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Q: Doctor. I gave birth to a baby boy and he is now 6 months and 1 week and I have no menstruation  for the past 6 months. Also after giving birth, I have been a pure breastfeeding mom. My concerned is whether I will get pregnant because this week we made love without anything (protection).  I am only frightened  that I might get pregnant, Doc. I am not ready and more over baby is still 6 months. I am very worried about it. Thank you. Please help me Doc

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, discuss contraception/family planning options with your doctor. 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.

So, could you be pregnant? Only time will tell. If you do confirm that you are not pregnant (after a pregnancy test), then please visit a family planning clinic and start contraception.

How is your week going?

Have a good night, y’all 😀

Q: I’ve noticed that each time I eat snacks especially doughnuts or meat pie or anything fried, I will be feeling burning sensation in my stomach; at the same time making me feeling thirsty always, even after drinking water. I tested positive to H. pylori and I was treated. It’s been over a year now and I don’t know if it is what is still affecting me even with pain, headache or eye pain

A: Thanks for writing in.

There are two conditions that may often be confused, one for the other: Peptic ulcer and Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

Gastric acid is secreted normally in the stomach to help the process of digestion. Peptic ulcer is a sore in the stomach, esophagus or duodenum and occurs when there is either over-production of this gastric acid in the stomach or reduction in the quantity of mucous that protects the stomach from the acid. Infection with an organism, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been found to be a cause of peptic ulcer.

GERD, on the other hand occurs when stomach acid backtracks into the esophagus causing heart burn.

In the past, it was thought that spicy foods caused peptic ulcers. However, there’s no evidence to support this, though spicy foods can certainly make the symptoms of ulcer worse  Smoking, stress and drinking alcohol are also likely to worsen the symptoms of peptic ulcer. Caffeinated and carbonated beverages may also be culprit.

Ulcers are also common in people who take certain pain relieving drugs known as Non- Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) like Ibuprofen.

People with peptic ulcer usually complain of burning abdominal pain or even sometimes, chest pain as the pain can be anywhere from the breast bone to the navel…giving room for a wide range of descriptions, typically burning. The pain is usually worse at night or when the stomach is empty.

People with ulcers may vomit blood or pass out fresh or altered blood in stool. For the latter, the stool looks tarry black. Complications of peptic ulcers include internal bleeding, leakage of the acid into the abdominal cavity etc

Treatment is targeted at reduction in acid production, neutralization of acid, treatment of Helicobacter infection, promotion of healing or protection of stomach lining. Your doctor will determine the best option or combination(s) with your active participation, of course

Thus, prevention is targeted at switching pain relieving drugs (if you have an ulcer, please stay away from NSAIDs, reducing your level of stress, stopping smoking and reducing your alcohol intake. Maintaining a healthy diet filled with loads of fruits and veggies, which provide sufficient vitamins to aid healing, is also a good way to go. It is still not very clear how H. pylori infections spread but it is thought to be probably from person to person or from food and water. So, judicious and very frequent, hand washing will certainly help

Does milk help? Well, temporarily but it quickly makes it worse. Milk coats the surface of the stomach, reducing the pain but then stimulates more acid production. Sounds like you can’t win, aye?! ;D

For GERD, there are also conditions like pregnancy and obesity that make this condition worse and there are also foods that encourage this. Examples of these ‘foods’ are fatty foods (as appears to be the case here), alcohol, orange juice, chocolate and coffee, onions, tomatoes, peppermint and spicy foods.

So, I suggest you keep a food diary over a period of time and try to figure out the trigger foods. If you suspect tomatoes, try to confirm this by having a ‘tomato meal’ and watching for heartburn and an unpleasant taste at the back of the mouth. If this is not the issue, perhaps it’s a weight issue or even over-eating.

Treatment is targeted at the acid and healing the esophagus. Remember that occasional heartburn is not regarded a problem but if it happens frequently, like two or more times every week, then it becomes a problem and is now referred to as Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). So, drugs used can stop acid production, reduce acid production and cause healing of the esophagus or neutralize the effect of the acid.

Prevention involves trying to avoid your trigger foods (quite a number are actually healthy maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding heavy meals just before bedtime, try eating smaller meals and avoid tight clothes that may also put pressure on your abdomen.

So, see a doctor first to confirm whether the H. pylori infection is still active and also to understand your new symptoms and then s/he’ll advice on treatment.

Have a fabulous evening and remember…no heavy meals before bedtime 😀

Hey! How was your week? Mine was super busy but super productive too!

