Maybe I shouldn’t be alive. However I’m, regardless of the percentages. I’m nonetheless frail and fragile. However now, I can stand on my toes once more, bearing testimony to these sacred phrases of the Almighty Allah himself that, “No soul can ever die besides by Allah’s depart and at a time period appointed (Quran 3: 145).”
It began on February 19 once I drove myself right into a authorities hospital in Abuja for an elective surgical procedure. The surgical procedure itself was meant to final for a couple of minutes and I ought to return dwelling not later than two days thereafter. That was what I used to be informed. However that was not what occurred.
Since that fateful Monday morning, I’ve gone into and out of the surgical theatre 9 occasions for six main operations and three minor procedures. I’ve spent six days within the Intensive Care Unit, surviving on oxygen and relieving myself via catheters. I’ve turn out to be completely depending on others for the efficiency of even such private features as cleansing myself. I’ve misplaced 20 kilogrammes in 5 months and was lowered to a mere sack of bones. I’ve misplaced the usage of my limbs and, like a toddler, I needed to study to stroll once more. I’ve spent thousands and thousands of naira and hundreds of {dollars} of my very own and different folks’s cash. I’ve travelled tons of of kilometres to seek out assist. I’ve reached the very backside of despair itself; and I had made plans for my very own burial. However someway, I’m nonetheless alive.
I’m somebody you may describe as a hands-on individual, or perhaps a keep-fit buff, cautious about what I eat or drink and what I do with my physique. Due to this fact, I seldom had any want for a hospital. Nevertheless, since my dad died of prostate most cancers 23 years in the past, the physician had warned me that male kids of prostate most cancers victims are predisposed to struggling the identical destiny. Since my fortieth birthday, I had due to this fact ensured {that a} complete medical check-up was part of my annual ritual. In the midst of a type of routine check-ups, I used to be alerted a number of years in the past of an enlargement of my prostate. Following this discovery, I enrolled in a public medical facility in Abuja and made certain to see the urologist each three months. At one level, I used to be additionally suggested to see a nephrologist on occasion.
All these visits, I understood, had been merely precautionary. However I used to be starting to spend an excessive amount of time on the ready line within the hospital than I may afford. Earlier than lengthy, I modified to a different hospital nearer to my home. Regardless that it’s also a authorities hospital, it has a non-public wing that fees larger charges for faster consultations and providers. I believed this association served me higher. I used to be assigned a advisor urologist of my very own. And I additionally noticed a nephrologist within the hospital. Nevertheless, whereas the nephrologist saved assuring me that every thing was wonderful, the urologist began to lift the alarm. At some extent, he informed me that if we didn’t act quick, my enlarged prostate would possibly start to have an effect on my kidney. The one resolution, he stated, was surgical intervention.
He was the knowledgeable, so I yielded to his strain and agreed to do the surgical procedure. That turned out to be a significant mistake. However I solely turned wiser by the use of a horrifying hindsight. My outcome from the prostate take a look at confirmed that I used to be, the truth is, in a significantly better place than a number of of my associates, who all had been stunned that I selected to go underneath the knife for an ailment that, as a rule, provides a little bit extra than simply mere discomfort, so long as it isn’t cancerous. They had been proper. The one prostate-related criticism I had was that I urinated twice or thrice at evening. I didn’t have any pains or problem in urinating, or any symptom past the odd. It turned out that each one I wanted was a slight change in life-style, not consuming or consuming late into the evening, and to proceed to take the medicine that had been prescribed for administration objective, which, by the best way, my urologist had requested me to cease taking.
Though it didn’t imply a lot to me on the time, however on this hospital, sufferers shouldn’t have entry to the outcomes of their laboratory checks. The physician electronically sends requests to the laboratory and as soon as the affected person has made cost, the laboratory will conduct the take a look at and ship the leads to the identical method again to the physician. The physician would entry the outcomes on his pc and primarily based on this, make pronouncements on what the affected person must do subsequent. In my case, the decision was surgical procedure.
