I trust you’re having a great week! I know I promised to
do a series on first-aid and I'm obviously not done yet. But there’s a more
pressing issue I would like to share with you. A friend of one of our readers, Bukola
Adeyemi needs all the help and support she can get.
Bukkie Adeyemi at LUTH
Who is Adebukola
Adeyemi?
Bukola, a young lady in her mid 20’s with a promising career until her health got in the way of it all. She's a graduate of Mathematics from the University of Lagos and a National Diploma holder in Estate Managment from Yaba Polytechnic.
The once very vibrant,
outgoing and vivacious Bukky is now hooked to a haemodialysis machine at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH)
Ward A3.
She struggled to see herself through school having lost her father at a tender age of 15. Bukky has always been a strong and focused person who rarely visited the hospital for any illness. Earlier this year she lost her mother and thus became an orphan. This diagnosis came just a few months after securing her first job after her NYSC which she completed in 2010 in Abuja.
We all know that dialysis are expensive as it
currently cost N100, 000 weekly
and her family has practically run dry caring for her. She would require a
kidney transplant. The procedure would cost about N9,
000,000(Nine million naira) at an hospital in India.
Adebukola cannot survive without getting a transplant so it’s
a matter of life and death here so please keep this at the back of your mind.
Donate whatever you can and get others to donate as well.
This case means a lot to me because her life is on the line
and the only thing between her and a healthy and normal life is money.
My dear friends, readers, and supporters out there, I appeal
to you today to make your donation. Any amount would do. You can carry out the
transfer over the internet, walk into a bank and donate whatever you can
afford.
No one ever imagines that they'd be hooked to a machine so
young and so early in their lives or even ever.
Her account details
are:
Name: Adebukola Adeyemi
Acc Num: 3061412656
Bank: First Bank
Give and it will come back to you.
Let’s create some awareness for Bukola You can #SaveBukola and include
her account details.
Dear Aunty Nurse Readers, The week is almost over. I bet some of you are excited it almost Friday.
As promised, I'm continuing the series on First-Aid. Today's topic is CPR - Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or in simpler terms, Rescue Breaths.
Rescue breaths are only given to unconscious individuals who are obviously not breathing.
How to check for breathing: 1. Chest and abdomen - The chest rises and drops when a person is breathing but remains stiff if the person isn't. 2. Listen: Place your face close to the victims nose to feel the air coming out of the nostrils
If you're able to confirm that the individual is not breathing. The image below gives an accurate illustration of how to give CPR.
If for any reason (you have no CPR mask), you do not feel comfortable giving the breaths, you can give the chest compressions only.
Remember to keep the head tilted backwards and watch that the chest rises you give a breath.
In emergencies such as drowning, there's no need to check for signs of breathing, if the individual is unconscious, go ahead and give CPR.
Try to rehearse this procedure with a dummy a number of times. When you need it you'll be glad you practiced.
To get a first aid kit with a CPR mask, call: 08168974831 Signed Aunty Nurse
Dear Aunty Nurse Readers, Have you ever choked on food or watched a child choke on a little piece of toy or anything of that sort? Do you remember what you did? Many times we give water and giving water is the average response but is it the right one?
First aid for choking babies
Once my room-mate went to bed with Tom Tom (mint) in her mouth. She woke up in the middle of the night and started to cough. I remembered that I had given her Tom Tom just before bed and somehow my brain responded so quickly. I had seen a movie where someone was choking in a restaurant and the person performed what I now know is called the Heimlich Manoeuvre so I did the same thing and the tablet flew out of her mouth. I was so relieved that I knew what to do and so we went back to bed and that was that. The first thing you need to learn is the universal sign for choking. How to let people know you're choking? Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic:
Choking occurs when a foreign object becomes lodged in the throat or windpipe, blocking the flow of air. In adults, a piece of food often is the culprit. Young children often swallow small objects. Because choking cuts off oxygen to the brain, administer first aid as quickly as possible.
The universal sign for choking is hands clutched to the throat. If the person doesn't give the signal, look for these indications:
Inability to talk
Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing
Inability to cough forcefully
Skin, lips and nails turning blue or dusky
Loss of consciousness
If choking is occurring, the Red Cross recommends a "five-and-five" approach to delivering first aid:
Give 5 back blows. First, deliver five back blows between the person's shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
Give 5 abdominal thrusts. Perform five abdominal thrusts (also known as the Heimlich Manoeuvre).
Alternate between 5 blows and 5 thrusts until the blockage is dislodged.
