sufficient quantities of water daily, exercise (to keep everything moving along nicely :D). Use pain relief only under the supervision of your doctor.

I hope this helps you 😀

Q: Hello good evening Doc. My question goes like this; if a person is HIV positive, and then he cuts him/her with a blade, after 3days anther person uses da same Sharp object, and her also cuts him/herself with the same blade while the Blood is dry… How true is it that, if the Blood has dried out that u cannot get infected?

A: Thanks for writing in.

Once the blood on a blade is exposed to air, it dries out and because the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus is just too fickle, it dies very quickly and loses its ability to divide and multiply outside the human body.  So, it is unlikely that using same blade 3 days later will lead to infection with the HIV.

Having said that, my first advice would be to get tested immediately if you believe you have been exposed to risky behavior. Post exposure prophylaxis may be recommended by your doctor. These drugs used to treat HIV are usually taken daily for about 4 weeks to reduce chances of becoming HIV positive.

The length of time before a subject tests positive to HIV following exposure (sero-conversion), known as the window period would depend on the type of test done.

An antibody test can read positive from 3 to 12 weeks, if there is sero-conversion. An antibody is a disease-fighting protein produced by the body in response to an infection (HIV infection, in this case).

A combination antibody/antigen test (which detects both antibody and antigen…which is a part of the virus) can read positive from 2 to 6 weeks after exposure, if there is sero-conversion.

A Nucelic Acid Test (NAT) can detect HIV infection in the blood from 7 to 28 days following infection.

Generally, if the initial test is negative, a repeat test is done 3 months after the exposure to ‘close the window’. Some may stretch this to a further screen after 6 months. Be guided by your doctor.

I hope this helps.

Have a good night, everyone 😀

Do you have corns? Wonder what they are? Those hardened areas of skin found on the foot in people who wear tight shoes. Do you want to know what to do about them…apart from staying away from tight shoes? You should read this!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/finding-relief-from-calluses-and-corns

Q: Can micro-organisms live in cold places eg food in a refrigerator?

A: Absolutely, they can. Cold temperature only slows down the growth of micro-organisms but it doesn’t completely stop them. So, the better the condition of the food stored in the refrigerator, the longer it will keep and the worse the condition, the shorter the period it will keep. Bear in mind that these foods will not keep indefinitely.

Q: In a situation where husband and wife share a room, can it cause cross-infection?

A: Husband and wife should definitely share a room because this promotes bonding and emotional connection. Can cross infections happen as a result of this? Well, if one person were not observing hygiene rules and, for instance, developed ringworm, this infection could very easily be passed on by sharing bed linen, towels etc. So, the solution is to ensure that everyone obeys the simple rules of hygiene.

For more on this, please click on the link
https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/05/30/daily-health-tips-i-have-ringworm-all-over-my-body/

Q: Please advice on dry gutters in or around the house. Also, dirty water on the floor in the compound.

A: Gutters (drainage gutters) around the house should always be scrubbed and cleaned. If not, they become a source of bad smells and pooling of stagnant water which encourage the growth of mosquitoes etc. Dirty water on the floor can lead to accidental falls and if the water is sufficient to become stagnant, again it becomes a breeding site for mosquitoes and other germs. Other probable breeding places for mosquitoes in the house are buckets of water, bathrooms with blocked drains, flower pots with more water than was necessary used for watering etc

For more on this, please click on the link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/05/04/kill-a-mosquito-with-a-sledge-hammer-heck-yes/

Q: Are females to wash their private parts with soap? Some people say it’s not good to wash with soap.

A: Generally, washing the vagina requires just water and your hands. That is more than sufficient to get the job done. If you wish, however, you may use unscented or lightly scented soap.

For more on this, please click on the link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/04/02/daily-health-tips-should-i-wash-my-intimates-with-disnfectant/

Q: How can one maintain a younger look…that is not looking as old as your age?

A: Well, cosmetologists will have a million and one things they can suggest you use. I will go from the medical angle. First, your mental and spiritual health…be at peace with all men and just keep it positive. There are bound to be people who wake up everyone making it their job to rile you…put it in a bubble and blow it away 😀
Then, your diet. Eat more fruits and veggies, Substitute empty carbs with complex carbs, drink a lot of water. This should help keep you looking very young 😀

Q: Ma’am, I sweat a lot even on my palms and under my feet, so when I put on shoes, my feet smell a lot. Please, ma’am how can I reduce sweating on my feet and palms?

