One Pence

Hi my lovelies, I have a beautiful story to share with you. 

It was a mini exercise we did in the church: please keep reading. So, during sermon, the priest asked if anyone had one pence coin and that they bring it out. We did. 

One Pence
Photo credit: depositphotos.com

We were asked to look at both sides of the coin, close our eyes and differentiate between the two. 

Most of us weren’t able to do so. Then, he asked us to pray for the blind.

He asked that we look at the side with the picture of the queen's head and pray for the country and other nations. We continued and turned to the side with the picture of crowned portcullis with chains and prayed for all prisoners.

Lastly, he made us hold the pence in the center of our palms and prayed for beggars. 

It was an exceptional experience for me: having to meditate, think about different experiences and challenges people face in their daily lives. 

I love it when the word of God is so simplified and yet mysterious.

Have a blessed weekend Friends. 

P.S.

Sorry Friends, I had to re-post as the previous one would not open. Thanks to a loyal reader that made me aware.  

Cradle Cap in Babies

There are lots of cradle cap remedies online but I will tell you what worked for me. By the way, what does cradle cap look like?

Photo credit: Wikipedia

It is oily yellowish patches that appears on the scalp of babies. It is mostly common within 3 months of life and can last up to 1 year. It is not contagious and does not harm the baby.

In my experience, my little one had it and I was really worried but the GP said not to worry that it goes away before most babies one year birthday. However, that was not enough for me. I simply wanted it to go away as soon as possible.

I read a lot online, watched YouTube videos and was not happy with my findings. None seemed to be say what I wanted to hear.

Many sources recommended the usage of olive oil and combing it out after 15 mins. Meanwhile, that was my baby's hair oil. Strangely, the front part of the scalp where I cover with lots of oil was coated with cradle cap.

I was convinced that 'Olive oil' was the culprit and cannot be my solution. This was further confirmed by an article I read too. The link to the article is available at the end of this post.

I searched for shampoos but was worried trying those chemicals on my little ones scalp. Then,  a friend told me she had same issue but theirs was very little and gradually disappeared. She said her GP prescribed Capasal therapeutic shampoo for her baby but she never used it.

It was as if that was all I needed - something prescribed by a professional!

I used it on my little one and it worked like magic. The first time,  I was really careful both on application and on combing of the hair. It worked and I was happy. The second day, I was more confident in using it and most of it came off. On the third day, my baby's scalp was neat, no traces of cradle cap.

I could not believe the past few weeks and all the time I had spent online reading lots of stuffs that amounted to nothing.

I hope this post gets to someone who needs remedy that I needed or to someone that knows someone. However, every baby is different. What worked for mine might not be suitable for yours.


Below are sites for further reading on the topic. I found them very informative.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD011380/full

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cradle-cap/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Disclaimer: This cannot substitute for a professional medical advice and treatment. 

The Master Planner.

2017 has hit the ground running. I wish us all the very best and all the good things we wish ourselves. Let's take each single day, week or month as it comes. If  the previous weeks have been good, let it prevail if not, better days are ahead. 

I ran into a friend who told me about her recent encounter with God. She began by saying that she had applied for a programme in the university over a year ago and was looking forward to it last August. Then she got pregnant and was very determined to carry on as planned. 

According to her, she simply taught babies only sleep and eat in their initial months of life. A colleague at work had tried to discourage her and advised  her to defer the course because of the pregnancy and how difficult it would be when baby arrives but she felt like no way. To her, the year was already sorted and she could see herself doing them all. 

Two weeks to the commencement of the course, she got an email from the Uni to say they are not able to carry on with her chosen programme and offered her another programme which she rejected outrightly. She could not believe her situation. She felt so shattered and disappointed. She was so desperate and wouldn't let go. She went to God in prayers.  

Luckily, she was able to find another Uni that was running the programme for september but this time it was online. She felt consoled at last. Courses began, pregnancy going well and then baby arrived. She couldn't believe herself; babies don't just sleep and eat like she had imagined; they cry a lot, you barely sleep and becomes physically, emotionally drained. 

She struggled so hard with her online courses and still on it. She told me she would wound have simply defer the course if she were to be going to the campus for the lectures. Now, she clearly understood what her colleague at work was talking about. 

"I can't believe I thought I was going to be able to leave baby and go for lectures. Like how?" She asked me. All I think about now is baby and baby. My baby comes first...

God knows it all my Dear, was my response. He is the master planner. I believe Him any time. 

