chatwithketch

Q: What is the cure for bed-wetting at age 13?

A: Hello. Thanks for writing in. Bedwetting is a huge challenge in childhood!

Bedwetting is usually due to an increase in the amount of urine usually contained in the bladder, an over-reactive bladder or small bladder or it may be due to a heavy sleeper who does not get or respond to the urge to void when he/she gets that urge while asleep. In childhood, ensuring the child urinates just before he goes to bed, limiting the amount of fluid he takes in the evening (some studies have shown no significant improvement with this strategy), encouraging the child to use the bathroom regularly during the day or using bedwetting alarms may help a child get through this period. A bedwetting alarm is an under-pant with a sensor clipped in. The sensor ‘senses’ (obviously :D) urine once a drop falls on the panty and thus triggers the alarm. The alarm ‘hopefully’ wakes up the child who then goes to the bathroom. In other cases, a drug may be used for over-reactive bladders. If a child had previously stopped bedwetting and starts up again, it may be due to emotional issues like having to cope with a new sibling, changing schools, moving houses etc. You may want to have a chat and find out what’s going on.

Remember that screaming at the child and embarrassing him in front of other people is not helpful. In fact, it is counter-productive as the child becomes unco-operative. Trust me…every child who bed-wets hates it and is absolutely embarrassed by it. And by the way, as a parent, consider that bedwetting appears to run in families and so your child is only exhibiting what he’s been given 😀 So, give the young man or woman a break!

Now, other causes of bedwetting which include Diabetes Mellitus, urinary tract infections, abnormalities of the urinary tract etc. can also lead to night bedwetting (known as nocturnal enuresis)/ He/she has to be checked out in the hospital so that a proper diagnosis can be made.

For more on this topic, please click on this link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/11/24/daily-health-tip-adult-bed-wetting/

Have a great night, people 😀

We all want the perfect smile…that flash of white healthy looking teeth that tugs at someone’s heart and melts someone else’s own. We want these for ourselves and our children. But sometimes, the damage to those perfect smiles is done long before they become adults. Here are 6 don’ts to aid the development of healthy teeth in children. Read! https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-6-donts-of-caring-for-your-childs-teeth-2019061716887

‘ The world looks sunny after a great night’s rest. But it’s a different story when sleep is frequently interrupted. A lack of Zs makes it harder to think and easier to become irritated and anxious.  ‘ Read!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/top-4-reasons-why-youre-not-sleeping-through-the-night

Q: Please what causes itching rashes on the body?

A: Body itching can be caused by different conditions including:

• Skin reactions to heat or allergies
• Skin conditions like eczema, dandruff or psoriasis. For more on eczema and dandruff, please click on these links https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/03/01/daily-health-tips-what-can-i-do-about-the-eczema-on-my-skin/; https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/05/18/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-help-with-dandruff/
• Parasitic infestations like scabies. For more on scabies, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/07/22/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-scabies/
• Fungal infections like jock itch or athlete’s foot. For more on scabies, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2018/03/31/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-athletes-foot/
• Hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause
• Other medical conditions like thyroid, liver or kidney problems
• Dry, cracked or irritated skin. For more on eczema and dandruff, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/12/29/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-i-itch-after-every-bath/
• Nerve dysfunction
• Medications

Treatment of skin rashes is, of course dependent on the cause. It may include any or a combination of medications (anti-histamines), wet dressings on affected areas and phototherapy. If the itch is severe enough to affect your daily life, lasts more than 2 weeks, keeps coming back, is all over your body, is associated with other symptoms like yellowness of the eyes, please see your doctor immediately. 

What can you do at home to provide relief and minimize harm to yourself? I’ll split them into dos and don’ts

Dos

• Keep your nails short so that you don’t do mortal damage if you do scratch J
• Or if you don’t want to do that, you could wear gloves to sleep at night – that way, even when you scratch unconsciously, no harm done
• Try patting the itchy part instead of scratching
• A cold compress held against the itchy part can also help reduce itching
• Wear more cotton fabrics to allow your skin breathe and not chaff your skin
• Use cotton beddings for the same reason

Don’ts

• Avoid hot baths. Keep bath water cool or lukewarm. Want to know why? Read this!
• Avoid vigorous drying off after a bath. Dab your skin dry
• Avoid perfumed products – soap, deodorants, shower gels, lotions etc
• Avoid tight-fitting clothes. They make a bad matter (itch) worse
• Avoid harsh detergents for laundry
• Avoid spicy foods – they increase blood flow to the skin and make itching worse

Have a good evening 😀

Q: Dear: Doctor I’m 9 weeks pregnant and going through threatened miscarriage I’m bleeding heavy with clots I go to my doctor regularly but I always get the same answer that my baby is still there I just need bed rest. This bleeding worries me a lot, is there anything I can do to stop the bleeding?

A: A threatened miscarriage also known as threatened abortion is vaginal bleeding that occurs within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bleeding is sometimes accompanied by abdominal cramps indicating that a miscarriage is possible

Causes of threatened abortion include the placenta trying to latch on to the wall of the uterus (womb), vaginal infections, damage to the cervix, blood clot around the amniotic sac.

Your obstetrician will make this diagnosis with an ultrasound scan. If a heartbeat is present irrespective of your symptoms, then it is a threatened abortion. Absence of a heartbeat signifies a miscarriage

Treatment is as your doctor has already told you – take time off and rest! 😀 I know a lot of times, if we are not loaded with meds and/or given injections or admitted as inpatients, it appears our doctors are not doing enough. But you don’t need that. There’s nothing that will be done in the hospital that a lot of rest and relaxation will not fix.

Speaking of relaxation, a threatened abortion is one reason why a doctor may issue some restrictions on sexual activity during pregnancy. So, please abstain until bleeding has stopped.

Continue to attend your antenatal classes as discussed with your doctor and please seek help in the hospital if bleeding becomes heavier or turns bright red.

All the best!

‘Decongestants commonly used by people with allergies, such as pseudoephedrine (eg Actifed) and phenylephrine (eg Sudafed PE), constrict small blood vessels in the nose. Although this eases nasal congestion and improves breathing, the effect isn’t limited to the nose’. Blood vessels all over the body are constricted causing the heart to work that much harder pumping blood all over the body. Excessive use of nasal decongestants can lead to rebound nasal congestion after the decongestant is stopped. And so, one ends up with the same situation they were trying to solve from the beginning plus an elevated blood pressure!  So, if you must, do not use your nasal decongestants for more than three days.

Read! https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/can-allergies-cause-high-blood-pressure