Ask the doctor - PUNCH

November 3, 2013 by Agency Reporter 

Doctors stethoscope

Hello doctor. What are the over the counter measures and drugs to treat herpes here in Nigeria? Please I need urgent answers. Thank you and God bless you.     0814398xxxx

I am not aware of any over the counter measures designed to treat herpes. You need to have a diagnosis which only your doctor can provide for you. After that is done, you can then have treatment.

Hello doctor. I am a 45-year-old woman. I have been having an itching sensation on my left breast for some months now. Though there is no lump, I am worried.    0805646xxxx

Itching in the breast does not signify an ailment. Pain does, no matter how slight as long as it appears to be persistent. I would advise that you see your doctor for a physical examination and any relevant investigations he deems fit so as to allay your fears.

Good day doctor, I have a 14-year-old son in SS1 who still pees when he is asleep. All efforts to stop him have been futile. Please what can I do? 0803516xxxx 

Please do not give up on your son. He will probably stop on his own suddenly, but I cannot tell you when that will be. As a result of that, I will say you should give him some medications meant for that purpose, it is called Imipramine. He can use 25mg every night for four weeks and let us evaluate his response to it.

Good day sir. I am a 35-year-old with a 13-year-old son. I have been trying to get pregnant for some time now but I have irregular periods. It does not flow normally and it is not more than two days. I was told it is hormonal imbalance. Please what drugs can I take to correct this so that I can get pregnant soon?  Thank you very much. Worried lady     0810736xxxx

The pattern of your cycle may indeed be indicative of irregular cycles. When you have such a problem, it is always better to conduct a hormone profile to identify the particular hormone or hormones that is/are responsible so that you can be given targeted treatment which should work. As you get older, these problems become more difficult to treat so do this test quickly as your doctor directs you to do.

Good day doctor, I read your column about “Being One’s Enemy’ in SUNDAY PUNCH. It is an expert advice and tips on how to take reasonable decisions at the right time. Thanks.    0807724xxxx

Thank you very much. Healthy living and the strategies for doing so are what this column hopes to empower people with.

Good day, sir. I always enjoy your column in SUNDAY PUNCH. Thanks for the enlightenment. Please I had a lump removed from my left breast in February but I still feel some pains till now and the scan revealed that the lump was not cancerous. Sometimes I feel pain in the left shoulder and breast. I have complained to my doctor and he says it is normal, that the place is still healing. Please is it normal to still feel pain eight months after an operation?  0815701xxxx

Pain after an operation depends on the type of operation done and the site of the operation. So, pain can occur after eight months, but it is not usual. What I assume is that your doctor conducted a histopathology test on the tissue he removed from your breast rather than a scan and if you remain uncomfortable, you can seek a second opinion from another doctor. That you feel pains in both the shoulder and breast demands some further examination and it would be better if you do that soon.

Good day, doctor. I’d like to know what type of drug should be used if a person has a toilet disease? Please reply. God bless you.   0813002xxxx

We have discussed this topic before in an earlier edition and said then that infections which are called “toilet diseases or toilet infections” have nothing actually to do with the toilet. So we cannot recommend any drug for you based on an assumption. You will need to have a swab taken in the vagina and the discharge obtained cultured in a lab. When you do so, the particular drug that can treat your ailment will be obvious.

Doctor, I just read your column today “Ask the doctor”. Please what has camphor got to do with jaundice in babies and how do babies contract it?  inaadetan@xxx.com

It is one of those quirks of nature. Camphor is basically a white flammable compound that has a strong aromatic odour. That means it has a complex carbon chain. It has a wide variety of actions on the body. In small doses, it causes a rapid heartbeat, reduced appetite, dilatation of the vessels of the skin making people look pale, slower breathing, increased secretions in the mouth and increased excretion such as sweating and urination. In larger doses, it is actually poisonous. It causes muscle spasms, irritability, lethargy, vomiting, abdominal cramps, convulsions and even seizures. In the newborn, because their skin is so supple, camphor is easily absorbed through that skin and taken up into the system where it attacks the wall of the red blood cells, causing them damage and early death in large numbers. This is most pronounced in children who have G6PD deficiency, an enzyme which is supposed to make the red blood cells resist injury. The effect of all this is jaundice which can cross into the brain and poison it, thus causing a moron to develop or death. Other ways in which a newborn might contract jaundice was discussed in the SUNDAY PUNCH edition of 22/09/2013

Good day, doctor, I am 20 years old now and my penis is not enlarging as it is still the same as it was when I was 15 years of age. I need a drug for penis enlargement.    makindeb@xxx.com

Was the penis small at 15 years? Have you yourself increased in size since then? You have to see a urologist for a proper assessment. Although you have not given us any figures here about the size of your penis, it is important to know if it is an abnormally small size or not. Now if you have already attained a large penile size at age 15 years, your body might have decided that any further significant increase is of no use to you and so it could have denied you of that extra. I do not know of any drugs that can enlarge your penis at your age.