This was why I drove myself to the federal government hospital on February 19 and spent the evening getting ready for the surgical procedure the subsequent day. Per week earlier than, I had gone via a cystoscopy process. That was my first time ever in a hospital surgical theatre. However since February 20, I’ve been in a number of theatres, greater than a median individual would in a single lifetime. It occurred that throughout the first surgical procedure, the surgeons had ruptured my bladder. In panic, they needed to abandon the prostate operation that introduced me in, hurriedly positioned a catheter inside my urethra, and returned me to the hospital ward. It so occurred additionally that the catheter was not correctly positioned, so urine was not going into the bag. I used to be returned to the theatre to treatment the scenario. Once I got here out this time round, the urine was reverting to my genitals, which had by now turn out to be grotesquely engorged with fluid.
Three journeys again to the theatre didn’t change something. And this was sufficient to ship everybody into panic. I used to be wheeled into the ICU, the place I handed out and needed to be positioned on oxygen. At this level, it had turn out to be apparent that the medical group had reached its wit’s finish. It had misplaced management. One in every of them had, the truth is, quietly informed my household that my likelihood of survival was 50-50. They had been already pondering of transferring to the subsequent affected person. In spite of everything, that they had “tried their greatest.”
However then, to paraphrase Shakespeare, heaven has no fury like a lady about to be widowed. My spouse, Odunayo, rose to the event. She thought that what was wanted to avoid wasting my life at that time had been some ‘muscle tissue’ that may compel the docs to present me correct consideration. She informed my kids, their associates, and my colleague, Akintoba Fatigun, who was already weeping after seeing how helpless I used to be, to remain sturdy. She picked up my cellphone and referred to as my Oga, the Chairman of THISDAY and Come up TV, Mr Nduka Obaigbena, to tell him about my situation. All she wanted had been calls to folks in prime locations on the necessity for the hospital administration to not abandon me. Mr Obaigbena instantly referred to as the Minister of Well being, who in flip referred to as the pinnacle of the hospital. He additionally promptly dispatched certainly one of his prime managers, Mr Israel Iwegbu, to maneuver over to the hospital and report again to him.
Akintoba additionally referred to as my boss, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who was then in the US. The previous Senate President instantly directed Akintoba to get some cash throughout to my spouse and likewise promised to talk with the well being minister. My spouse additionally despatched an pressing message to my brother, the Senator representing my Senatorial District, Ogun Central, Shuaib Salis. The senator instantly came to visit to the hospital to fulfill the Chief Medical Director.
With all these influential forces respiratory down their neck, the hospital realised that this was one affected person they might not afford to trifle with. I used to be returned to the theatre the place they needed to open me up – but once more – to correctly alter the catheter and be certain that I hadn’t suffered any inner harm. I ended up spending six days within the ICU and later returned to the non-public room. Within the ICU, the site visitors and calibre of people that got here to see me stunned the hospital administration. One night, Dr Saraki himself led a really lengthy and highly effective delegation to the hospital such that when he stated: “Yusuph, get properly quick, have a look at the entire troops turning out to want you properly,” I couldn’t however agree with him. In the identical means, there have been the visits of Senator Salis and his son, Kamal, who was at all times travelling down from Kaduna to see me, simply as Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi as soon as led his spouse, kids, and associates to inspect me.
After two weeks, I used to be discharged and went dwelling. It was Ramadan. For the primary time in over 45 years, I couldn’t take part within the Ramadan quick. Whereas within the hospital, I stated my prayers most occasions mendacity on the mattress. Though I had misplaced a lot weight, it regarded as if I used to be set on my strategy to restoration. Till one thing occurred that may change every thing, kick-starting one other wave of anguish, concern and relentless ache.
It was the second day after Eid-el-Fitri. My son, Oladapo, had persuaded me to take a small pack of Lucozade Increase juice on Sallah day, believing this would possibly stimulate my urge for food. This was on April 10. The subsequent day, my spouse noticed that my urine was the identical color of the Lucozade Increase that I had taken yesterday. She felt one thing was incorrect. Nevertheless, Oladapo and I believed it may very well be the impact of the Lucozade Increase drink.
