How well do you know your menstrual cycle ?

This post is dedicated to the newly weds. I was at work seeing my patients and I called the next patient, as the door of the consulting room opened a woman came in followed by a man. She introduced him as the husband. This couple came to the hospital to do some tests.
The woman started by saying that they got married 2 months ago and she is not yet pregnant. She came to do tests and scan to know why she is not pregnant yet. She wasn't less than 34 years of age I can understand, may be she doesn't want to waste time in seeking help. I told her that she will be fine that she was in a hurry to get pregnant and that she should relax. I told her that 2 months was too short a time to start thinking that she has a fertility problem.
I started taking her medical history, in the course of our discussion I found out that she doesn't know when she ovulates. I took time to explain to her what ovulation is, how to know when she is ovulating and when to meet her husband. She came back the following month telling me that she was pregnant and wanted to register for her antenatal care.
I have seen a lot women who go straight to a diagnostic centre to do battery of tests and radiological investigations. Trust me those centres will make you do unnecessary tests and radiological investigations.
Please when ever you have any health issue always visit a doctor. It will save you a whole lot of money. Just counselling will solve your problem most times .
Stay healthy guys. Feel free to ask any question .Thanks for visiting.

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Things you should know in your first trimester of pregnancy

Pregnancy is that period for which a woman carries a developing foetus in her womb. For most women is a time of great happiness and fulfilment.
During pregnancy both the woman and her developing foetus face various health risks. For this reason it is important that all pregnancies should be monitored by skilled health professionals.
First trimester is the first 13 weeks of the pregnancy from your last menstrual period(LMP).

You should know the following ;

1. Symptoms: After you have confirmed that you are pregnant, there are symptoms that you will begin to experience like ; Nausea and vomiting(emesis), Fatigue, Ptyalism gravidarum (excessive salivation during pregnancy),Food cravings and aversions,Heightened sense of smell, Dizziness, Swollen breasts,changes in libido, Emotional ups and downs, Increased vaginal discharge. But every woman responds differently to the hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy. These symptoms tend to subside by the end of the 1st trimester.Also note these symptoms could be worse if you have twin or more gestation especially the vomiting (Hyperemesis gravidarum).
2. Early antenatal care : This is very important especially if it is your first pregnancy. Disorders of 1st trimester pregnancies are detected in the first 13 weeks e.g Ectopic pregnancy, gestational trophoblastic disease, miscarriages. You would be taught on what to expect as the pregnancy progresses. Other examinations would be done like Blood pressure, weight etc
3. Self medication; Please avoid treating your self during pregnancy. Some drugs are not safe during pregnancy. Malaria can make you miscarry the pregnancy. Always see your doctor whenever you have symptoms like fever, headache,abdominal pains, vaginal spotting or bleeding etc
4. Blood tests: You have to visit your doctor so that some tests could be done to prevent passing infection to the foetus. HIV is mandatory because you have to be started on drugs to prevent transmission to the foetus. Others are Hepatitis B and C, TORCHES screen, Blood glucose test Urinalysis, Blood group, Genotype etc 
5. Ultrasound Scan; This is important because we have seen cases of ectopic pregnancies that was diagnosed late and the woman died due to excessive blood loss. The scan helps to show if the foetus is intrauterine or outside the womb. It can also rule out other abnormalities in the foetus. 
6. Co-morbidities; If you already have other existing medical conditions,please let your doctor know like Diabetes, Hypertension, Sickle cell disease(SCD) , Epilepsy etc . The drugs you take might not be safe in pregnancy. Your doctor will give you a safer drug during your pregnancy so that it does not affect your child. This also places the pregnancy as high risk. 
7. Smoking and Alcohol consumption; Pregnant women should avoid these to prevent foetal abnormalities.
8. Supplements : Folic acid and other vitamins are essential for the normal growth of your baby and to prevent some congenital malformations.
9. Foods; Eat your normal diet and take lots of vegetables, fruits and water. 
10. Sex; Is not totally out of place during pregnancy. There are times you might not be in the mood but then you have to communicate with your partner. If you experience any vaginal bleeding please stop and consult your doctor.
11. Exercise; There are exercises that are done during pregnancy. Please not vigorous ones, very mild ones are good. If you are having vaginal bleeding please stop. 
12. Undergarments; Use more of cotton under wears during pregnancy. They are more comfortable because they tend to absorb the excessive secretions, bigger bra sizes will accommodate the breasts that are enlarging. You can also use pant liners for excessive vaginal secretions. 
13. Make a budget; Cost of having a baby could be enormous especially if it is your first. You need to find out the cost of having a normal delivery and a C-section, babies feeding and clothes, the vaccines the baby will have as he/she grows, baby's toys etc. Start early to svae towards that.
14. Health Insurance; Having a  health insurance is always the best so that you don't run into financial crises. Some time ago I was at the hospital reception and this man was crying because he was asked to deposit some huge amount of money before a c-section could be done on the wife because she could not deliver normally. Obviously he didn't make plans for a C-section. Always make plans for circumstances like this,don't  always think that you must have an SVD( spontaneous vaginal delivery); always make a budget that will cover for a c-section, use a hospital that is pocket friendly or better still get a health Insurance that can cover it.