Finally, I know as humans there are times we tend to question God but in all things trust Him. Let His will be done. 

Lessons learned: 

Do challenge yourself. You can do it. Believe God. 

She is studying like she wanted and baby arrived but God made it all prefect for her.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome commonly known as ARDS is a life-threatening medical condition whereby the lungs cannot provide sufficient oxygen for the body.
Causes
This condition develops when the lungs has become infected or sustained an injury leading to inflammation. The inflammation causes fluid from nearby blood vessels to leak into the tiny air sacs in the lungs, making breathing increasingly difficult.
 Inflammation can be caused by:

• Sepsis
• Pneumonia
• Severe chest injury  
• Accidental inhalation of vomit, smoke or toxic chemicals
• Acute pancreatitis
• Blood transfusion reaction

Clinical Features
Theses can occur within 24 to 48hrs of illness and can include:

• Severe shortness of breath
• Rapid, shallow breathing
• Low blood pressure
• Tiredness, drowsiness or confusion
• Feeling faint
• Organ failure

Normally, these patients are so sick that they cannot complain of symptoms.

Diagnosis

A full assessment is carried out and include the following:

• Physical examination
• Blood test to ascertain oxygen saturation and check for signs of infection
• Arterial blood gases(ABG) for continous monitoring of respiratory state, blood volume and electrolytes.
• Blood and urine culture
• Pulse oximetry test for continuous monitoring of oxygen saturation
• Chest X-ray and a computerised tomography (CT) scan – to look for evidence of ARDS
• Echocardiogram to picture the heart ; to rule out heart failure.
• Sputum culture and analysis
• Broncoscopy can be carried out in certain cases.

Treatment
-Admission into intensive care unit for breathing support via Ventilator. 
-Antibiotic administration to fight infection.

My Encounter with ARDS
I had to look after after a Mr. X diagnosed with ARDS and Intracranial hyperosmolar. It turned out to be a very busy and interesting shift.   

• Cardiovascular: Blood pressure was initially high but was supported with Noradrenaline infusion and it was managed. - Mean arterial pressure (MAP) target was above 70mmhg  - Heart rate was sinus rhythm -Central venous pressure showed that he was well  filled. 

• Respiratory: Was intubated and ventilated. Settings include: pressure control mode of 24, peep 14, FiO2 70%, respiratory rate 15,  peak 38. The above high settings were changed slightly throughout the day. ABG revealed; high PCO2, low O2, high hydrogencarbonate, high base excess, high sodium, low potassium and high glucose. All electrolytes were replaced and a slidiing scale was in place to control his blood glucose level.

• Neurologically, he was sedated and paralysed using Propofol and Actracurium infusions.  Fentanyl was given for pain. Pupils were 2 and nonreactive. Richmond sedation agitation score was -5(deeply sedated and unarousable)

• Nutrition: on nasogastric feed- Nutrison  and ng water at 40ml and 30ml respectively as he had high sodium.

• Elimination: Good bowel movement and urine output. However, furosemide was given to push more fluid out of the lungs. 

I hope you are getting the gist? I am not going to bore you with my nursing care bits. So, let me wrap it up by telling you the issues and plan for that day. 
Problems:

• ARD
• Septic shock
• Neutral fluid balance(off target)
• Electrolyte abnormalities
• Permissive hypercapnia

Plan:

PC Ventilator settings - sedated and paralysis

Manual recruitment post sunctioning

No nebs - Suction 6hrly

Ng water @ 30ml/hr

Furosemide infusion Urine output greater than 100ml/hr

Continue antibiotics Meropenem and Teicoplanin

Discuss with microbiology daily.

Lastly, .ARDS is a killer illness. I was practically on my feet throughout the shift as Mr. X was unstable and I had lots of infusions that were running out at different times amongst other tasks. Suctioning was quite scary that day as Mr. X could desaturate within secs. Oh! I ended up staying 45mins extra to do my documentations.

References 
NHS Choices (2015) Acute respiratory distress syndrome  http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/acute-respiratory-distress-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx Accessed 29th Oct. 2016.

MedilinePlus (2016) Acute respiratory distress Syndrome https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article /000103.htm  Accessed 4th Nov 2016.

P.S.
Thanks for reading. Sorry for the medical jargons- I tried to minimse them. When your loved ones or friends are sick or look unwell, please encourage them to go the hospital to get a medical assistance.Ours lives are so precious. 

Disclaimer: This cannot substitute for a professional medical advice and treatment. 

