chatwithketch

Q: Hello Doctor, my Baby Is 3 months and since yesterday he has been pooping blood mucus close to 7 times a day. What is the cause and how can I treat it? He also has some white discharge on his penis

A: Hey! Thanks for writing in and congratulations on your brand new baby!

As you may have noticed, your baby’s poop has gone through some colour changes since birth. Here’s a guide on what to expect:

• Black or dark green. Newborn poop is called meconium and it is typically black, sticky and hard to remove. Quick tip: after each diaper change, just slather some petroleum jelly on baby’s bottom. This keeps baby’s buttocks nice and clean from meconium. The next time baby poops, the poop will slide right off!
• Yellow-green. As the baby starts breastfeeding and digesting breast milk, the black meconium gives way to yellow-green coloured poop
• Yellow. Breast-fed babies typically have yellow-coloured loose stools
• Yellow or brown. Formula-fed babies have yellow or brown stools with hints of green. Consistency is more firm than that of breast-fed babies

However, blood in stool is never a good idea and should always be checked out in the hospital. Sometimes mums can mistake red-coloured stools due to foods like tomatoes and medicines like amoxicillin for blood in stool. But where in doubt, always err on the side of caution and see your baby’s paediatrician. Possible causes of blood in stool include:

• Cow’s Milk Colitis. Symptoms include loose, slimy stools which can have blood streaks and starts within the first 2 months of life. To prevent this, please do not give babies cow milk formula until one full year of age
• Anal Fissure. It is possible that the baby’s stool is hard enough to cause a tear of the skin lining the anus leading to the blood seen with the stool. Exclusively breast-fed babies usually do not have this problem
• Strep Skin Infection. A Streptococcal skin infection around the anus can also cause blood-streaked stools.
• Bacterial Diarrhea. Stomach infection with E.Coli or salmonella etc can lead to blood streaks in stool

Regarding the penile discharge, possible causes include smegma and balanitis

Both of these conditions could be due to poor hygiene.

Smegma, a natural penile lubricant, is a cheesy looking discharge that builds up on the head of the penis and under the foreskin, if the penis is not washed daily. It can become a rich culture medium for bacteria, prevent foreskin movement and eventually start to smell. This situation can lead to balanitis.

Treatment depends on cause. Antibiotic or antifungal medicine will be prescribed for infections. Steroids may be used for inflammation. Urinary catheters may be inserted for children with difficulty in urinating. Circumcision helps prevent recurrence of this problem etc. Symptoms typically disappear after about 3 to 5 days of treatment.

In the meantime,

• Clean the area daily gently retracting the foreskin. If you’re not sure how to do this, please be guided by the medical personnel providing care for your baby.
• To prevent spread of infection, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after caring for your baby’s penis and as he grows up, teach your baby to do the same

Balanitis is skin irritation of the head of the penis which presents with itching. Causes include:

Bacteria, fungus or yeast (candidiasis)

Irritation under the foreskin caused by urine

Use of shower gels, soaps and other skin irritants

Skin conditions like eczema

Cleaning the penis too much or too little (poor hygiene)

Diaper rash

All the best!

Q: Good evening Doctor, job well done. Please Doc, my fiancé didn’t have erection recently. Please what might cause pile and what is the solution ma’am? Thank you

A: Erectile dysfunction, also known as impotence, occurs when a man is no longer able to get or maintain an erection sufficiently enough to have sexual intercourse. It may be dramatic in some men, such that where they used to want intercourse very frequently, they find that there is reduced sexual desire.

Oftentimes, this may be due to just stress and better stress coping mechanisms help. However, because this is a sensitive topic, many men do not seek medical help such that this causes significant strain in their relationships. Other causes include depressions, relationship challenges, high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, high blood sugar, obesity, some medications, tobacco use, substance abuse, alcoholism etc

His doctor will probably order some tests to confirm possible cause(s) and then decide on a course of action. Now I know that quite a number of men are quick to go and buy Viagra and some even overdose on it thinking the more they take the better the performance 😀 Please don’t do that! More seriously, these drugs are not for everyone and so if he has Diabetes Mellitus, heart disease, if he has had a stroke etc, please he needs to mention these to his doctor…and indeed he should not self-prescribe any of these (or indeed any other) drugs for himself.

Treatment depends on cause. If this is emotional, psychological or due to stress etc, some degree of counselling may help. Other treatment options include oral medications like Sildenafil (Viagra), penis pumps, implants, injections etc. Let him speak with his doctor to find out what options are available to him.

Remember that this does not mean that your partner no longer desires you. To encourage him, please be a part of his therapy. Encourage your partner to be open about what is going on to his doctor so he can work with him to find the ideal solution.

And for pile, click on this link for more information on causes and treatment: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/07/24/daily-health-tips-help-please-i-have-chronic-piles-haemorrhoids-2/

All the best!