Excessive sweating may happen in very hot weather, obesity, stress or medical conditions like thyroid problems or Diabetes Mellitus. Your doctor needs o check out if any of this is the problem. However, in the meantime, ensure you take a bath at least twice a day and use deodorants/anti-perspirants to ensure there’s no associated body odour. Then if the weather is hot, dress light…wear cotton fabrics that are not dark and not tight fitting. And try and substitute sandals for shoes. Oh and by the way, for guys, please change your socks and boxers daily to prevent an odour.

For more on this, please click on the link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/11/28/daily-health-tips-excessive-sweating-and-body-odour/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/07/17/daily-health-tips-why-do-i-sweat-excessively-even-when-its-cold/

Q: Good day Dr.

Please I have frequent urination and I don’t know what’s causing it. I always urinate at least 15 times during the day and 4 times during the night. I’ve been to the hospital and I was told to do E&U, CR and the results were within normal range, did MCS also and no microbes were found. Please help me, I am not comfortable going to toilet now and again. Thanks ma’am.

A: Frequent urination may actually be due to the simple fact that you’re drinking way too much fluid. However, where this is not the case, it is likely to be due to a health problem.

Some causes of frequent urination include:

• Sexually Transmitted Infections as you have already noted.
• Some medications
• Drinks that contain caffeine, alcohol etc
• Infections that along the urinary tract or changes to the bladder
• Infection or enlargement of the prostate
• Disease conditions like Diabetes Mellitus etc
• Some cancer treatment eg radiation treatment for the lower abdomen

If this is due to excessive fluid intake, limiting this will help. If this symptom is associated with others like difficulty with urination, pain during urination, passing out bloody urine, incomplete emptying of bladder when urinating etc, please see your doctor asap.

Kindly do not do anything stupid…whatever that would be! Just go and see your doctor. He will take a good history, examine you and order some investigations. The treatment of course will depend on the cause of the problem.

For related posts, please click on the following:

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/10/02/daily-health-tips-urinary-tract-infections-in-men/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/07/09/daily-health-tips-why-do-i-have-pain-when-urinating/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/02/20/daily-health-tips-train-that-leaking-bladder/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/06/15/daily-health-tips-prostate-enlargement/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/06/16/daily-health-tips-more-on-the-prostate-gland/

Have a good night, people 😀

Q: Good morning doc. Please doc, I am 23 weeks pregnant and according to the test I ran, my blood level is just 32 which they said that it is low. What can I eat to boost it? I mean as a pregnant woman, my blood is low, 32. How can I increase it?

A: Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Have you always had anaemia/low blood level? Or have you just had malaria? If you have had malaria, a frequent cause of anaemia in our environment, to build up your blood,  your doctor will ensure that the Folic Acid dose you’re getting in your prenatal drugs is not more than 0.4mg. Doses of Folic Acid higher than or equal to 5mg affects the efficacy of the anti-malarial, SP. So, be sure to check with your doctor before you start buying other non-prescribed prenatal vitamins.

Other nutrition tips that will be useful for you include:

• Eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods from different food groups.
• Be sure to include a lot of high fibre foods like vegetables, whole grain cereals etc to deal with the constipation associated with pregnancy.
• Ensure you take your antenatal medications (prenatal vitamins) in addition to eating well.
• Be sure to also take foods rich in iron eg and foods rich in folic acid eg green leafy veggies and beans. Folate prevents deformities of the spine.
• Drink at least 4 servings of milk, other dairy products or calcium rich foods. If you don’t eat enough, your baby will start drawing on your own stock from your bones. So, drink up your milk!

I’m sure you know about insecticide –treated nets…and probably still don’t use them because of the heat 😀 Well, if you have nets on your windows too and have a good fan (praying that you’ve got electricity to power it), it is not really so bad. Some people react to the chemicals in the insecticide and so for these ones you may want to air the net outside for a couple of days before you start use. To encourage your children to use them, you could work it into the décor of the room and make them look like nice, funky four poster beds!

Be sure to fumigate your house to rid them of mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies. Ensure the vendor tells you what chemicals will be used, how long you need to be away and whether it’s compatible with artwork etc. Cover up foodstuff and take off beddings etc. and then do a major clean up afterwards.

Did you know that the buckets of water used to store water in areas where pipe-borne water is not constant, can be a huge source of mosquitoes? Have you observed them rising from these buckets of water when you approach in the evening? If you have to store water, get covers for them and ensure they are closed all the time.

Did you know that if your bathroom drain is blocked, apart from the fact that it’s unhygienic, the water there also acts as a comfortable home for mosquitoes? So, ensure that your drains are free-flowing with no stagnant water. Keeping it smelling nice and fresh is also a good touch ;D

Did you know that your flower pots with lots of water also serve as a breeding place for mosquitoes? The water used on the flowers should be completely absorbed by the soil with none left on top. Watch out for lazy helps who want to do a month’s watering in a day 😀

Did you know that the unwashed drains and gutters outside, bushy lawns, potholes and broken concrete slabs serve as lovely homes for mosquitoes? Be sure to clean up your environment often.