Now, have you ever wondered how to deal with all those eye problems that show up at one point or the other? Red eyes, watery eyes, burning eyes etc? Or waking up with eyes that appear to be gummed together! Where did that come from??? Well the article below tells you how to figure out which ones you can fix, how to fix them and when to show up in the hospital! 🙂

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/common-eye-problems-and-how-to-fix-them

Q: Dr. what causes palate sores?
A: There are a couple of ailments that can cause sores in the mouth and of course, the roof of the mouth called the palate. They include:
Fever blisters known as cold sores can cause this and the pain associated with this condition is worse when hot, spicy or acidic foods like lemon are taken. They are mostly found around the lips. These sores are contagious but most times clear up without the need for medication. Sometimes, antiviral drugs are administered.
Canker sores are not contagious but just like fever blisters, most times, they disappear without any definitive treatment within a week.

Infections of the mouth (viral, fungal or bacterial), deficiency of minerals, smoking etc are some factors that may causes sores in the mouth and subsequent pain in the roof of the mouth.
To reduce the pain of this or prevent its happening, try these:
• Reduce your intake of foods that precipitate this like spicy or acidic foods
• Reduce your stress levels as this could precipitate conditions like fever blister
• Quit smoking
• Avoid medications that appear to trigger this
• Swishing milk around in your mouth or gargling with cool or salty water is also helpful in dealing with the pain
If these do not work or you find the symptoms worsening, develop a fever or perhaps develop find it difficult to swallow, please see your doctor immediately.
All the best!

This post is about about our 9 to 5 jobs…and the odd jobs in between, the rat race and the environments in which we stay to slug it out in the race…aspects of our occupational health touched on by Dolly Parton in her song! One of my facilitators in my MBA days, asked the question,’ If you win the race, do you leave the rat race?’ I’d love an answer to that, if you’ve got one.

Most of our workplaces these days are high pressure environments, what with deadlines, targets, deliverables, KPIs and all those fancy sounding words that essentially act as proverbial ‘kicks in the butts’ (forgive my French) to get busy and achieve more. Do I have a quarrel with any of these? Not necessarily…the world we live in has changed and the truth is that to out-smart the competition or even create a ‘first-in-class’ situation, ‘it don’t come easy!’ (forgive my grammar…or lack thereof ;)). As a result of these high powered, high pressured environments, different people feel different ways at the start of the work week.

So, where do you fall in? Do you start off on work days feeling unwilling to get up and out of bed? Wake up on a Monday morning feeling exhausted? Even when you’ve spent the weekend sleeping? Do you dread going into the office…but go anyways, because you need the money (don’t we all?) Do you feel your colleagues are after your job? That bright youngster ‘they’ just recruited is doing exactly what you were employed to do…could it mean your time is up? Is there more to do than you think you can deal with? Appears you’re on a never-ending race against time…and you’re just not winning? Or do you wake up, absolutely excited and happy to be alive, raring to go and do BIG things etc? I wish we were all like the latter; but we’re not! Truth be told, I am not like that on a number of mornings!!!!!

Okay, solutions anybody? I wish I had them. I don’t…I only have some tips to help us along.

First, you’ve got to work on your attitude. If you perceive a new task or even an old one as a source of stress, then indeed, it becomes one. If we were all to approach each task as an avenue to learn more about part of or a whole task, then we would be improving personal efficiency and effectiveness. And more importantly, approaching the task with positive energy and a smile 🙂

Prioritize and manage your time! Plan ahead. Make a to-do list in order of priorities! Trust me, no matter how much you want to get everything done today, it just ‘ain’t gonna’ happen and you set yourself up for disappointments if you believe they will. Sequentially (as much as practicable) tick them off, one by one until the end of the day. Then pat yourself on the back and continue from tomorrow! Get organized…trying to do everything at the same time, is a recipe for disaster!

If you’ve got a big task, break it up into manageable bits…or significant milestones. This helps you work from one phase to another, achieving victory with every milestone reached…rather than try to achieve a huge task all at once!

Maintain control. Did I hear you ask, ‘how do I do that when I’m not the boss and can schedule activities to suit me?’ Well, you can certainly control your reaction to the situations, people and issues you have to deal with. So if that co-worker angling for a promotion over you tries to throw a spanner in the works, keep your cool. Click ‘ignore’ or keep written (or email) documentation of correspondences on issues with said person and use them when they try to show you up (Okay…that sounds kinda vindictive. So you didn’t hear that from me ;)). This is simple native intelligence or should I call it…managing appearances in the work place?! You tell me!

Make a friend or two in the office! That feeling of social inclusion improves your social health and helps deal with the pressure of your work environment. Picture that friend that you can share snide smiles with and laugh away situations that would ordinarily be stressful?! This improves occupational health.

Exercise! Yes, find fun ways to exercise in the office. Sitting down for long periods of time exposes you to dangerous diseases. Click on the link below for more.