For some purpose, my spouse then introduced out her blood strain monitor to test my ‘vitals’. She came upon that although I used to be hypertensive, my blood strain was low, whereas my pulse fee was unduly excessive. Then, I began having this electrical shock sensation as soon as I moved my head again, even a little bit. She turned alarmed and saved on repeating the blood strain and pulse fee monitoring. At one level, I advised the machine may have malfunctioned. However when she used it on herself and Oladapo, the figures appeared regular. At about 7 pm., all of us agreed to go to a close-by pharmacy to make use of their BP monitor to double-check, so we wouldn’t increase a false alarm. However we received the identical studying from the pharmacy. The alarm was then actual.
Instantly, we referred to as a urologist working in one other authorities hospital, who after listening to us promptly declared an emergency. He then directed that we should always go to the emergency ward of the general public hospital the place he works and he would get a advisor to take care of us. We did as he directed. However one hour after, we had been nonetheless ready. Nobody was in sight to take care of us. After a fast deliberation, we determined to go to the non-public hospital the place we had been usually registered. It was on the non-public hospital that the physician on responsibility alerted us that I had a septic an infection and that I may go into shock anytime. This was the second episode for me. I had suffered from sepsis throughout my earlier surgical rounds within the hospital. Sepsis is a situation during which the infection-fighting processes activate the physique, inflicting the organs to malfunction. In different phrases, my physique was starting to poison itself.
The physician on the non-public hospital urged me to hasten to the general public hospital the place I used to be just lately handled. We referred to as the urologist once more. He directed that we report back to the Accident and Emergency Ward. We did. But once more, the physician that was meant to obtain us was nowhere to be discovered. A number of panicked calls to her quantity, and there was no response. After what appeared like an eternity, she out of the blue materialised. She had gone to eat, she stated, informal and detached as nature itself. This time, I used to be to spend 9 days within the hospital.
However at this level, we had misplaced confidence in my urologist and we had began to make preparations to discover a hospital in Egypt to proceed the remedy. One evening, my household insisted that I must be discharged, even when in opposition to medical recommendation, in order that I may make a scheduled journey to Egypt. My spouse already signed the Discharge In opposition to Medical Recommendation kind earlier than Senator Salis phoned me and stated we should always maintain all actions till he arrived, as he had invited a number one knowledgeable in urology from one of many universities in Lagos to evaluation my case that very same evening. The professor got here in with the senator and took us via an hour-long lecture on the problems. He concluded that the case was not past what may very well be dealt with within the hospital. However “issues may have been performed in a different way throughout the surgical procedure.” He additionally enlightened us that with sepsis not correctly handled, it was uncertain if I may make a five-hour journey in an airplane to Egypt. He had include a extra senior urologist in the identical hospital, who had been his scholar. All of us agreed that I’d keep if he may assure that the extra senior surgeon would take over my case and report progress to him and the senator.
Once more, I returned dwelling. This time I even felt higher and was assured that my recuperation had began. Nevertheless it turned out to be the calm earlier than the storm; the most important storm of all. We came upon that as the times glided by, I began to lose management of my limbs. As traditional, my spouse was the primary to lift the query one morning. She requested why I staggered every time I attempted to stroll. I stated it may very well be as a result of I simply wakened. I attempted to allay her fears, however I couldn’t conceal for lengthy. Quickly, I used to be not capable of increase my hand. My preliminary thought was that this was as a result of I had stopped my morning train. I then resumed some guided exercise classes the place certainly one of my sons and Kamal Salis, my senator’s son, would information me via. However as an alternative of any enchancment, issues continued to degenerate, they usually had been occurring so quick.
