chatwithketch

Q: Good day ma. Please I’m 4 months pregnant and I’m having pain at my lower abdomen to my back. The pain is so severe. What is the cause ma’am?

A: Hello dear, thanks for writing in and congratulations on your pregnancy. 4 months puts you firmly in the second trimester of pregnancy. If you had had a traumatic first trimester with nausea and vomiting, this would usually ease up during the second trimester 😀 Unfortunately, this may not be the case in all women!

Different women feel the movement of their babies at different times. It usually ranges between the 16th and 25th week of pregnancy. Of course for pros, like women who have had babies before 😀 they recognize the movements earlier.

You may start to experience more backaches as the weight you have put on starts to take its toll. Be sure to sit up straight on chairs with proper back support to help with this. Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs will also help. This may be the cause of your backaches but if they are very discomforting, please see your doctor. Better safe than sorry.

Your breasts are probably big enough to necessitate a bigger bra size. Be sure to get a comfortable and good support bra.
Heartburns, constipation and leg cramps are more frequent at this time too. Heartburns occur due to one of the hormones produced during pregnancy. For leg cramps, be sure to let your doctor know that you have these cramps, especially if applying a cold pack to it or stretching does not help them.

A thin milky discharge is normal during pregnancy and is seen during this period. But if this becomes yellow, greenish or foul smelling, please see your doctor.

You could also have haemorrhoids. These haemorrhoids develop when there is undue pressure in the pelvic and anal area as can occur in pregnancy (especially the last 6 months)
Other symptoms that may become more common include bleeding gums, varicose veins and nose bleeds as you experience more blood flow due to the effect of pregnancy hormones. To guard against bleeding gums, use a soft-bristled brush during the pregnancy.

Be sure to look out for the red flags of pregnancy at any stage of the pregnancy though. For details of this red flags, please click on this link:https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/10/26/baby-in-the-tummy-its-all-up-to-mummy-is-it/

For related posts, please click on this: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/10/19/daily-health-tips-how-soon-after-pregnancy-does-a-baby-start-moving/

Have a great day, everyone 😀

Q: Good afternoon doctor. I can’t thank you enough for what God is using you to do in our lives especially the pregnant women. May God always meet you at the point of your needs. Amen. Dr., please can I take glucose in my pregnancy? It’s giving me strength and it drives away the urge to throw up. I don’t know if it’s advisable for me to continue taking it. Thank you ma’am

A: Hallos! Thank you so much for your kind words! I love you right back.

Now, feeling drained in pregnancy is not very strange but there are optimal ways of recouping your energy and definitely, other ways of stopping the vomiting. Glucose D has very high glycaemic index and so once taken, it goes straight to the blood stream, increases the blood glucose level and can lead to sugar swings when taken in excess. I would suggest complex carbs which release ‘sugar ‘more slowly into the blood.

Glycemic index, by the way, is a measure that ranks foods that contain carbohydrates on a scale of 0 to 100. The higher the number, the faster the food is digested, causing fluctuations in the blood sugar level and the lower the number, the slower the food is digested causing less fluctuations in the blood sugar level. So the focus should be on foods with low glycemic index. If you reduce your portion sizes and are exercising and generally doing the right things, you may still be adding weight or not losing weight if you’re eating a lot of food with high glycemic index.

So here goes: principles of low glycemic eating:

Eat a lot of beans (any and every type), non starchy veggies (garlic, onions, leeks, chives, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers etc) and fruits like apples, berries, peaches and pears.

Eat a lot of grains in their natural state like natural granola, brown or local rice and muesli cereal

Reduce your intake of concentrated sweets like fruit juices (no more than half a cup daily…if you must) and other sugar loaded or sweetened drinks.

Load up on healthy proteins like fish, skinless chicken and beans…again 😀

Reduce your intake of refined grain products like white bread and polished rice.

Reduce your intake of bad fats by avoiding fast foods and limiting your intake of animal products. Focus on healthy oils lik Olive oil and nuts like almonds etc. However, even these should be taken in moderation as even healthy oils are full of calories! 😀 It appears as if you just can’t win!