The American Heart Association doesn't teach the back blow technique, only the abdominal thrust procedures. It's OK not to use back blows, if you haven't learned the technique. Both approaches are acceptable.
To perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich Manoeuvre) on someone else:
Stand behind the person. Wrap your arms around the waist. Tip the person forward slightly.
Make a fist with one hand. Position it slightly above the person's navel.
Grasp the fist with the other hand. Press hard into the abdomen with a quick, upward thrust as if trying to lift the person up.
Perform a total of 5 abdominal thrusts, if needed. If the blockage still isn't dislodged, repeat the five-and-five cycle.
If you're the only rescuer, perform back blows and abdominal thrusts before calling 123 or your local emergency number for help. If another person is available, have that person call for help while you perform first aid.
If the person becomes unconscious, perform standard CPR with chest compressions and rescue breaths.
To perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich Manoeuvre) on yourself:
First, if you're alone and choking and you have a landline phone, your local emergency number (123 for LASEMS, Lagos only) immediately. Then, although you'll be unable to effectively deliver back blows to yourself, you can still perform abdominal thrusts to dislodge the item.
Place a fist slightly above your navel.
Grasp your fist with the other hand and bend over a hard surface — a countertop or chair will do.
Shove your fist inward and upward.
Clearing the airway of a pregnant woman or obese person:
Position your hands a little bit higher than with a normal Heimlich Manoeuvre, at the base of the breastbone, just above the joining of the lowest ribs.
Proceed as with the Heimlich maneuver, pressing hard into the chest, with a quick thrust.
Repeat until the food or other blockage is dislodged or the person becomes unconscious.
Clearing the airway of an unconscious person:
Lower the person on his or her back onto the floor.
Clear the airway. If there's a visible blockage at the back of the throat or high in the throat, reach a finger into the mouth and sweep out the cause of the blockage. Be careful not to push the food or object deeper into the airway, which can happen easily in young children.
Begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if the object remains lodged and the person doesn't respond after you take the above measures. The chest compressions used in CPR may dislodge the object. Remember to recheck the mouth periodically.
Clearing the airway of a choking infant younger than age 1:
Assume a seated position and hold the infant facedown on your forearm, which is resting on your thigh.
Thump the infant gently but firmly five times on the middle of the back using the heel of your hand. The combination of gravity and the back blows should release the blocking object.
Hold the infant faceup on your forearm with the head lower than the trunk if the above doesn't work. Using two fingers placed at the center of the infant's breastbone, give five quick chest compressions.
Repeat the back blows and chest thrusts if breathing doesn't resume. Call for emergency medical help. 123 for Lagos, Nigeria.
Begin infant CPR if one of these techniques opens the airway but the infant doesn't resume breathing.
If the child is older than age 1, give abdominal thrusts only.
To prepare yourself for these situations, learn the Heimlich Manoeuvre and CPR in a certified first-aid training course.
First aid for chocking for all age groups
I hope that these tips have been helpful. In the next post, I'll talk about Cardiopulmonaryresuscitation (CPR) this would be needed if you're unable to help and the person in question losses consciousness.
Please rehearse these steps so you would not have regrets when you need them.
I
hope you had a nice weekend. As I said in my last post, I’ll be doing a series
of first aid emergencies. Today’s post is about handling medical emergencies
involving bleeding.On January 8, 2011, a U.S Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords
was shot in the head and as fate would have it, there was a guy right beside
her that knew that to do. Six months after the shooting she was discharged from
the hospital.
Gabrielle Giffords
So
here’s my question: Why don’t we hear a lot of stories like this one in
Nigeria?
Answer: Lack
of knowledge
Now
I implore you to take these First Aid lessons seriously. Read them over and
over again and share them with family and loved ones because you’ll never know
when they’ll come in handy.
Emergency Action Steps
Controlling
External Bleeding
Remember to:
CHECK the scene, and then
CHECK the person- In a
case where you’re unaware of the cause of the bleeding. You should check
the scene and the person in order to identify the source.
Put on medical gloves if at
all possible – It
is extremely important to protect yourself. Blood is a medium for
transmission of deadly diseases such as Hepatitis B and HIV. In giving
support you must ensure that you are safe first.
Use a plastic bag or other
barrier between you and the blood if possible: If you can’t find gloves,
get a plastic bag to create that barrier.
Obtain consent: In some countries it is
illegal to give care to an individual without their consent. In America people
get sued to court for saving lives of people who say they had just
gathered enough nerve to commit suicide. If you find yourself in such a
place, ask the person if you can help. If the victim is unconscious, then
consent is implied. (You can go ahead and help).
Cover wound with a sterile
dressing: In most
cases you won’t find a sterile dressing because most people do not have
first-aid kits in their cars or at home or anywhere so a clean cloth would
do.
Maintain manual pressure for
a long time: Now
it’s not just about covering the wound, this is the most important step
and would probably be the first or second step if the accident was
domestic. For example, if your sibling/spouse steps on a large sharp piece
of glass is bleeding profusely or someone gets stabbed etc. (You don’t
need to check the scene because you already know what happened.) You have
to maintain pressure for a long time and do not open it up to check if the
bleeding has stopped. You must keep applying pressure and if the blood
covers the first layer of dressing or cloth you should put another
dressing on top. It is ok to have layers of dressing but DO NOT loosen the
dressing.
Use
elastic compression bandage (crepe bandage) to maintain pressure if manual
pressure cannot be maintained continuously until help arrives. You need to
hold the spot tight in order to reduce and eventually stop the bleeding
without excessive blood loss.
If bleeding
does not stop:
Continue
to maintain manual pressure. Use tourniquet (can be a piece of
clothing a belt etc.)to tie above the site of the bleed and this is not
applicable in all circumstances) only if direct pressure is not effective
or possible, and only with proper training.
Take
steps to minimize SHOCK or treat the victim for SHOCK if they have reached
that stage (Place the person in shock position)
Call
123 LASEMS (LAGOS ONLY)
Remember
to wash your hands with soap after giving care.
To get first-aid boxes for your homes or cars call Ritemed Care on 08168974831
If you have any questions, please
post it as a comment and it will be attended to.
In the next few weeks,
I’ll be doing a series on First-Aid. I have chosen to start this series now
because, I’ve observed that a lot of us don’t know what to do in most
healthcare emergencies. When I took my first International First Aid Course, it
took me back in time.
I began to remember so
many scenarios, particularly the case of a classmate of mine who passed away
after having a seizure. At that time, I didn't think there was anything that
could have been done to save her.
It was a regular evening
in girls’ hostel and we were having evening prep (studies) after dinner. Next
thing, she had a seizure and began to convulse. All I remember afterwards was,
pandemonium, girls screaming and bucket after bucket of water being poured over
her unresponsive body. It was a scary night. She was moved to the hospital and
we all prayed that she would come back to school safe and sound.
How to place a person in recovery position
The next day we heard
the worst news she passed away. After I took the First aid course, I realized
that the situation was handled in the worst way possible. I don’t want to say
more about this incident. I would however like to share some tips with you on
the right steps to take if you find yourself in such a position.
HOW TO HANDLE A PERSON
WHO HAS A SEIZURE
1.Keep Quiet- Some seizures are audiogenic
(stimulated/caused by noise) noise could cause the individual to continue to
seize.
2.Place the individual in recovery position.
Focus on keeping the body in such a position that the fluid (foam) built up as a
result of the seizure can drain out of the individuals mouth. This eliminates
the risk of chocking on saliva.
3. Do not put anything in the persons’ mouth
3.Give them space and air
4.Call your emergency number for Lagos 123 for
LASEMS (if the situation seems out of control, repeated seizure or injury)
5.If you follow the above steps, in most cases,
the patient will recover; otherwise you’ll be glad you called the emergency
number.
Bearing in mind that Lagos is a tough and stressful place to work, live and conduct business, I write on the lifestyle of a
typical Lagos worker and how it can be modified to prevent illness in the future. The following are the characteristics of an average Lagos worker: Time spent out of
the home: The Lagos worker wakes
up between 4:30am-5:00am to prepare
for workand gets back home between 7:00pm-10:00pm
Diet: The average worker in Lagos eats egg yolks (bad
cholesterol) and junk food everyday. Because of the time
spent in traffic
trying to get home he/she eats foods high in fat and carbohydrate content just
before bedtime.
Exercise: The average worker in Lagos spends the whole day or most of it on a chair at a
desk or in traffic.
Mind: The average worker in Lagos is mentally fatigued because of the high demands placed
on them at work.
This lifestyle is a recipe for disaster and poses
health risks in the long-term. When I was an intern some years back, I lived at
Ajah and worked at Onikan. I used to get up at 4:30 am to get ready for work and
sometimes get home at 11:00 pm. It was horrible and at some point I broke down
and for one whole week I couldn't be at work.
I have to say that over the years things have
improved. Nonetheless, I still get up at 5:00am but I manage to get home by
7:00 pm which isn't bad.
The Lagos lifestyle is a major risk factor for
developing Hypertension (constantly high blood pressure) , Diabetes (when the body loses its ability to
control sugar levels in the blood), Hypercholesterolemia ( too much cholesterol
in your blood vessels), Obesity (having a Body Mass index > 40). These
conditions are very common amongst Lagos workers and are life -threatening.
Here are a few tips to help lower your risk of
developing any of these conditions:
·Time spent out of the home: While
it might be impracticable to modify your working hours, you could at least
ensure that you get as much sleep as you can. When you get home, don't turn on
your TV or laptop, just take a shower and go to bed.If you have kids and they're still up when you get
home, reading them a bedtime story could help kick start the journey to
dreamland for both parties. Doing this reduces the risk of hypertension.
·
Diet: If you must eat at a
fastfood avoid the egg sandwich and go
for meals with high fibre content. Eat the tuna sandwich instead for breakfast
and at lunch time. Avoid eating meals like yam in fast food restaurants because sometimes they add butter/magarine and sugar to it when preparing it. Too much sugar intake is bad for your health. Try eating vegetable soups, beans etc and less of the baked goods and
some fruits would do. Doing this reduces the risk of Hyperlipidemia or high
cholesterol and Obesity. Also,avoid d
·Exercise: Find a reason to go
up and down the stairs as this is some form of exercising your body. Don't send "Favour or Emma" to pick the
documents for you. Do it yourself. Trek as much as you can afford to. Try to also slot into your schedule when you are at home long walks, running or join a gym.
·Mind: Keep a positive mental
state. If you see everything as stressful, it will remain stressful. You need
to try to have fun and relax with what you're doing.Convince yourself that you can handle all that comes
before you and you will.
With these tips, you're sure to reduce the health
risks and be a healthier individual.
Most people want to keep fit but are limited either by lack of information on how to do so, or the lack of discipline. If you want to be in shape and be healthy, you need to confront the brutal facts. Here are some tips to guide you along the way.
Steps
Sort out your diet.
It is one of the most important
components of a fit lifestyle. Many people ignore it, but if you exercise and
eat lots of junk food you will not get any fitter. This is because the junk
food turns to fat almost immediately and exercising only gets rid of that fat,
so you are effectively going nowhere. First of all, get rid of any junk food.
This includes chocolate, sweets, crisps and most importantly fast food. Lots of
people have no idea how bad fast food is for them. It leads to significant
weight gain and even depression in just 30 days. So cut out the junk. You
should have a balanced diet. Eat salads, vegetables, fruit and lots of chicken,
which are high in protein. You should try to eat potatoes,pasta and bananas,
since they offer large amounts of energy over a long period of time. Try and
make out a table for each week, adding new healthy food which you can easily
find in most health food shops. Most of this requires willpower so have some
guts!
Exercise.
Exercise. It is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle.
Exercise keeps your blood flowing which your heart keeps beating. This helps stop
clogged arteries and less chance of a heart attack in later life. It is
important that you exercise right. Stretch before any exercise to avoid pulled
muscles or injuries. Exercise you can do at home includes push ups, bench, sit
ups etc. Jogging is also a major exercise. You should jog at least a kilometer
to keep that fat off. Pace yourself and try and design a route through a local
area. The gym is another good place. You should always learn how to use weights
and exercises in the gym from an instructor or professional. Never use a weight
that is too heavy. Use smaller weights and you will find that you will progress
through the weights very rapidly. Make sure you keep a record of all the work
you do.
Drink
a lot of water.
Drink a lot of water. The
human body is made of over 80% water, and you need to keep replenishing it. You
should drink at least one litre of water a day.Your body sweats a lot of that
water so you need to put it back in.
Willpower
and motivation.
Willpower and motivation- Have belief in yourself. Do not care what other people
think if you are lifting small weights compared to big weights. Why should you
care what they think? So don't! Keep to your plan and keep your willpower. You
know you can do it. If they laugh at you because your fat jiggles all over when you run don't relent because they won't laught at you anymore.
Warnings
Never use gym weights
or unknown exercises without supervision. It can be extremely dangerous without
a supervisor or a 'spotter'. Also, don't over do it
because you could pull a muscle and then you would not be able to do any
exercise.
I'm doing the best I can to stay fit. I would like you to join me on that journey.
You'll observe that most of my topics center around the subject of drug abuse. This is simply because its way too common in
Lagos and Nigeria as a whole and this is majorly due to poor
drug regulation.
Thanks to Dora Akunyili (former DG of NAFDAC), the system has been sanitized a
great deal especially with regards to the control of fake
medicine importation. However, we still have a long way to go.
Now to the topic of the day: While ladies troop in to the pharmacy to buy
Morning-After pills lots of men do the same. The number one Morning- After pill
for Lagos men is Ampiclox. Yes, most men I have come across in my time of practice, seem to believe that taking one or two
capsules of Ampiclox after unprotected sexual intercourse makes them safe and
covered.
On man occasions, I tried to find out on many occasions why they
were purchasing incomplete doses of the drug. Initially, most of them refused to give any
information on their reasons but eventually I got some f them to talk and their reasons bordered
around issues such as fear of getting STDs through unprotected sex, damaged condoms during intercourse, for "blood purifcation" etc
It is really worrisome the way Nigerians use and abuse drugs.
Honestly, I really don't know where to start counselling from. Today, I
will focus more on the health issue and less on the obvious moral issue in this
case. Having multiple sex partners fetches you no profit. My opinion on that
subject is simple, you have two options, get married and be faithful or
abstain.
Now to the health issue, taking one capsule of Ampiclox after unprotected sex
does not protect you from STDs.
There are procedures to follow.
If you think you are at risk of an infection you should seek the counsel of a Medical Doctor. If you can't afford a private
hospital, go to a Primary Health Center or General Hospital. Before
you go to see a doctor in such a place, ensure that you get a Urine, Culture
and Sensitivity Test, because most Primary Health centers do not have in-house labs.
To find out whether your urinary
tract has been infected, your Lab Technician will test a sample of your urine for
bacteria and pus. The general practice is to ask for a "clean catch"
urine sample by washing the genital area and collecting a "midstream"
sample in a sterile container. This method of collecting urine prevents bacteria
around the genital area from getting into the sample that may complicate the
test results. The sample is then sent to a laboratory, if the doctor's office
is not equipped to perform the testing. (In summary, take a clean shower and
wear "CLEAN" boxers, before going to give sample, so it doesn't get contaminated)
In the urinalysis test, the urine is
tested for red and white blood cells and bacteria. If bacteria are present, it
is then grown in a culture (a plate of food the bacteria likes) and tested against different antibiotics to see
which drug is most effective against it. Some microbes, like Mycoplasma and
Chlamydia, can be detected only with specific bacterial cultures. A doctor
suspects a microbial infection when a man displays symptoms of a UTI/STD
(Urinary tract Infection), but a standard culture doesn't display any bacterial
growth.
Top 10 STD symptoms:
1.Painful Urination: This can be the result of a
number of STDs including Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, or Trichomoniasis.
2. Discharge from the Penis: Discharge that is
sticky, milky, mucus- like, cloudy, thick, or bloody could be due to Chlamydia,
Gonorrhea, or Trichomoniasis.
3. Sores,
Bumps, or Blisters on the Penis and Genital Area, Anus,
Tongue or Lips: Small painless sores can be a symptom of Syphilis, while small
red bumps, blisters or open sores may be symptoms of Herpes.
4. Fever:
This can be a vague symptom as many illnesses can cause a fever. However, when
your body is fighting the early stages of HIV or Syphilis, this may be your
only symptom
5. Itching: Gonorrhea can cause anal itching,
Trichomoniasis can cause itching inside the penis, Herpes can cause itching around the genital area, butt, and inner thighs, and Hepatitis can cause generalized itching.
6. Pain:
Testicular pain may be due to Chlamydia or Gonorrhea, while pain during sex may
be due to Trichomoniasis. Gonorrhea can also cause painful bowel movements (stooling).
Additionally, Herpes can cause pain around the genital area, butt, and inner
thighs, and Hepatitis can cause muscle or joint pain as well as abdominal pain
especially around your liver (right side beneath your lower ribs).
7.Swollen Lymph Glands: This may be one of the first
symptoms of HIV or Syphilis.
8.Fatigue: This could be a symptom of either HIV or
Syphilis.
9.Headache: This could be an early symptom of HIV.
10.Rash: Again, this could be an early symptom of HIV.
Keep in mind that a significant number people who
contract STDs will remain symptom free, and while condoms are highly effective
for preventing the spread of STD, they are not 100% effective. It is important
if you are experiencing any of these symptoms to seek STD testingto identify the infection and to find
treatment.
I suggest that you get a test carried out on you at least twice a year. Be Safe. Signed, Aunty Nurse