Think Positive No Matter What

I was speaking with a friend the other day and for some reasons she seemed to be full of negative views and perceptions of life. She tried to narrate most of her encounters to me; which she found very displeasing. There was so much bitterness and a sort negative energy as she spoke and almost every scenario seems to be worthless or have some negative news in stock for her.

However, as I listened to her I felt her pain to an extent but I do not think my friend is handling the situation the best way she could. To be honest, she can only jeopardise the beautiful future that I can see that lies ahead of her and most importantly would fail herself.

I have known this friend back in the days and I tried to remind her of situations where she made very good decisions/choices and when she had encouraged other people. 'You are the still same person and can do whatever you convince yourself to do; just start from somewhere', I said to her.

I tried to let her see that all those instances she has termed bad luck were not necessarily bad luck. 'Sometimes, things happen for a reason and there are times they just happen. How we cope is what differentiates us from another,' I told her.

In my opinion, there are lots of things one ought to be grateful for; if not for anything: the gift of life, shelter, clothes and food on our table. Being able to drive expensive cars and go on vacation yearly should not be a yardstick for measuring a good life.

Nonetheless, as humans, there are times we are faced with difficult challenges and think all seems bleak and the future doomed, that too will come and go. I strongly believe that no situation is permanent, what matters is what we make out of any given situation. 

As I and my friend chatted, I asked her about her faith and encouraged her to muster the strength to fight her battles. 'You are still young, have your career and have a very supportive family - all of these should serve as a drive for you. When for you feel down-casted, look back and thank God for all you have.  'I think you already have a lot', that made her laugh. 

I made her realise that she cannot give up on her life goals and most importantly not to give up on herself. Finally, I encouraged her go to God in prayers and leave all that troubles her with Him.  

The conversation reminded me of a book I read some time ago 'The Secret' by Rhonda Byrne. I encouraged my friend to go through it. This book speaks in great volume about positive thinking; how thoughts and feelings creates one’s life, how feeling good sends a good signal into the universe and attracts good things to the individual. It mentioned things like having secret shifters i.e. list of things that can help change how one is feeling in a snap such as funny moments, favourite music, someone you love etc. 

The book comprises of collections from different writers. It is a nice piece of work. 

Have a beautiful August my Lovelies.

Follow @AyinotuV

No Child Deserves To Suffer

While I was in a shopping mall in Enugu; Shoprite to be precise, I heard a car alarm system going off and some security guards were at the scene. As I walked past the car park, it turned out to be that a child was left in the back of the vehicle (Suv) that was locked.

Photc credit: Nairaland.com

Photo credit: Panoramio.com

Let me elaborate further, the child who you can hardly make out if they were  a boy or girl should be about ten years old. With the assistance of the security men and much persuasion the child was able to come out of the vehicle. He was boiling in there but was very scared of leaving because I would assume he was warned to remain in the vehicle. 

This incident took place in April, 2016 in Nigeria and the temperature was as high as 40 centigrade and above; anybody that was in Nigeria around that time can agree with me on this. So, you can imagine how sunny it was and what this child must have experienced while being locked up at the back of Suv.

So many questions kept coming into my mind, like:

- Why would someone lock up a child at the back of their car?

- Is this child not presentable enough to parade with them in the shopping mall?

- Why is it that some adults don't treat their maids like humans?

I felt really sad for what I saw that day. To be honest, within 30secs of taking a glance at the little boy, I struggled to work out his sex. He was wearing a cafetan (a free flowing gown), his hair was uncombed lowcut and on his feet a pair of brown rubber sandals. He could barely look up. 

I simply decided that he could be a 'he'. That leaves me with another question: Who dresses their child like that?

In my opinion, I do not have a clue of what this child's background is but I can tell that he would be much valued and treated as a person if he were to be living with his own parent(s). 

Dear parents, I know we live in a hard economy; where things and times are hard but please try and look after the kids your bring into this world. No child should be allowed to suffer. When you send them out as maids to people; be it relatives, bear in mind that they are not theirs and can hardly be treated as theirs. If they end up with people that have some conscience, good for them. 

Dear guardians or Madams, you all need help with chores and staying without maid is inevitable. Please treat your maids as humans. They deserve your love, care and affection just like you would do if they were to be your own. Remember, that they are living with you does not make them less human. In fact,they have come to help you why don't you help them too or make life easy for them?