Be sure to take your breakfast and eat 3 meals with a snack or 2 (healthy options, of course)

Finally, remember to eat slowly to give enough time for your stomach tell your brain that you’re full…and then stop!

For morning sickness, he standard teaching is to try eating some bland foods like Crackers biscuits or dry toast. That personally didn’t work for me. I preferred tart things…which some may want to avoid. I loved lemons during my pregnancies. They were the one thing guaranteed to ‘wake up’ my mouth and chase nausea far away. I also had a particular brand of very tart bubble gum, I indulged in J These were key for me because, though I didn’t have the real bad case of morning sickness that sent you to the hospital, brushing my teeth in the morning always sent me into a bout of retching/vomiting. So, I always had a ready supply of the gum or lemon/lime to pop into my mouth once I was done brushing/retching! Not a very pleasant memory ;D

So, if lemons work for you to prevent nausea, go for it. Remember that moderation is key. A few drops (one or two) in a glass of water are enough to provide that tart kick that sends nausea far away. There is a catch here though…remember the heart burn associated with pregnancy. The acid content of lemon might make the heartburn and any pre-existing gastro-esophageal (stomach and esophagus/gullet) problems worse. So, this is all the more reason to be very moderate or stop if it exacerbates an already bad case of heartburn. Wherever and whenever in doubt, please be sure to see your doctor.

Other tips:
• Eat little amounts of food frequently as an empty tummy increases the likelihood of throwing up. Remember this is not an excuse to binge and over eat J
• Avoid fatty and greasy foods.
• Avoid smells that trigger nausea
• Cold foods may be preferable to hot as the former does not give off smells that may cause you to feel queasy.
• Get loads of fresh air and rest
• And drink sufficient fluids daily

I hope this helps. You should also have a chat with your doctor about your diet.

Have a fab weekend, y’all 😀

Headaches may be primary, in which case they are due to problems with the structures sensitive to pain in the head. Or they may be secondary in which case the pain is due to an underlying disease that causes the pain-sensitive structures in the head to be activated.

For more on this, please click on the link http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/troubleshooting-constant-headaches

Have a good night, y’all 😀

Happy International Women’s Day for all my ladies! I hope you wore a touch of purple today signifying your royalty, dignity and willingness to fight for justice? I had a great but very fulfilling day! It’s always great to spend a day with ladies thinking about how we can turn things around and change the world.

I hope y’all had a great day too.

Now to our question for the day….

Q: Greetings Doc, I pray you are well. I have a problem. each time I take pain killers I get serious stomach pains. I am even afraid to take meds. What could be the problem?

A: Hello dear. Thanks for writing in.

What painkillers are you taking? There are a group of painkillers called Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). These meds reduce inflammation (which is the body’s reaction to injury characterized by swelling, redness, ‘hotness’ of that area of the body, pain and loss of function), which in turn reduces pain. On the flip side, especially at very high doses, they are known to cause serious bleeding in the digestive system especially in people who drink alcohol. Thus, these medications are not advised for people with heartburn, indigestion, and stomach ulcers. Common examples of this group of drugs are aspirin and ibuprofen…with the latter being gentler on the stomach than the aspirin. These drugs must not be taken on an empty stomach but should be taken with food.

So, if you are taking these meds for your pain, they could be the cause of your pain. But, you need to see your doctor with the meds/drugs you are taking so he/she can advise as to what you need to stop and/or dosage that needs to be adjusted. It may also very well be that the source of the problem is something else. So, see your doctor!

For more on ulcer, please click on the following links:

Daily Health Tips:Home Remedy For Peptic Ulcer?

Daily Health Tips: Ulcer?

Have a good night, y’all 😀

Q: Doc I’m on 3 months injection but the nurse told me to change to 2 months injection. Doc I want to know whether I can become infertile because I was on 3 months injection?

A: Hmmmm….

Thanks for writing in. The first advice I would give is that anytime you receive advice from a healthcare practitioner and you do not understand the meaning, implication(s) or long term consequence(s), please ask. You have a right to know. You NEED to know.

No, you will not become infertile by using the 3 months’ injection. That’s not a normal side effect of that injection J The two months’ injection may be suggested if you need it for a short period of time, perhaps, while waiting for a partner’s sterilization surgery or when being immunized for rubella. Maybe you mentioned this and she advised on that? The 3 months’ injection provides more long-term protection and only needs to be taken 4 times a year.