Take short breaks…to walk around or drink some water. This helps de-stress and helps you get in some exercise during your working day too. A friend told me she’d started having walking meetings. She works close to a nice park and so she invites a colleague who she’s supposed to meet with, to take a brisk walk with her while they talk. Hmm, sounds interesting. Anyone up for this? 🙂

Finally, be flexible. The best made plans often flop and chances are that yours just might…sorry 😦 But hey, take it in your stride. This is an opportunity to show your ‘survival’ and innovative skills as you have to quickly come up with plan B. Keeps your brain juices flowing too.

So people, let’s stop complaining about our work environments and the stress there-in. Let’s face it, especially in Nigeria, not too many people are lucky enough to do what they really love. In most cases, people do the work they do to survive. And so, if you are an employee, there are millions waiting to take your place for half of what you earn if you leave. If you are an employer, there are millions waiting for you to slip up, so they can take up the slack with your customers. But, you can get to love what you do for the time you’ve got to do it…and who knows, that may be your passport to the big stuff!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/stand-up-for-your-health

What are the common objects swallowed by children? Coins, toys, button batteries, jewelry (like stud ear rings) etc. What can you do to help make sure that your child does not swallow a foreign body? Please read this!

Q: Hi doctor my problem is that I have  got a toothache and my teeth are decaying and making holes. I have removed five. I am still a young mum and now I can’t eat properly. Is there any way I can replace my removed teeth? It’s making me annoyed and uncomfortable when it comes eating time please!

A: Toothaches are mainly due to tooth decay, which may give rise to a hole in the tooth.

How does a tooth get to the point of a cavity/hole? There are bacteria that live naturally in the mouth. When we eat foods rich in sugar and starch, the bacteria act on these foods and produce acids. These acids can eat away at the enamel covering of teeth. If these foods are eaten often, serious damage can be done to the teeth leading to the formation of cavities and subsequent decay as the acid eats its way through the enamel and may even get to the nerve ending! Imagine the quantum of pain, this person will experience! If left untreated, this can lead to a dental abscess (like a boil in the area).

If you’ve ever had a tooth ache or been close to someone who’s had one, you don’t need to be told the symptoms 😀 It is sheer excruciating pain especially when cold, hot or sweet things are taken. There may also be visible holes in the teeth.

What to do? You need to see your dentist asap. In the meantime, gargle with warm water and take some analgesics. Remember not to go over the recommended dosage. Use dental floss to remove food debris in between teeth.

Treatment is focused on putting a filling on it, root canal treatments or crowns or dentures if there is complete loss of the tooth. Your doctor will advise.

To prevent this, be sure to remember and follow the rule of twos: brush your teeth twice a day, brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes (brushing up and down in circular motions) and see your dentist at least twice a year. Use fluoride-containing toothpaste. How do you find this? Walk into any shop or supermarket and read the ingredients on the pack. If it states that it has fluoride in it, you’re on the right path 😀 Limit your intake of sugary substances…make them occasional treats and if you do take them, please rinse out your mouth or better still, brush your teeth. Be sure to brush your teeth last thing before you go to bed. If you eat afterwards and take in sugary stuff, the acid produced really has time to eat away at your teeth while you’re sleeping as a result of the fact that less saliva is produced.

All the best!

Q: I found out that my body shakes always even when I am standing. Please, what’s the problem and solution?

A: There are a few causes of shaking or tremors as they are called medically. Tremors may be familial i.e. runs in families, with the shaking noticed more when stretching out the hands or carrying out an activity; In this case, there are usually no other problems associated with it.

Tremors could also be a sign of some abnormalities in the body’s functioning – endocrine abnormality. In this case, there is shaking (especially in the hands), fast racing heartbeat, which the individual can hear/feel, sleeping problems, excessive sweating and possibly a neck swelling.

Other causes include:

• Certain drugs
• Liver, kidney or long standing lung diseases
• Alcohol intoxication
• Withdrawal from hard drugs
• Parkinson’s disease (a disorder of certain substances in the brain)
• Anxiety or panic attacks (fear of places, situations or circumstances, which exceeds that which can ordinarily be explained)

Remember when you had to write an exam, which was all important to you and your parents, or present something in front of the class or assembly for the first time…shaky, weren’t you?

I may not be able to identify the cause of your symptoms, but I would advise you take some time off. Stress, if you are undergoing any form of it, (physical, emotional, or psychological) could also be the source of this problem. It’s time to sit back, identify the likely causes and address them from within you to the outward.

For those things/issues you cannot resolve immediately, remember the serenity prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference

Exercise is also a good way to relax and relieve stress. But most importantly visit your doctor who would evaluate you, identify the possible cause of the shaking, and recommend appropriate treatment.

Hope this helps. Best wishes.

***** This post was contributed by a doctor guest blogger.

Have a great night, people 😀

Q: Please what is tampon?

A: Tampons are products like sanitary pads used to absorb menstrual flow. A tampon is cylindrical in shape and has a string at one end that can be used to pull the tampon out. Sometimes, this string may go inside your body but you can usually feel the tampon and pull it out.

