A Doctor's "Secret" Health Notes

July 21st The infertile couple returned with the story that the rash came back the next day following the consultation. It had vanished shortly after the Hydrocortisone injection had been given, only for it to begin to creep back that same evening, finally becoming worse than before over the week-end. I asked about usage of the steroid tablets prescribed to which she affirmed a correct usage. I was shocked to discover next that she had rubbed a concoction of local herbs cooked in palm oil well unto her skin. This she had done the day after their consultation with me. No wonder then that the rash had become redder and angry-looking. She had caused matters to go worse by her own hands. I let her know I was slightly irritated by this development. In response, her husband showed slight impatience towards me, and he an educated man. I calmly wrote the same prescription and some more. I added antibiotics, ordinarily not found in prescriptions for Urticaria. She was now getting feverish, af...

July 18th My boss is out of town. That leaves the boss's wife (Dr Mrs.), Dr Nsisi, Dr Akindele, Dr Larry, Dr Ojelade (The Dentist) and I, to run the hospital. That's not counting the Nursing staff, the Optometrist, the Labroratory Technologists, the Radiographer and all other cadre that run the other hospital departments, day in day out. Ours is in fact a Medical Centre, somewhere in the heart of Lagos in Nigeria. And today, we had a run of out-patients as is usually the case. A noteworthy case was that of a lady, accompanied by her husband, who entered my consulting room looking aggitated. The reason for her discomfort was soon evident - Urticarial rashes all over her body. These are very itchy weals that appear on the skin surface in their characteristic manner, caused by an allergic reaction within the body. The allergen was soon deciphered upon further inquiry - She had used a branded toilet soap, popular for its skin-fading action, hours before the allergic reaction starte...