chatwithketch

Q: I have been having pains in my chest and upper arm region for close to two weeks now and have been using Paracetamol and Panadol, without the pains subsiding, this morning I checked my BP and I got 130/90. I’m not a BP patient, but would like the pains to stop and the BP perfect. What natural or medical remedy can I use. Thank you Dr. Ketch

A: Chest pain is not necessarily a sign of a serious medical condition, but because it could be potentially life threatening, chest pains should be checked out in the hospitals. Common causes of chest pain include:

Chest sprain/sprain. This condition would typically be relieved by rest and is brought on by a chest injury or exertion

Heartburn. Typical symptoms include regurgitation (bringing up) of ingested food and/or bitter tasting fluid, feeling bloated. Symptoms usually start after eating and are usually described as burning.

Anxiety or panic attack. Symptoms include palpitations and fast heart beats, dizziness, sweating and is usually triggered by a stressful situation

Pneumonia. Associated symptoms include coughing (yellow or green mucous), high temperature and chest pain on breathing in and out

Shingles. Symptoms include skin rashes that turn into blisters and tingling on the skin

Heart problems. This is the key reason why chest pains should be checked out in the hospital because it could be a heart attack, which is life threatening. Other common causes include angina (caused by poor blood flow to the heart) and pericarditis, in which the protective covering around the heart becomes inflamed with leakage of fluid into it. Chest pain from heart problems is usually described as pressure, fullness, burning or tightness in your chest

So, my advice would be to go get checked out in the hospital and this should be immediate if the chest pain spreads to the back, neck or arms; makes your chest feel tight or heavy, lasts for more than 15 minutes, starts with sweating, shortness of breath and/or feeling of being sick

All the best!

Q:Please what is the remedy for severe headache that have lasted for more than two months?

A: My first question is whether you are getting enough sleep? This is enough to give you a tension headache! This is the more common type of headache seen as the everyday sort of headache. It affects both sides of the head as a constant ache. Its causes are not very clear but they can be triggered by stress, hunger, dehydration, etc They can last a couple of minutes to several hours but are not severe enough to stop regular activities. Resting and sleeping well, eating properly and staying hydrated can help prevent this.

Other common causes of primary headaches include:

Migraines: These are felt as severe throbbing pain at the front or side of the head. Some people may experience other symptoms like nausea, vomiting and being sensitive to light. The pain lasts from a couple of hours or can stretch on for days. Thus, it is more severe than the tension headaches and can stop an individual from carrying out their daily tasks. Some find that they need strong medication prescribed by doctors to get relief but others are relieved by using over the counter medications.

Cluster headaches: These cause severe pain around one eye and are associated with red or watery eyes and a blocked nose or runny one. They tend to occur for one or two months at a time at about the same time of the year. Most times medications do not work for these headaches. Your doctor will prescribe specific treatment courses.

Chronic daily headaches may be due to medication overuse. This would occur in people who use pain medications too often and then end up with rebound headaches…the exact condition they were trying to avoid. Moral of the story: Never abuse your medications J Use only as directed by your doctor.

Sex headaches: Yes, this can occur. It’s also known as post-coital headache, orgasmic headache etc. It could occur during sexual intercourse, during orgasm or after sexual intercourse. And it can also occur at any time of the day and during any type of sexual activity. It is felt at the back of the skull just above the neck and is usually described as throbbing. Or it could build up gradually during sexual intercourse and intensifies as the sexual excitement before an orgasm increases. They can last anything from a few minutes to a few hours; may never recur or may happen a couple more times before gradually fading away.

It is thought to be due to the release of adrenaline and rapid rise in blood pressure which occurs as one approaches orgasm. And so in these cases, the headaches may not be a cause for concern. However, it is also a possibility that these headaches are a sign of a more serious condition like bleeding onto the surface of the brain.People who usually have migraines, who use recreational drugs like marijuana, use birth control pills etc are more likely to have sex headaches.Should you swear off sex? Yes, if you’re unmarried And no, if you’re married;) If you have just experienced this, try lying quietly for about an hour or two after taking an analgesic (like paracetamol) to handle the pain. However, it is very important to see your doctor as soon as possible to let him/her know what happened. This is important because, while there may very well not be any underlying issue, you want to be sure to rule out any serious medical condition causing these headaches. Your doctor will also prescribe some drugs on a regular or intermittent basis to deal with your symptoms.Primary headaches may be triggered by stress, skipped meals and dehydration as noted above. However, they may also be associated with alcohol, foods that contain nitrates like spinach and bad posture.

Secondary headaches may be due to dental problems, hangovers ear infections, blood clot in the brain, wearing tight gear on the head like hats or even wigs (yes, I see you ladies :D) or even eating cold stuff like ice creams etc.

So, what should you do? If you find that tight head gear or eating ice cream is the problem, see if stopping helps.

If you find that these headaches are now more frequent than usual, more severe than usual, stops you from going about your daily activities, is no longer responding to the over the counter medications you used to take etc, please see your doctor. If you have been seeing the same doctor, as it appears to be in this case, with no relief, please seek another opinion or request a review by a neurologist.

We’ll get to the rest of your questions tomorrow.

Have a goodnight y’all 😀

Remember that even as lock-down eases off, do not go out just because. If you have no business outside, stay home, stay safe and exercise! 🙂 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/no-room-to-exercise-tiny-space-workouts-have-never-been-more-important-2020042319636

Q: Hi Doc ,I’m 41 weeks pregnant and my due date was on the 30 April, but I have small pains comes and goes and some waterish discharge and white, so on the 08th may I’m back to the hospital but they never tell me what they will induce or what, so can I ask them to induce me after 40 weeks or they won’t?

A: Usually pregnancy lasts for 40 completed weeks plus or minus 2 weeks. Generally though, from 37 weeks, your baby is good to be born…all things being equal. And so, if a woman gets to 40 weeks without any sign of labour, she is tentatively given 2 more weeks, especially if there are no other risk factors present in the pregnancy. This is called watchful waiting and during this period, the baby’s kicks are counted, baby’s heartbeat is monitored and indeed, baby’s growth and other parameters are monitored. From the 41st week, if she does not spontaneously go into labour (without help), then there is a plan made for induction, having fully informed the woman of all possible scenarios. 

When a pregnancy goes beyond the Expected Date of Delivery (EDD), which is 40 weeks, it is called a post-dated pregnancy. If the pregnancy lasts beyond 42 weeks, it is called post term. It is not really clear why some pregnancies become post-dated but some associated risk factors include previous post-dated pregnancy, first pregnancies, mothers with high BMI and advanced age.

The main challenge with allowing a baby to remain in the womb beyond the 42nd week is that of the placenta no longer being able to supply sufficient amounts of oxygen to the baby. This can lead to brain damage or even death of the baby. The second issue is the threat of the baby having its first poop inside the womb and then aspirating (breathing in) it. The baby may also become bigger (fetal macrosomia) with potentials for complications like genital tract tears during vaginal delivery, prolonged labour etc.

You still have a couple of days before your 42^nd week deadline. Perhaps, your medical team is prepping you for that week or perhaps, there are some other factors that make an induction critical now. I suggest that you have a long chat with your medical team. Ask all your questions and make sure they understand your fears and explain everything to your satisfaction. Discuss all options available and the one(s) you are comfortable with.

Remember that you can also ask for a second opinion if you are not comfortable.

All the best! Let’s know when the baby is born! Lots of love and hugs.

Have a goodnight everyone 😀

Happy Workers’ Day!

Today let’s remember in a special way, all the front line workers. May God bless and keep you all!

Keep safe!