There is a dangerous infection that can occur in females who use tampons. It’s called Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). It is not caused by tampons but because tampons in the vagina create a perfect environment for bacteria (staphylococcus aureus in this case) to thrive, a toxin is created that causes severe illness. Young teens with fewer antibodies to the infection are more likely to experience this than older females.

Symptoms of TSS include sudden high fever, headaches, redness of the eyes, mouth and throat, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures etc. If you experience any of these, while wearing a tampon, remove it immediately and contact your doctor.

Here are general rules for using tampons safely:

·      Be careful when inserting tampons. Remember that , Staphylococci, Staph for short, are bacteria which can be found in people’s noses or skin all over the body, minding their own business until a cut or injury occurs giving the germs access into the body. So, introducing an injury while inserting the tampon, increases the chances of TSS.

·      Keep your hands squeaky clean especially when changing tampons

·      Change your tampons every 4 to 6 hours

·      Do NOT let it stay inside you for more than 8 hours.

·      Do NOT use tampons to absorb any fluid other than your menstrual flow. Don’t use it as you would use a panty liner.

·      Alternate between tampons and sanitary pads eg tampons during the day and pads at night.

·      Ensure the tampon is removed very quickly if you observe any of the following:

·      Pelvic pain

·      High temperature

·      Unpleasant smell

·      Vaginal discharge

All the best!

Q: Hey I would like to know if putting bicarbonate of soda is dangerous on the vagina,as I used it to get rid of vaginal smell. It did help but it’s like my vagina shrank. I’ve never slept with a guy before so I am puzzled. Could I even lose my virginity over it I? I know it’s weird but my VJ is not the same anymore. Thanks in advance

A: What you were trying to do is called douching. But first let’s start with a statement of fact….Some degree of vaginal odour is common with all women. The vagina has a natural musky smell. In the same way, some degree of discharge is also normal as the glands in the vagina and cervix produce fluid which wash away dry, dead cells and flush out bacteria. A strong vaginal odour which appears different from normal especially when associated with other symptoms like a burning sensation, itching, discharge etc may be suggestive of a problem…some more easily solved than others.

For instance:
Poor vaginal hygiene. This can be easily remedied by washing the vagina daily with or without soap (if soap is used, unscented or mildly scented soap should be used) and loads of water, not douching, cleaning from the front to the back etc. Vaginal odour may also be more pronounced during a menstrual period and after sexual intercourse. And so, more frequent baths (as much as practicable) during and/or before these periods may be helpful. Frequent change of sanitary towels and tampons are also helpful measures. Forgotten tampons are actually a cause of vaginal odour.

A fishy smell associated with vaginal discharge is suggestive of overgrowth of the vagina by bacteria (bacterial vaginosis). This may be caused by over use of antibiotics or douching.

Douche is a French word which means to clean or soak. People who douche usually inject/spray a mixture of water and vinegar into their vagina. Other douches contain antiseptics and fragrance too. They believe that douching serves one or more of the following functions:

• Cleaning the vagina
• Cleaning out menstrual blood after a period
• Prevent pregnancy
• Prevent STIs
• Get rid of odour

Unfortunately, douching serves none of those purposes and indeed, may even be harmful as you may have noticed with your experience. I suggest that you go see a doctor to get checked out, if you think something is wrong.

To clean the vagina during or after a menstrual period, one does not really need anything other than water. Mild, unscented soap may also be used on the outside. Douching disturbs the natural balance between the good and bad bacteria which live in the vagina, causing other organisms like yeasts to over grow the vagina. So avoid this and other scented feminine hygiene products.

Douching does not prevent pregnancy as loads of sperm may have already swum up to the womb before douching is done, after sexual intercourse. In fact, for those that may not have reached the womb (uterus), the force of douching may very well help deposit the sperm firmly in the uterus 😀 Talk about a boomerang!

STIs cannot be prevented by douching. In fact, if anything, if there is a vaginal infection, douching can actually push it all the way up to the fallopian tubes, potentially. These may lead to pregnancy complications in baby, labor and indeed, preterm delivery.

In summary, leave douching well alone! 😀

Yellow or greenish or frothy discharge with a bad smell with pain and itching while urinating is suggestive of trichomoniasis infection (a sexually transmitted infection)

Some cancers like cervical or vaginal cancer may also cause vaginal odour.

What’s the remedy? Well, if it’s due to lack of vaginal hygiene, that’s easily solved as noted above. If there are other associated symptoms which may suggest other problems, than a proper diagnosis needs to be made so that adequate treatment can be given. So, see a doctor asap.

In the meantime, vaginal hygiene is a good place to start and then, incorporate the other tips noted above.

I hope this helps.

Have a good weekend, y’all