The symptoms of the first trimester are endless. Please feel free to ask questions for more clarifications. You can also contribute to the post.Have a safe delivery if your are pregnant.
Thanks for visiting .

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Mum 'died of heroin overdose' in baby's hospital room as dad was also passed out from drug

Couple were known in their small town as doting church-going parents of the seven-month-old girl.

A mother died of an apparent heroin overdose in front of her seven-month-old daughter while inside the baby’s hospital room.

Nearby the girl’s father was found unconscious after he too took the drug while visiting.

The death of Mary Ann Landers has shocked the small town of Trinity, Alabama, where she and her husband where known as doting church-going parents.

Just hours before the 32-year-old died on Wednesday the couple had taken to Facebook to update the progress of their daughter who had undergone surgery.

The mother was later found slumped on the floor at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre and her husband Wesley Landers was discovered unconscious in nearby room.

He was found with a heroin syringe in his arm and revived with Narcan. Another two syringes were nearby on the bathroom counter, documents state.

The father has since been arrested and faces charges of possession of drugs, carrying a concealed weapon, having weapons while under disability and possessing drug abuse instruments.

A judge ruled for his bond to be set at $500,000 (£344,000) bond.

“It just goes to show you how strong the grip is of drugs,” said Hamilton CountyCoroner Dr Lakshmi Kode Sammarco.

She added that in just the last two weeks, her office has investigated more than 20 overdose related deaths.

“There is just something inherently wrong with bringing a child to a very specialised medical centre, one of the best in the world, and then making a really bad mistake and losing your own life,” Dr. Sammarco added.

The Landers daughter had been admitted to the hospital in Cincinnati for a trachea reconstruction surgery.

Officials said the surgery went well, and the baby is recovering.

Police continue to investigate the incident.

"I've got to say now nothing really surprises me,” said Chief Tom Synan of the Hamilton County Heroin Coalition.

"It is shocking where it happened, how it happened. You're right there with your child.”

Mirror.co.uk

There was a similar post where I outlined causes of people dying in their sleep. Drug overdose was one of them. Read HERE to see other causes.

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Cholera vaccine supply set to double, easing global shortage

The global supply of oral cholera vaccines (OCV) is set to double after WHO approved a third producer, helping to address global shortages and expand access in more countries. In 2013 the WHO created the world’s first OCV stockpile. Since then a total of 4 million doses to 11 countries have been used in humanitarian crises, outbreaks, and in endemic hotspots.
Source; WHO.

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Police Inspector dies mysteriously 12 hours after promotion in Ondo

A mysterious incident happened in Ondo state at the weekend when a police inspector named Usman Kadiri stationed at the Yaba Police division in Ondo state suddenly died in his sleep.

One of his colleagues who spoke on his sudden death, said; "Kadiri was in charge of traffic control. On that faithful night, he got a message from our headquarters in Akure that he has been promoted to the position of a station officer and we were all happy.‎"

His colleagues further stated that he was in a happy mood on that night and celebrated his promotion with his colleagues and friends before everyone went to their various homes. He also left for his home which was like 2 poles to the station.

He narrated further that suddenly they heard a noise from the new inspector's home in the wee hours of the following morning that Kadiri died in his sleep. 