Very quickly, I started to rely upon my spouse to brush my enamel, clear myself within the rest room, put meals in my mouth, carry out ablution, and do any chore that concerned the usage of my proper hand. Then my proper leg quickly adopted. It was like one thing was switching off my limbs one after the other. Then at evening, the pains descended on my neck and shoulder like a boulder. Sleep turned not possible. Turning turned a torture. To discover a place of aid, that small posture that may grant me respite from this oppressive ache, regardless of how fleeting, turned not possible. All via this ordeal, I had tried to be courageous. Now, I may not maintain again. I cried. The ache was simply an excessive amount of. And it got here within the evening. Due to this fact every evening approached with terror as a result of I knew what lay in anticipate me in the dead of night. Perhaps if I stayed up. I informed my spouse that maybe, I ought to attempt to sleep in a sitting place. However nothing I attempted helped. The title given to this one, this newest harbinger of pains, is cervical spondylosis. However little did we all know that it was a lot worse than that. One Saturday, we determined to go to a non-public hospital that specialised in orthopaedics. We had been informed to return again the next week’s Wednesday. However the ache wouldn’t relent. No matter I did, wherever I turned, it flogged me like an errant little one. The hospital later referred to as to make a change from Wednesday to Friday. However by then, we had already sought a extra pressing different. At 9 pm that very same evening, we met the orthopaedic surgeon. He really useful some medicine and a neck collar, which I have to now put on on like a shackle. That evening, after a very long time, I had an odd sleep with out pains. Nevertheless it was like shooing off a wild canine with a stick. It might again off for the second, however it will come again. By the subsequent day, the ache returned, ferocious, as if indignant to be disrupted for one evening.
Earlier than our subsequent appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon, we took the initiative to do an MRI take a look at. However by then, my case had turn out to be a determined emergency. All my limbs have packed up. All through these ordeals, I had by no means missed my prayers and supplications to Allah. However that morning, I couldn’t transfer even one finger to press the digital counter or maintain the tasbih.
“Is that this sickness additionally going to separate me from my God in my final days?” I lamented to my spouse. She stated it was solely short-term and every thing can be wonderful. However I learnt she later went into the lavatory to cry. She is a courageous lady. However I’m certain by this time, even she would even have began to ponder the worst.
When the orthopaedic surgeon noticed the results of the MRI take a look at, he took us to see a neurologist in a non-public hospital as properly. The neurologist defined that some bones had ruptured in my neck, which had disorganised the nerve provide system from the mind right down to the limbs. Once more, I needed to go in for a surgical procedure to revive the functioning of the nerves. The operation was to be carried out on Might 13. Whereas ready for the appointed date, my colleague, Akintoba Fatigun, got here to see me. He thought I used to be getting higher. Lots of my associates who had been chatting with me on the cellphone thought the identical, as a result of, regardless of all that I had suffered, my voice had remained sturdy and clear. I informed Akintoba that the truth is, the scenario had gotten worse for the reason that final time he visited and that I used to be really ready for one more surgical procedure.
When Akintoba left the home, he went straight to Dr Saraki’s residence and informed him of my scenario. The previous Senate President instantly began to make calls to completely different hospitals in Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the US. I didn’t have a sound US visa and we had no time to use for one. The Saudi hospital, after finding out the MRI, later replied that they might not take care of the scenario. Then, somebody advised Egypt. Contacts and appointments had been made. To enter Egypt, one solely wanted a sound UK visa to acquire the Egyptian visa on the level of entry. By Monday, Might 13, I used to be set to journey. Dr Saraki had bought business-class tickets for my spouse and me. He additionally supplied cash to pay for the surgical procedure and dwelling bills for a month. A day earlier than my departure, the home was full with a number of household associates, regardless of our greatest efforts to maintain the journey as confidential as doable. They had been folks from completely different elements of the nation and other people of various non secular persuasions. At that time, I used to be not Yoruba or Muslim to them. I used to be simply one other human being. At the same time as I lay helplessly in mattress, considering the motley crowd that had gathered in my room, I puzzled in the event that they thought they had been saying a closing goodbye to me.
It was time to go. My spouse and second son, Oladipo, had already packed the luggage. Then we realised that there was one more essential problem. My room was on the second flooring. How do I get down and into the automotive? We may solely consider two choices. Oladipo must carry me on his again and take me downstairs or I must crawl down the staircase. However even these two choices had been fraught with dangers. Sure, I had misplaced a lot weight and Dipo is a burly younger man, however he’s solely 23. The considered having my son carry me on his again as a result of I couldn’t stroll was a definite trauma by itself. However what if he slipped, and we each crashed to the bottom? There may solely be one consequence. How would the younger man forgive himself? However none of those occurred. Dipo efficiently carried me downstairs and received me safely into the automotive.
