On The Verge Of Death

Last week, two things happened, that changed the course of my life as well as my perspective towards life completely.

If the condition is by anyway complicated, we'll have to perform a surgery on you. But I'm not sure for now, that will be after doing the tests and abdominal ultrasound scan. So brace up and gather money, you'll need money for some of the tests.

The above were the exact words of the doctor on call, after examining me in the emergency room.
The first thing is, I got admitted in a clinic and stayed for a week plus (this was actually my first time of having a personal hospital experience), and secondly, I was diagnosed to have a condition that already endangered my liver. These two events changed the course of my life, though for good.

All my life, I have always dreaded the thought of staying in an hospital as a patient but this time, it didn't matter to me, all what that mattered was having my life and liver saved.
Before reporting to the clinic, I had been vomiting excessively at both school and home, had persistent fever, abdominal pain with a burning sensation, my eyes started becoming yellowish, nausea, fatigue, headache and loss of appetite. I had to force myself to eat, and each time I managed to eat, I would end up throwing up and vomiting everything later, in a violent way that made my gastrointestinal tract and my stomach muscles to ache. The worst of all these symptoms, that seemed unbearable was the abdominal pain, it kept increasing each time I vomited. Sometimes, I saw myself on the floor after vomiting, struggling to get up again, my strength was gone, I felt like I was closer to my grave, my feeble legs couldn't get me up quickly, I lost plenty body fluids and electrolytes.

So when I finally managed to take myself to the clinic, I was rushed to the emergency room and told that had it been I delayed any further, things might have gotten out of hands. After Dr. Doherty, did a physical examination on me, I was diagnosed to have jaundice, but they didn't know what type it was, if it was pre-hepatic, hepatic or post-hepatic (obstructive) jaundice. Or if it would be the type that might require surgery. So they subjected me to several medical tests and ultrasound scan to ascertain the condition of my liver. And all this while, I had thought that maybe I'm just having malaria, I had treated malaria two weeks earlier and felt better. Only after few days, to be struck by a group of symptoms including things I've never felt before. When I did the Malaria Parasite test (MP) at the hospital, it showed negative, that I had no malaria.

I was moved in a wheelchair from the emergency room to one of the male Wards where I would be staying. At first, I refused to sit on the wheelchair, I insisted that I could walk down to the ward. But the doctor disapproved and pleaded that I allowed myself to be carried. Perhaps, I think for health and safety reasons, and maybe, they also thought I could drop dead on the road trying to walk to the ward with my remnant energy. I have never been carried in a wheelchair, this was my first time.

Dr. Doherty inserted a needle into one of my veins to fix a canula into it for normal saline rehydration therapy. Dr. Doherty had called the student nurses and other nurses around to come and look at my veins, he said they were large, easily seen and prominent.

I like your veins, unlike most patients that we'll have to carefully look for their veins. Yours are large, beautiful and easily seen. You have a body of an athlete.

He said so. I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not. I didn't say anything, neither did I express any body language in reaction to that. I was in pains, silently in pains. All I could feel was still pain, the pain in the abdomen, my brain felt it, my body felt, at a point, I thought my soul felt it too. I had never felt so pain in my entire life, it came with a burning sensation and sometimes it will be as if it's moving to the back and spinal cord region. As I felt a swap of the pain in my back too other times.

At the ward, normal saline rehydration therapy, Ciproflaxacin, intravenous injections, oral drugs and other rehydration therapy were all given to me. Biological fluids such as blood and urine were taken from me for different kind of tests.

The following day, another doctor on call, Dr. Bello came for ward round, he told me to lie flat and raise up my clothe for physical examination and percussion. After feeling and hitting different parts of my thorax and abdomen. He said something that made my heart stopped for a while....

I think your liver is enlarged. Do you smoke? Have you done blood transfusion before? Do you have tattoo on any part of your skin? Do you drink?