I intentionally mentioned Madams because in most homes it is the woman that normally see to the affairs of the maid. That a maid is happy or treated well where he/she lives boils down to the madam of the house. Sometimes, I wonder why the men give a cold shoulder to these kind of issues at home whereas they could tell that something is not right and can make an effort to fix it.

No child deserves to suffer. 

P.S Hope your May has been going well? May the remainder of the month bring you good news.

Liver Diseases

I have come across lots of articles and case studies on liver diseases and the rapid health decline of most sufferers. So, I will like to share some of my knowledge of the liver and liver diseases. I will tell it like a story and cite where necessary. 

Before I start, what melted my heart the other day was when I met a very young girl who has undergone two liver transplants. In this girl's case, her former transplant failed because her body system rejected the organ. The later transplant is pretty new and she complained of so much pain and discomfort. As I write this, my heart reaches to her, I wish her a speedy recovery and hope this is her last organ transplant. 

The liver is the second largest organ in the body and the biggest reservoir for blood. It serves as the body factory and plays lots of significant roles that are vital to life. The liver is located in the upper right side of the abdomen, beneath the diaphragm and on the top of the right kidney.

The main functions of the liver include;

• Filtration and cleansing of the blood 
• Fights against infections and diseases
• Production of proteins that makes blood clot( i.e when you bleed)
• Aids in digestion
• Destroys and deals with poisons and drugs
• Excretion of wastes.

There are lots of other roles the liver play in the body. It is a very powerful organ than we think. 

Onset of liver disease:- Acute- Whereby it happens over a short period of time

                                   -Chronic- Here, the disease manifests after couple of years e.g 5-8 years

Main causes: -Heavy alcohol consumption or alcohol misuse (the commonest)

                      -Undiagnosed hepatitis

                      -Obesity

Types of Liver diseases

-Alcohol related liver diseases- Liver damage occurs due to years of heavy alcohol consumption.

-Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases-  

-Hepatitis- Inflammation of the liver

-Haemochromatosis i.e an inherited disorder whereby there is iron overload in the body

-Primary biliary cirrhosis

All these types of  liver diseases can cause scarring of the liver, which is called Cirrhosis (www.nhs.uk)

Pathophysiology

Photo credit: Youtube images

The liver responds to injury by becoming inflamed. Any form of inflammation of the liver is known as hepatitis. This can happen suddenly (acute) or over a long period of time (chronic). Repeated injuries cause the liver cell not to regenerate any more, fibrosis gradually forms.

When the fibrosis spreads out due to persistent harm not been addressed, the liver shape and function is disrupted.and is known as compensated cirrhosis. As damage progresses, the liver is unable to function effectively (decompensated) and begins to fail. This stage is termed end stage liver disease this allows toxic chemicals and wastes to build up in the body causing  jaundice, ascites and hepatic encephalopathy (i.e. a brain disorder due to toxins in the brain). Further deterioration may lead to multiple organ failure and death. 

Signs and Symptoms:
It is important to know that liver diseases can go on for a long time before the clinical manifestations sets in. They include:

• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss or sudden weight gain 
• Jaundice i.e yellowing of the skin
• Itchy skin and bruises
• Fluid retention (oedema)
• Brownish or orange tint in the urine
• Light coloured stools
• Confusion, disorientation, personality changes

Treatment and Management  
This can achieved mainly the use of drugs or surgery
-Diet control; Avoiding too much or little protein.
-Drugs:-Lactulose;This works by changing the stool acidity which prevents bacterial growth and reduces                    ammonia production.
            -Neomycin; An antibiotic which kills intestinal bacteria and minimises ammonia production.
            -Rifaxiimin; An antibiotic used in reducing the recurrence of hepatic encephalopathy.
-Surgery: -Paracentesis: This is the removal of fluid that has accumulated in the liver due to ascites
                 -Liver transplant: This occurs in cases where liver transplant is inevitable.

Prevention

The commonest type of liver diseases is the Alcohol liver disease, which means we can make liver diseases unpopular.

• Avoidance or minimal alcohol intake (you need to know your limit: Ask)
• Diet: reduced protein intake is advised to minimise ammonia(waste) production
• Exercise- This is good for you to stay fit. Being overweight or obese can affect the progress or treatment your liver condition. Thus, avoid sendatary lifestyles.
• Get vaccinated against hepatitis B.
• Health education about liver and causes of liver disease: Equip yourself by reading or watching videos or discussing with health professional about the liver.

References: 

British Liver Trust, 2014

http://stemcellfoundation.ca/en/diseases/liver-failure
www.nhs.uk, 2014

Disclaimer: This cannot substitute for a professional medical advice and treatment. Research further and seek help when need be.