On the best way to the airport, I informed my spouse what my Plan B was, if Oladipo had been unable to hold me, to crawl downstairs. “That may have damaged me,” she stated. I responded with a joke that I wanted her to stay unbroken as a result of a damaged man couldn’t rely upon a damaged lady. Within the final 5 months, she had turn out to be my in-house nurse, minder, and caregiver.
5 hours later, we landed in Cairo. My hospital, Neuro Espitalia, is situated in a metropolis referred to as sixth of October, which is about an hour’s drive from the Cairo Worldwide Airport. I learnt that town received its title in commemoration of the day one of many Arab-Israeli wars broke out. We had been joined on the airport by my third son, Oladepo, who had organized a two-week depart from his London workplace and one other two weeks to work from the Cairo workplace of his firm. He was to offer an extra hand to me in Egypt for the subsequent one month. Our information was a Nigerian gentleman referred to as Rabiu Hamza, a PhD scholar at one of many Egyptian universities. We arrived on the Neuro Espitalia at about midnight on that Monday. For the second time in virtually a month, I had one other sound sleep. Tuesday was devoted to numerous laboratory checks and to getting my medical historical past. On Wednesday morning, I had the surgical procedure, which, as they defined, was to “clear an abscess within the cervical vertebrae, stabilise the cervical vertebrae and broaden the neural canal.” I didn’t perceive every thing, however I simply wished to get properly. The surgery was led by Prof. Ibrahim Lotfy, an aged however pleasant surgeon, and Prof. Dalia Rushdi.
After the profitable operation, the surgical group determined to tradition fragments of bones and tissues extracted from my again to find out what went incorrect within the first place. It was an investigation that took days and quite a lot of blood checks. What they discovered was, to say the least, stunning. It was described in medical phrases as “necrotizing Granulomatous Irritation Suitable With Tuberculosis of the Vertebrae. No malignancy.” Briefly, it’s referred to as tuberculosis of the vertebrae. This was the stealthy thief that had been stealing my limbs, one after the other. However even the surgical procedure couldn’t return every thing this illness had stolen from me. I needed to get well them myself by re-learning the usage of my legs and palms once more.
This was once I realised how a lot grateful people must be to their creator for even the most straightforward issues we take without any consideration on a regular basis. I realised that even the mere potential to scratch one’s face when it itches, what we do numerous occasions on a regular basis with out even desirous about it, is certainly a giant deal. When my face itched, I would want my son or my spouse to scratch it. To vary my sleeping posture, I would want them. To vary the place of my palms, or clear the sputum that come typically once I coughed, I wanted them to do these and every thing else for me.
At some extent, I may not fold my fingers to kind a fist so as to permit nurses take blood samples or repair the cannula for intravenous infusion. Over the previous 5 months, my arms had been lined in needle marks like a devoted drug person; to manage some injections, to take blood or to repair the cannula for intravenous medicine.
Just a few days after the surgical procedure, I started physiotherapy classes within the hospital. A number of physiotherapists got here to work on me. However a specific one stood out for me. His title is Ahmed El-Sanadidy, the person from Alexandria. Even after I left the hospital for a rented house shut by, we contracted El Sanadidy to proceed my rehabilitation remedy. He received paid per session. He was such an efficient, devoted, passionate, pleasant, hardworking, and artistic skilled. He was additionally in sizzling demand in his hometown, Alexandria, and within the metropolis of the sixth of October. Within the early a part of our classes, he would kind a protecting ring round me together with his arms to protect me from falling. He taught me to stroll yet again, to climb the steps, to make use of my arms, to strengthen my fingers, and to regain some degree of bodily health. I referred to as him ‘my boss’. He was the explanation I prolonged my keep in Egypt to 2 months. He was making some excellent progress with my rehabilitation and I didn’t wish to terminate it abruptly.