Taking these injections affect women differently. In the first few months, there is 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.

With any of the injections, it might take up to one year (or 2) before the return of periods and fertility. This is really irrespective of whether it is the 2 months’ or 3 months’ injection. And, it is a delay not necessarily a case of not being able to conceive again. In the same vein, because the effects of these injections range from 2 months to 3 months, depending on the one taken, then if there were side effects, one would have to bear them for that same period of time.

I hope this helps J

Have a great night, y’all 😀

Q: Hi Dr, what should you do if you have a face problem..oily face with pimples and black heads?

A: Acne can be inflammatory (in which case they are usually painful like pimples) or non-inflammatory (blackheads or whiteheads). One of the major problems with acne is the fact that a lot of the people who have them can’t leave them well alone…plucking, tweaking, pressing and just generally touching them leading to more inflammation, scarring and even bacterial infections as germs from hands are transferred to them.

Treatment of acne is targeted at one or a mixture of the following factors: reducing inflammation, reducing oil production, improving skin cell turnover and reducing bacterial infection.

Creams with Salicylic acid or Benzoyl peroxide are useful for removing dead skin cells, killing off bacteria and reducing oil production. You may notice some slight irritation initially which wears off in a little while. Where in doubt, please see your doctor J

Your doctor could also prescribe other (stronger) drugs if the above do not work to deal with the acne and the scarring.

You can prevent pimples by using gentle cleansers on your face in the morning and evening. Be sure that they do not dry out your face as these cause even further irritation.

Do not use your body soap on your face for the same reason. Use a facial bar or facial wash.

Keep greasy hair off your face and wear loose clothes that allow your skin to breathe. Cotton is always a great idea😀 For this same reason, if you always carry a rucksack, switch it around and carry other bags in turn to allow your back ‘breath’

Do not use greasy cosmetics and if you have acne, perhaps you should give your foundation a miss for a while or try not to be too heavy handed with it😀

Be sure to wipe all your makeup off your face every night. Those pores need some air after all that war paint we put over them😀

And…please leave your face alone, especially if you’ve got pimples. Continually picking at them will just cause more scarring and increase the likelihood of bacterial infections😉

For natural methods, Alpha hydroxy acids found in some fruits have been found to also be helpful. A good number of creams contain this and they help unclog pores and remove dead skin cells. Use with caution though as they may cause some irritation.

Have a great day, people😀

Source: Weight loss that works: A true story

Wednesday March, 8th is International Women’s Day. It is usually a busy day for me as I give a lot of talks on women’s empowerment. This year, I will be spending my first few hours with the ladies at Schlumberger discussing what this year’s theme, ‘Be Bold For Change’ means.

So, I start my exploration with you, my sister/friend…

What was your bold moment? That moment, day, event when you decided to be you? When you decided to own your story and not be defined by what others choose to call you? When did you realise that you had all it took to be great? When did you realise that there is power in the collective and choose to pull up another sister/friend?

Share your stories, ladies! Together, we can change the narrative. People think that supporting women’s causes means you’re anti-men. It doesn’t mean that! It just means that you are on your own lane, running your race and it could very well be that the other people on the other lanes are men…but when you set out on the race to be the best runner at the end of the race, you did not necessarily do it because you wanted to best the men. You just want to be allowed to be good at that which you are good at.

As a ‘strong woman’ and a firm believer in the power of the collective good, I actively support and cheer when I see women do great things! I see a lot small things done in great ways and great things that are amplified! Wow! Sisters, y’all amaze me!

So, strong women, share your stories and encourage another sister!

I look forward to reading your answers to the ‘bold’ questions I posed above

Hello y’all 😀 Hope you’ve had a good week?

I get a lot of questions from women on problems with sexual arousal, pain during sexual intercourse and the likes. If you’ve ever written in on account of this, this post is for you! if you haven’t, you can definitely learn something from reading this. While the post appears to be speaking to people in midlife, young couples will definitely benefit from this.

Enjoy!

http://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/yes-you-can-have-better-sex-in-midlife-and-in-the-years-beyond