His sudden death was said to have caused commotion in the station that day. Now all other police officers are said to be afraid to take up the position he left.  Three other police officers were penciled to take up the position but they all rejected it.

I have heard a lot about this story. Things like African jazz, his village people were not happy with him, he must have wronged somebody in the past and all that jazz.

The truth is that we can never be sure of what happened until an autopsy is conducted on the deceased.There are medical conditions which can occur at any time even in your sleep and you may not wake up again.

Such conditions can be seen in Stroke,Heart diseases, Ruptured aneurysm, Drug/alcohol intoxication, Carbon monoxide poisoning etc The list is endless. 

I did a post on yearly comprehensive body check  HERE. This will help you know your health status.

Thanks for visiting 

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Lassa Fever Death Toll on the rise

Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has revealed that over 40 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak of the deadly viral disease, Lassa Fever in Nigeria.Speaking at a press conference in Abuja today, Adewole said the viral disease which is spread by infected rodents, has spread to ten states in the last six weeks since the first case was reported in November.

He said: “In the last six weeks Nigeria has been experiencing Lassa fever outbreak which so far has affected 10 states in the country. The states affected include Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo, Plateau, Gombe and Oyo state.

“The total number so far reported is 86 and 40 deaths with the mortality rate of 45%. Our laboratories have confirmed 22 cases so far, indicative of a new round trip of Lassa fever outbreak.”

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Bizare Scarification Marks

A few months ago, I met this little girl of about 1yr plus some months  at one of  the centres of NIMC( National Identity Management Commission) . The parents of the little girl came to have their data captured. I was waiting  patiently for my turn when the little girl ran towards where I was .She stood there for a while smiling. I said to her , 'how are you cutie'?  She had a scarification mark on her face , to be precise on the outer corners of her eyes.
I turned to the mother and asked her why she did that to the pretty girl's face in this 21st century.    She answered me by saying " she was always falling ill and rolling up her eyes"
This mark prevents the illnesses. The father joined in the conversation and buttressed the point. I started telling them the risks the child will face  when they use unsterilized sharp objects to make the marks.
The father truncated my discussion by saying that they use new razor blades . I counselled both parents but I ended up not convincing them because the father told me that he will do same on the unborn children.
I was dumb struck and didn't know what else to tell them so that they can change the ideas they have about the scarification marks.
At that moment I felt I have lost the match . There is this feeling we get as medical doctors when you treat your patient and when you are able to counsel your patient and he accepts the idea. It was just different in this  case.
In Nigeria , there are different scarification marks that are peculiar to a particular tribe. Those of the Yorubas, Hausas  and Ibos are quite different from each other. I know about religious or cultural reasons for having scarification marks on the body but my post will focus on the health related aspects of the marks.
These marks are seen on the face , on the back, on the chest , on the abdomen or any other part of the body
They are mostly performed by herbalists, traditional healers etc .They use herbs, roots, plants etc which are ground and applied into the incisions made.
The medium to educate people decades ago was absent but now we have different media where people could be educated about their healths. People still do it but we wont relent in passing the word down to the grass roots, the need to stop such practises.


 The scarification marks are done for the following reasons;
1. Seizures (convulsions) ; This is  what they refer as 'akwukwu' in igbo language , 'giri' in yoruba  or jijjiga or 'farfadiya ' in hausa. In seizures there is sudden disruption of the normal electrical activity of the brain leading to altered consciousness, abnormal repetitive muscle jerking and other neurological deficits. 
2. Swelling in any part of the body e.g on the abdomen
3. Hyperactive precordium(left side of the chest): Here there is visible beating of the  heart seen on the chest 
4. Jaundiced children
5. Children that always  fall sick


 Complications that could arise are as follows;
6. There could be infection at the site of the incision
7. HIV and viral hepatitis  could be contracted when unsterilized sharp objects are used
8. Hypertrophic scars or keloids  could develop depending on the type of incision made .
9. Death could occur due to sepsis  or even the disease it self
The summary of this is  that making marks on any part of the body does not cure or prevent any seizure or any other disease .  
Always  bring the child or the adult to the hospital for immediate medical intervention. For prevention, vaccination is the key.
Please quit all those harmful traditional practises. Please do share your experiences and you can also contribute to the post.
Stay healthy people. Thanks  for  visiting. 

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