I paused for a moment before answering his questions. In that moment, I quietly whispered to myself, *"my liver! How? Oh God, don't let this come out worse". So I replied Dr. Bello, "No, I don't smoke. No, I've not done blood transfusion before. No, I don't have tattoos, neither have I pierce my skin before. And Yes, I drink. I do drink, but not frequently".

I was being absolutely honest with all my answers. But I had this conviction that it wasn't drinking, I mean people sleep at the bar and joints and drink away their life and still have their goddamn liver intact.
And the doctor went ahead with the next question....

What brand of beer and alcohol do you take?

I was like in my mind, Are you kidding me? Did you have to ask that also?. So I went ahead and mention them; Star, 33, Goldberg, Satzenbrau, Guinness (small stout) and Palm Wine. And he asked another question....

How about taking concoction, combined and hot?

I said, "No, I don't". He said, I'll be back when all your test results are ready. I have had needles of different sizes pierced into the veins of my arms and hands for blood sample to be taken for different tests at different laboratories. At a point, I got used to it that I became numb to the needle pain. I spent money I never planned for on tests upon tests and on some drugs.

But what is money compared to life?

At this point, nothing else mattered to me again, than to live for another day and save my liver and life from an impending doom. I had gone offline, I had stay back from school. The M. Sc program didn't matter again, making money, online blogging, writing ulogs, Steemjet, facebook, Whatsapp, IG, twitter, doing vlogs, and all didn't matter again. All I could think of, was just family and friends who have been there for me and who would be struck badly with the news of my death, if I die. But God forbid that I die now, I'm not yet done with accomplishing His purpose for my life.

But this health challenge made me realized, that we're not actually far from death, and that death is just a second away from life. And that suffering is part of life. That no matter what you do, life is comprised of failures, loss, regrets and even death. That it's normal, to have a negative experience once in a while. And when you embrace your failures and plight, you intentionally take away powers from others to shame you over them.

When the Liver Function Test result came out, it was realized that I had excess bilirubin in my body, it had entered blood circulation and liver, I had accumulated so much of it that the liver could not function properly in terms of discharging it leading to several other complications.
But they also realized that it wasn't that bad to a point of needing surgery, so after over a week of being placed on medication, injection and rehydration therapy. I got much better. The pains have subsided, fever, fatigue, vomiting, headache, yellowing of the eyes all gone.

I was asked to repeat the Liver Function Tests (LFT) after one week. And just yesterday, I did the test again and I realized that the total bilirubin level has dropped greatly. It's no longer high like it was, and I've been asked to come back for medical checkup by next week.

There's so much more to write about this, of my hospital experience, my near death experience with the felt pain, my encounter with other patients, my conversations and experience with the doctors and nurses, the love and care received from friends, colleagues and family during this period. But I would stop here, as I have been battling with time to keep up with the missed academic activities, lectures, tests and assignments.

When I first called my dad and told him about my health challenge. He had told me to come home immediately after being discharged from the hospital. But I told him that I wouldn't, that I would be fine. He trusted me with the words and he knew that God would heal me.

I've been told to avoid certain foods for now. I've been told to avoid milk, egg, meat, groundnuts and fried foods. Foods with high protein contents. I've been told to take more of carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits. I've also been told to avoid alchohol. And so far, I've been avoiding all of these, though it's been really difficult.

Special thanks to all my Steemit friends who noticed my long absence here and called or texted to know how I was faring. Thank you @lordjames, @jeline, @joyce-okpobo, @ninoh22, @uche-nna, @julietisrael, @ungest, @kristenantai01, @donnest, @udezee, @kweenbrand, @godsnana, @gnomicrules, @jesse12 and @misterbauchi. Thank you for your wishes and prayers. I'm much better now.

And special thanks to my offline friends and colleagues, who visited me everyday at the hospital and kept bringing food and fruits to me.
Special thanks to @dimimp and the Steemjet community for their support and love. God bless you all.

Do have a wonderful weekend!