P.S. It's quite a lengthy post. Thanks for your time😄

Sorry Sir

A friend of mine was attending to a gentleman.

Halfway, the man interrupted.

"How many legs do you have?" He asked her.

"Two", she answered.

She then looked down to her feet...

The man said "Can you please stand on your own legs"

It turned out to be that my friend's left foot was actually comfortably resting on top of his, unbeknown to her.

I couldn't stop laughing when my friend told me about this.

However, I would like to assume he wasn't in much discomfort.

P.S. I will like to mention that March is my month and March 2016 is very special to me. 

Have a beautiful month Pals.

Do You Think People Around You Know Truly Who You Are?

I enjoyed this lovely sermon from my priest; one of his interesting lenten season preachings. I would like to call this, my favorite.

He talked about the marvelous works of Jesus and how he did masked himself most of times as his power would be too much for anyone he comes in contact with to contend.

Photo Credit: www.taskforce-gaea.com

Applying the same masking formulae to humans, the reverse is the case. He told us that some individuals are living in pretense just to fit into the society.

He went further and said that such false way of living can momentarily be beneficial to us but most of the time it has an adverse effect on us.

He went on to tell us all to imagine what our lives would be like, if we truly show inner selves to people around us.
Take for instance:
     -A situation where we do not have to cover up to look accepted amongst our peers or colleagues.
     -A situation where we say something in honesty and people take our word for it.
     -A situation where we express ourselves freely without being afraid of being called names.
The list goes on...

It actually occurred to me that we live in a world where we most times find ourselves doing what is expected of us by the society irrespective of what we actually want or how we feel about them..

Do you think people around you know truly who you are?

P.S. It's my first post for the year.
Have a beautiful 2016. 

Caring for People With Learning Disabilities

I sighted a lovely pretty teenager who was very chatty and loud. She was in the company of two older ladies, who I would assume were looking after her. At first, she seemed alright but within few minutes, you could clearly tell that she has a learning disability.

Copyright: nhs.com

The teenager would not stay at a place and those two other ladies with her kept trying to make her stay calm. I will refer to as her 'carers'.

We were all in an eatery waiting to be served. She will look up at the menu board and shout the names of the foods displayed. At one point, her carers said to her, 'you have told us severally what you want to have can you please stay calm? It was as if they were talking to themselves as she shout louder and became more hyperactive; jumping up and down and moving from place to place.

They tried to calm her down by talking to her. 'Every other person is quiet apart from you' can you please try and stay calm?' one of them pleaded with her.

I was amazed by how polite those carers were with the young girl. They were very professional and made their job look so easy. Eventually, when it got to their turn, she placed her order, got it and they left the eatery.

Copyright: gepl.org

My thought goes to families of those suffering from all sorts learning disabilties and their carers. I hope they get the support they need. The work you all do are priceless. You deserve the best reward.

Most importantly, I hope all people suffering from learning disabilities get the maximal love, care and support that they truly desire.

*Thanks for making out time to read my post. I wish you and all your loved ones a beautiful christmas season and a fruitful newyear in advance.*

Mother's Love.

Hi friends, it has been a while. When I want to type, the creativity vanishes and I will say to myself  - its okay I will write later. You know the rest of the story when procrastination spirit sets in. More so, with busy work schedules, that did not help at all. I did miss writing so much.

I was travelling the other day while trying to rest my tired brain, with my eyes closed, I was drawn into the conversation of two women sitting adjacent to where I sat. They seem to be in their early fifties or thereabout. I will call them 'Sara and Tara'.

Sara was telling Tara how her sick Mum who was actually a wheelchair bound turned around to be the one looking after her while she was ill.

'Mum would wake up in the morning, come to see how am doing and bring prepared food for me. I have never seen my mother that active in the last three years. I usually go over every morning to help her with washing, cooking and tidying the house.'

Sara continued, 'it is unbelievable what you see happening around you sometimes. At first, I felt so weak and unhappy because I was ill and very dependent on my husband and son. However, my mum being very supportive and somewhat independent thrills me. I cannot begin to explain to you how I feel Tara. I believe God in all situations.'

Tara sounded pleased with the story too.

Anyway, I began to do my own reflection and had some good thoughts to analyse too.
Sometimes, it can be amazing how what seems like a hopeless situation to us turns out to be a turning point.

P.S: Have a great weekend and a beautiful November in advance.