Doctor’s advice
Friday, January 16th, 2009Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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Doctor-patient interaction: solving doubts.show
I’m 16 weeks pregnant and still suffering from terrible morning sickness - I’m carrying twins, which could be making it worse. Everyone tells me the nausea should trail off by 12 or 13 weeks, but it hasn’t. When can I expect to feel a little better? show
You are correct that having twins can make the period of morning sickness longer: it is usual for it to taper off, even then, by the 20th week. By the 16th week your twins’ organs are fully formed and much less likely to be damaged by drugs than those of, say, an eight-week foetus, so your obstetrician or GP may be able to help you with an anti-nausea prescription. An old-fashioned remedy that still works is to avoid eating ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ foods together. Don’t have gravy or sauces on your meat, fish or desserts, and leave 20 minutes or more after food before drinking coffee. We don’t really know why it works, but experience over many years strongly suggests that it does. show
Our seven-year-old thinks he is too big for his car booster seat and wants to sit in the front, on the normal seat. His dad doesn’t see any harm in it, but I’m frightened that he is still too small. Can you settle the argument for us?show
The statistics strongly support you, not your husband. One of the commonest causes of death among four- to eight-year-olds is being inadequately restrained inside a car during an accident. Car booster seats are advised for children up to eight years old, and for smaller children beyond that age. Sitting in the front is a big risk if there is an air bag in the passenger seat: it can suffocate a small child when it inflates. So keep him in the back on a booster seat for at least another year.show
For the past two months or so I’ve been waking with very stiff knuckles and finger joints in both hands. It takes about an hour for them to loosen up. I’m female and 45, and have always been well until now. I’ve found that aspirin has helped a lot. What should I do? show
See your doctor. You may well be developing rheumatoid disease, and only a blood test, and perhaps some x-rays, will confirm or rule it out. Aspirin or a similar drug may indeed be the best treatment, but you and your doctor need to know the cause of your problems.show
· The Guardian, Saturday October 25 2008
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