Have a good night, y’all 😀

Q: Good day Doc. I’m a nursing mother with a 5 months old daughter. I gave birth to her through CS but since then I have not seen my menstrual flow. Please is it normal and what are my chances of getting pregnant by meeting with my husband without protection as I don’t want to conceive now? Thanks and God’s continuous blessings.

A: Hello and Congratulations on your new baby! Return of menses following delivery is varied between individuals. Some women would see theirs a few weeks after, some others after a few months or even a year, while in others there is no return of menses before another pregnancy begins.

Different women also report different changes with their menstrual periods after childbirth. Some report longer periods. Others report shorter periods; some others report less pain and others observe absolutely no change at all 😀

However, the pattern of your menstrual cycle prior to your previous pregnancy (if it was regular or irregular) also plays a role. The duration of your labor and the presence of complications like bleeding after delivery could all play a part in the return of your period. Exclusive breastfeeding and presence of underlying infection also could delay the return of menses. Don’t stress out about this for now…. except if you are really looking forward to another pregnancy soon. If this is the case I would advise you see your doctor for a proper evaluation. Otherwise enjoy your period of no bleeds 😀

And please, remember to discuss contraception/family planning options with your doctor during your 6 weeks appointment if you’ve had a baby. I’ve had quite a number of people writing in to ask if breast feeding protects against pregnancy and if it was possible for them to get pregnant even before their periods return or if it was safe to breastfeed a baby while pregnant (The answers by the way, are yes to getting pregnant while breastfeeding, yes to possibility of getting pregnant before periods return and yes to breastfeeding while pregnant); this means that there are probably a couple of people getting pregnant earlier than they had planned. Let’s take the right decisions.

How is your week going?

Have a good night, y’all 😀

Q: Hello Dr. Ketch, you are such a wonderful person to people like us. May the Lord continue to be with you and your family in Jesus’ name.  I’m a lady of 32 years which by next year January, I will be 33 years. I got married this year in January. After my wedding, my husband went back to the States while I am here in Nigeria . Just want to ask how I can prepare myself for pregnancy for he will be coming for Christmas. Please advise me on what to do.

A: Thank you so much for your kind words…and Amen to your prayers!

First, trying to have a baby is only recognized as an issue after one full year of trying, for most people. So, mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and all other concerned citizens who start looking at the ‘bride’s’ tummy a few weeks after a wedding, please back off 😀 Now, this one full year means that give or take, there is regular (on at least 3 days of a week), unprotected (without condoms or any barrier method of contraception) sexual intercourse and that this intercourse ends with the ejaculation of a sufficient amount of semen. So, if your husband stays in the States and you live in Lagos and perhaps only see once a month or every three months, you may not qualify to be classified under infertility.

Other lifestyle habits that can help a couple in their conception journey include:
Healthy choices in terms of diet (practice portion control, eat lots of fruits and veggies etc), keeping a healthy weight (try and stay within your BMI), exercising most days a week for at least 30 minutes, manage your stress etc Folic acid supplements are also great as they help protect baby from defects in their neural tubes (spinal cord)

Having sexual intercourse closer to the time of ovulation may be helpful in increasing chances of pregnancy. Does this also increase the chances of having a baby boy or girl? Despite ‘claims’ that male chromosomes swim faster, there’s no guarantee that having sexual intercourse on any particular day, ovulation or otherwise, increases the chance of pregnancy with either sex. This matter is solely in God’s domain except sex selection is done as can happen for some IVF patients.

Stay off alcohol and smoking, reduce stress and if you can, have your babies before the age of 30 years for both men and women. For women, you have a bigger population of eggs which are healthy and for men, the sperm are also healthy and swim as fast as they should.

For more on this topic, please click on the links below:

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/09/07/daily-health-tips-what-drug-can-help-me-get-pregnant-2/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/09/07/daily-health-tips-should-i-pop-vitamins-when-i-am-pregnant/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/03/25/daily-health-tips-why-cant-i-have-a-baby-if-the-doctors-have-said-nothing-is-wrong-with-me/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/12/15/daily-health-tips-low-sperm-count/

Good night, y’all  😀

If you’re a parent, how do you give your child his/her medication? With a table spoon? Teaspoon? The dosing cup that comes with the medication? Do you oftentimes wonder whether you are giving the right does? You should read this!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/2-simple-ways-to-ensure-you-give-your-kids-the-right-dose-of-medicine-lots-of-parents-dont-2016091310350