Bad breath, also called halitosis, may be as a result of poor hygiene habits, eating strong smelling foods or could be a sign of other medical conditions. If adequate dental hygiene is not maintained, food particles can remain in our mouths, encouraging bacterial growth bacteria in our mouths can break down food particles and raise a serious stink. Proper dental hygiene habits includes: Brushing your teeth twice a day (this sounds like a ‘no-brainer’ but the right technique is important. Mentally divide your mouth into four quadrants and spend at least 30 seconds on each quadrant. This way, you spend a minimum of 2 minutes brushing)Brushing your tongue (if you finish brushing and you can still see all that whitish residue on your tongue, you haven’t done a good job. Some of the smell comes from there. Some tooth brushes come with a tongue scraper at the back of the brush…use that. If not, buy one or just use your brush) Flossing your teeth everyday. Ask for this in your local super markets. This gets rid of the food particles between your teeth where your tooth brush can’t reach. Using a mouth wash can also help the prevention of mouth odour. Eating strong smelling foods like onions and garlic could also cause mouth odour which may not be taken care of by brushing. This is because these ‘foods’ are absorbed into the blood stream and excreted through the lungs. So, the smell will persist until excretion is complete. The small can be masked with mouth wash etc Disease conditions that can lead to bad breath include mouth infections, Diabetes Mellitus, sinus infection etc. Other conditions like use of tobacco (chewing or smoking), some drugs and dry mouth (which is the reason for morning breath :D) are also culprits. Prevention is focused on the tips given above and ensuring that you visit your dentist at least twice a year, brushing at least twice a day (if not after every meal) with a fluoride tooth paste (remember that fluoride is not recommended for children less than 2-3 years and even then, only a pea size is recommended), change your tooth brush once every three months and drink lots of water. Let’s keep the pearls shining and the breath smelling really fresh.By the way, would you tell a friend, if he/she had bad breath? I asked that question during one of my shows and most people didn’t want to be the one that causes offence by telling someone that they have bad breath. However, most people also wanted to be told if they had bad breath. So, who will bell the cat? :dDid you miss the show? Catch it here and watch me have fun putting OC Ukeje on the hot spot. https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/05/03/watch-the-dr-ketch-show-episode-on-bad-breath-here/

Read Harvard Health’s take on this here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/bad-breath-what-causes-it-and-what-to-do-about-it

Have a good evening, y’all 😀

Ever heard of brain food? Foods that improve the health if your brain and make sure you remain sharp? Well, the usual suspects made the list but there are a few surprises! Read!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/foods-linked-to-better-brainpower

Q: Hi Dr. ketch is it possible to give birth at 8 months? I’ve been having abdominal pains for 2 days now the baby keeps tossing and turning? Could this be labor pains or not?

A: Abdominal pain in pregnancy may or may not be serious.

Harmless causes include:

·      Constipation

·      Gas

·      The growing womb (uterus)

·      Braxton-Hicks contractions (these are ‘fake’ contractions preparing the womb for the main even :D)

Serious causes of pain during pregnancy include:

·      Ectopic pregnancy. To learn about ectopic pregnancy, please click on this link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/08/07/daily-health-tips-what-are-my-options-after-ectopic-pregnancy-and-failed-ivf/

·      Pre-term labour. To learn about this, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/07/28/daily-health-tips-am-i-leaking-amniotic-fluid-liquor-amnii/

·      Miscarriage. To read more on miscarriage, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/07/23/daily-health-tips-im-scared-of-getting-pregnant-after-two-miscarriages/

·      Placental abruption. To learn more, click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/03/26/daily-health-tips-placental-abruption/

·      Urinary tract infection. To learn more, please click on this link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2016/02/19/daily-health-tips-re-visiting-chronic-utis/

·      Pre-eclampsia. To learn more, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/10/23/daily-health-tips-protein-in-urine-during-pregnancy/

Having said all these, you probably have no way of knowing what is harmless or not. So err on the side of caution and see your doctor if ‘it just doesn’t feel right’.

Can a baby be born at 8 months? Well, the simple answer is yes. A premature baby comes into the world before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Babies born prematurely have to be in intensive care (Special Care Baby Unit) so as to give them a fighting chance. They are prone to having problems like apnea(where the baby sometimes stops breathing), anaemia (shortage of sufficient number of red blood cells to carry oxygen round the body), respiratory problems and low blood pressure etc.

Who is at risk of having a premature baby? Sometimes we don’t really know the cause, but it has been observed in mothers younger than 19 years of age and older than 40 years. Some cases can be brought on by chronic diseases which the mother already had before pregnancy like hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus or could be due to Urinary Tract Infections, other diseases of the heart or kidney, due to abnormal positions of the placenta in pregnancy or due to multiple pregnancy (carrying more than one baby in the womb eg twins). Smoking, drinking alcohol, drug abuse and failure of the mother to feed well during pregnancy are other factors that can lead to prematurity.

So, I suggest you go see your doctor immediately for proper evaluation. Hopefully, the pains are from Braxton Hicks contractions (your womb rehearsing for the real labour). 

All the best!

Q: Good day Doctor. What are the early signs of pregnancy?
A: Pregnancy symptoms are always present but may be masked or mild in some people and assumed to be something else in other people. For instance, if pregnancy occurs at the same time one is going through a stressful time, there may be an assumption that this is due to stress or even the flu. I put down my own symptoms of pregnancy (during my first) to malaria! This situation is even worse in women who have irregular periods and thus may not notice the absence of a period. In some cases, women bleed and also assume that this is normal menstruation throughout their pregnancy. Generally, symptoms of pregnancy include: • Breast tenderness• Discharge: A thin milky discharge is normal during pregnancy• Heart burn and Constipation• Frequency of urination• Tiredness• Food cravings and aversions• Morning sickness/nausea So, if you do suspect that you are pregnant, get yourself tested with a home test kit or see your doctor so he/she can order a pregnancy test for you. Have a good night, y’all 😀