chatwithketch

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a great day today? I want to thank you all from the very depths of my heart for your kind wishes to me yesterday, as I celebrated the beginning of another year. You all made my day super special and I pray for you all, that your joy might be full.

I love Irish blessings…there’s just something special and poetic about them. I share one of my favorites  (slightly altered) with you and speak that into your lives, individually and collectively.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again (tomorrow by His grace :D)
may God hold you in the palm of His hand

Amen!

And now to our question of the day….

Q: Please…

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

Today as I celebrate my birthday, I’m thankful and joyful!
I’m thankful for the gift of life and family.
I’m thankful for the gift of good health
I’m thankful for unmerited favour that I have enjoyed in my life
I’m thankful for friends who have my back
I’m thankful for YOU…you all have made me better and have made me committed to this advocacy. I think about the fact that y’all are waiting to hear what I have to say in answer to your questions daily.
I’m thankful for the grace to do what I love doing.
I am just THANKFUL!

What are you thankful for? Remember that more than any medication or drug, being thankful and joyful makes all the difference 🙂

Have a great day, y’all 😀

The title of this post was borrowed quite liberally from David Jones David’s song, titled ‘Hello Doctor’. Have you seen the video? You should – very instructive about the subject I am about to write on.

Many children hate cough syrup. Scratch that…they hate all medicines. However, there are some teenagers who take ten of bottles of cough syrup daily! Can their coughs be that bad? Could a doctor have prescribed all of that?

If you’re into pop culture, you may know that at parties, sometimes, these cough syrups, especially those containing codeine are added to drinks, to enhance the drinking experience L

And then we have those people who sniff glue. One would wonder if they love the smell that much or perhaps, it reminds them of something/someone pleasant?

Then there are those who inhale the fumes from soak away pits! Now you would consider that downright disgusting! What’s…

Q: Doc, I am an expectant mother in the last trimester. My Doc told me my baby is big and I decided to take tea daily. Is it safe?

A: Tea contains caffeine. There are conflicting reports as to whether some amount of caffeine is beneficial in pregnancy (less than 200mg) or whether increased amounts are a problem > or more than 500mg). One regular teabag steeped in a small teacup has about 55mg of caffeine. So, it may be a good idea to limit your consumption of tea. However, I think that tea is really one of the least of your problems right now. The focus should be on what caused the big baby and what can be done to ensure that you and baby come out okay.

Big babies are usually seen in women who

• Are diabetic.
• Have gestational Diabetes (Diabetes that is observed during pregnancy),
• Are obese

Q: Hello Dr. Ketch I need your help if you handle fungal infection as well. Advise if I could send picture of my problem to you.

A: Fungi are invisible (to the naked eye) micro-organisms that are plant-like. They love and thrive in dark, warm, moist areas and can attack skin in situations of low immunity or when there is an injury to the skin or nail. Examples of fungi are mushrooms (yes…the same one we eat :D), mildew (the one that grows on that towel that didn’t dry well :D) and mold (the type that grows on bread that is left for too long :D). Yep! So, we all know this guy FUNGUS! Ever since my son heard that mushroom was a fungus, he refuses to eat it again. We’ve always had a running battle with it anyways, so this was just convenient! So far, it is, ‘no winner…

Q: Hello ma’am, throw more light on menstruation

A: The uterus (womb) usually prepares to receive a fertilized egg every month and when that fails, the thickened lining of the uterus, which had prepared to receive a baby, is shed. That is what comes out as menstrual blood.

Usually, this blood does not contain clots as anti-coagulants in blood ensure that this doesn’t happen. However, if the blood is flowing faster than the anticoagulants can work, then clots appear. This would usually happen on the heaviest day of the flow. So, clots do not necessarily suggest a problem.

But, if this appears to be the case on all or most days of the period, or you find that you’re using a sanitary towel per hour for several hours, please see your gynaecologist. Conditions that may lead to excessive bleeding and therefore, clots in blood during a menstrual period include a…

Q: Good day doc, please what causes the colour of urine to change in pregnancy? Is it as a result of the baby’s gender? And what is the cause of morning vomiting most especially while brushing in pregnancy?

A: Hallos! I assume congratulations are in order! I hope you enjoy this beautiful new state 😀

Urine colour doesn’t necessarily change in pregnancy. What colour are we talking about here? If it’s darker, be sure that you’re getting enough fluids. You’re likely to urinate more during pregnancy though. Any colour change should be discussed with your doctor. And trust me, the urine colour says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the sex of your baby! Where did that come from? 😀

Morning sickness in pregnancy is due to the cocktail of hormones that your body is producing for your singular pleasure 😀

For more on pregnancy, what’s normal and what’s not, please click on…

Q: Hello doc, please my friend is seriously ill and the doctor said that it’s enlargement of the heart. Is it reversible? I’m very confused

Q: Please Dr., what could be the cause of heart enlargement?

A: Thanks both, for writing in.

Cardiomegaly is the medical term used to refer to an enlarged heart. This is the sign of a disease condition and could be permanent or temporary. A good example of a reversible cardiomegaly is the enlargement associated with pregnancy.

The causes of heart enlargement include:

High blood pressure….the usual suspect! This condition causes the heart muscle to work harder to pump blood thus enlarging the muscle.

Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy): This causes stretching, thickening or stiffening of the heart muscle.

Heart valve disease: Damage to the heart valves that keep blood flowing in the right direction, can lead to heart enlargement.

Anaemia: Insufficient quantity of red blood cells…

Q: Good evening ma’am. Please, I have a question for you…after giving birth I didn’t really take ‘udah’ n ‘aju Mbaise’ because the udah was giving me seriously tummy bite so I stopped taking it and I did exclusive breastfeeding just for 1month. I met with a doctor and I told her about this and she screamed and told me that it’s only those things that can contract the womb after child birth. I am really scared. Please, Doc does this mean my womb is still open? I will really love to have more kids. Thanks

A: Hi dear, thanks for writing in. If you’d like to have more kids…then more kids you’ll have! Provided that there is no other issue except the ‘herbs/spices’ you didn’t take 😀 I believe these are spices used to make Nigeria’s speciality pepper soup for women who just delivered. I understand the spices are…

Q: Good afternoon Doc. I am really frustrated because of my stature. I am notfat but rather losing weight, talking about my age and how I look is not helping at all. I look like a teenager who is 16 but I will be 29 next month. Doc, I always feel bad getting near my friends because there is a big difference between us when in their midst, please any help from you because I really need to gain weight. Thanks

A: 😀 Different strokes for different folks!

Before you start figuring out how to add weight, check your Body Mass Index (BMI). If your BMI is less than 18.5, you are in the underweight category. Even at that, you still will need to talk to your doctor to find out if your weight is a symptom of a medical problem.

Generally, though, to add weight in a healthy way: