Doctor's Column: Why do I get malaria whenever it rains?

Dear Comfort, many women of child-bearing age feel breast fullness and pain which when it persists may be one of the first signs of pregnancy.

Right from the time after shedding an egg, the hormones progesterone and oestrogenshelp breasts start to develop in readiness to breast feed after delivery in case one gets pregnant. The increase of breast tissues stretches out the breasts causing pain which will not go away with painkillers.

Also, painkillers in pregnancy have lots of side effects including closing of holes in the heart in later pregnancy with a likelihood of a miscarriage.

Panadol which is thought to be safe then also has side effects including interfering with the descent of testes in case the foetus is male. Other causes of breast pain include increased breast blood flow, the reason a pregnant woman gets prominent breast blood vessels and increase in fat in breasts all which stretch the breasts causing pain.

Use of supportive cotton breast bras can help and if not, ice packs for a short duration can be tried out. In many women, soreness eases after three months of pregnancy but may return towards delivery and therefore the health of the baby may be worth the wait without drug treatment.

Dear doctor, what is wrong with my stomach? It is over bloating and I fart a lot. In 2010, a stool sample was taken but nothing was seen. I have taken tablets like omeperazole for ulcers and dewormers in vain. I am told that I should swallow Gassex tablets to stop the gas in the stomach.
Should I go ahead and take them? Some doctors assume it is peptic ulcers and I was told not to eat matooke and potatoes but there’s still no sign of change.
Esther

Dear Esther, it is harmless to produce gas which has to be passed, by farting 12-18 times a day or by mouth through belching. When gas is too much, apart from distending the abdomen causing distress, it can lead to early satisfaction, loss of appetite, nausea and fear of public places to avoid the embarrassment of belching and farting too much.

Too much gas has many causes which require addressing so that it normalises.

Gas is a by-product of food digestion with much of the rest resulting from swallowed air as we eat hurriedly or swallow mucous from a respiratory problem (post nasal drip of a sinus problem), or may result from carbonated drinks like coke or beer!

Being a digestion process by-product, certain foods may cause more gas than others. Thus minimising the intake of such foods can help. Dairy products, if one has problems digesting it (lactose intolerance) can cause much gas. The same goes for beans which can be minimised by soaking them in water for 12-24 hours.

Medical conditions like peptic ulcers, stomach cancer, stress, chrohns, constipation, girdia infection and gall stones may also lead to too much gas. Sometimes too much gas may have no identifiable cause so that drug concoctions like gassex have to be given, though for temporary relief unless this is supported by prokinetic agents like plasil.

Peptic ulcers commonly cause excessive gas, this is why you were given omeprazole which should not be self-prescribed since it dries out stomach acids promoting abdominal infections and may cause impotence in men.

I think you need to combine treatment with lifestyle changes involving dietary measures, managing stress and investigation of the said medical conditions which if found should be managed.

Dear doctor, I am taking amlodac to regulate my blood pressure but ever since I started using it, the pressure gets on and off erections and I also become very weak. Could the medicine be the problem and how easily can I overcome it?
Eric

Dear Eric, high blood pressure may damage the small arteries that take blood to the spongy tissues of the penis that fill with blood to cause an erection.