However there was one more problem. The hospital had tried in useless to get me to go to the bathroom. For nearly two weeks, even after two classes of enema, nothing got here out. After we moved to the house, I believed the privateness of a house would assist, however nothing. I’d really feel pressed to make use of the bathroom and spend time sitting and groaning in ache, however nothing would come out. It was later realised that the muscle tissue round my waist had turn out to be so weak they might not exert enough strain to push out the waste. This turned one other supply of agonising ache. My abdomen felt as stable as if I had been fed concrete cement. This turned one other main prayer level for me.
“Try to be saying ‘Alhamdulilahi Rabbil alaamin’ as a result of we should always let our gratitude to God be greater than our requests to Him,” my spouse stated sooner or later as I used to be petitioning God over the agony of my plumbing downside. It was a take a look at of religion. Nevertheless it was additionally a lesson by no means to overlook. One morning, the plumbing downside resolved itself, not in essentially the most dignifying method. Since then, it has been simpler than ever doing my ‘toileting enterprise’. For greater than 4 months, I used to be carrying a catheter round. At some extent, they turned two. However now, I’m freed from each of them.
Now, I’m a bit steady. I can stroll unaided. At a time I couldn’t even transfer a finger, however now I can sit down and kind this piece on my iPad. I can carry out my salat, the ablution, ruku (bowing), and the sujud (prostration), all alone. There was a time prior to now once I needed to depend on folks to do ablution for me and I needed to pray mendacity down. I couldn’t even flip my head to the left or proper. I stared on the ceiling on a regular basis and developed a system that enabled me use marks on the POP on the ceiling as counter for my supplications. I’ve learnt to not take something without any consideration and to thank my maker for enabling any bodily transfer that I’m able to make.
I’ve written this piece to rejoice the truth that I’m alive, regardless of my ordeal prior to now 5 months. However I’ve additionally written it to share my expertise of the Nigerian medical system. Even earlier than I travelled to Egypt, I realised that a lot is incorrect with our medical system, for which I almost paid with my life. However my expertise in Egyptian hospitals and with Egyptian docs made me realise this much more. Why do our docs behave as if they’re being compelled to be docs; as if there is no such thing as a minimal normal to which they need to comply; as if they’ll do something and get away with it; as if it was sufficient for them to simply declare that they tried their greatest? The Egyptian hospital was replete with tales of Nigerians coming there to appropriate surgical operations that had been carried out in Nigeria, some from glamorous hospitals in Abuja the place they cost exorbitantly.
On the authorities hospital during which I used to be virtually killed, an evening’s keep within the ICU prices N150,000. I doubt that many accommodations cost that a lot for the standard room. But, sufferers are nonetheless made to pay what they name “utility charges,” calculated by the variety of days a affected person has spent within the hospital. We’re not even speaking about the price of medicine and medicines. The identical hospital bought Tavanic 500mg, an antibiotic used for the remedy of infections, for N42,000, whereas a pharmacy situated just a few metres away from the hospital bought the identical drug for N20,000. In Egypt, we purchased the drug for 124 Egyptian Kilos which is about N4,092, on the trade fee of ₦33 to 1. How did we discover ourselves in a scenario the place authorities hospitals have turn out to be the costliest and essentially the most inefficient in Nigeria? Well being employees, docs, nurses, and so on., in non-public hospitals, might not be any higher, however not less than they seem dedicated to their jobs. Public well being employees in Nigeria behave as if they might slightly be some place else, as if they’re really doing the sufferers a favour. The painful fact is that they don’t care whether or not you reside or die. There’s work right here for everybody – the federal government, skilled our bodies and coaching establishments.
I used to be fortunate to have highly effective individuals who may muscle them. What in regards to the thousands and thousands of Nigerians who don’t know anyone? If I had been of their scenario, I’d have lengthy been forgotten. Why would a Nigerian want tonnes of cash and highly effective associates to face an opportunity of surviving a medical problem in our nation?
My final phrases are for these of us whose work calls for lengthy sitting hours. We have to be conscious of our sitting postures and make sure you rise up intermittently. Please don’t ignore any ache. A daily check-up could make a distinction between life and dying. At present I’m alive. I give due to the Almighty Allah who has given me a second lease of life out of his infinite mercy, not essentially as a result of I deserve it. All glory be to Him.
Olaniyonu, a former Commissioner for Info in Ogun State, wrote from Abuja