Perhaps I shouldn’t be alive. But I’m, regardless of the percentages. I’m nonetheless frail and fragile. But 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 except by Allah’s leave and at a term appointed (Quran 3: 145).”
It all began on February 19 after 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 advised. But 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 by way of catheters. I’ve turn out to be completely depending on others for the efficiency of even such private capabilities as cleansing myself. I’ve misplaced 20 kilogrammes in 5 months and was decreased to a mere sack of bones. I’ve misplaced the usage of my limbs and, like a toddler, I needed to be taught to stroll once more. I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of naira and 1000’s of {dollars} of my very own and different folks’s cash. I’ve travelled lots 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. But by some means, I’m nonetheless alive.
I’m somebody you may describe as a hands-on particular person, or perhaps a keep-fit buff, cautious about what I eat or drink and what I do with my physique. Therefore, I seldom had any want for a hospital. However, 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 course 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 positive to see the urologist each three months. At one level, I used to be additionally suggested to see a nephrologist every so often.
All these visits, I understood, have been merely precautionary. But I used to be starting to spend an excessive amount of time on the ready line within the hospital than I might afford. Before lengthy, I modified to a different hospital nearer to my home. Even although additionally it is a authorities hospital, it has a non-public wing that fees greater charges for faster consultations and providers. I believed this association served me higher. I used to be assigned a marketing consultant urologist of my very own. And I additionally noticed a nephrologist within the hospital. However, whereas the nephrologist stored assuring me that all the pieces was wonderful, the urologist began to lift the alarm. At some extent, he advised me that if we didn’t act quick, my enlarged prostate would possibly start to have an effect on my kidney. The solely resolution, he mentioned, 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. But 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, in truth, in a a lot better place than a number of of my mates, who all have been shocked that I selected to go beneath the knife for an ailment that, as a rule, gives a little bit extra than simply mere discomfort, so long as it’s not cancerous. They have been proper. The solely prostate-related grievance I had was that I urinated twice or thrice at night time. I didn’t have any pains or problem in urinating, or any symptom past the odd. It turned out that every one I wanted was a slight change in way of life, not consuming or consuming late into the night time, and to proceed to take the medicine that have been prescribed for administration goal, which, by the way in which, my urologist had requested me to cease taking.
Although it didn’t imply a lot to me on the time, however on this hospital, sufferers don’t have entry to the outcomes of their laboratory exams. The physician electronically sends requests to the laboratory and as soon as the affected person has made fee, 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 based mostly 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 night time getting ready for the surgical procedure the subsequent day. Per week earlier than, I had gone by way of a cystoscopy process. That was my first time ever in a hospital surgical theatre. But since February 20, I’ve been in a number of theatres, greater than a median particular person would in a single lifetime. It occurred that through 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. When 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 crew had reached its wit’s finish. It had misplaced management. One of them had, in truth, quietly advised my household that my probability of survival was 50-50. They have been already pondering of shifting to the subsequent affected person. After all, they’d “tried their best.”
But 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 save lots of my life at that time have been some ‘muscles’ that might compel the medical doctors to offer me correct consideration. She advised my kids, their mates, 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 Arise TV, Mr Nduka Obaigbena, to tell him about my situation. All she wanted have 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 Health, who in flip referred to as the top of the hospital. He additionally promptly dispatched one among his prime managers, Mr Israel Iwegbu, to maneuver over to the hospital and report again to him.
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Akintoba additionally referred to as my boss, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who was then within the United States. The former 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 may 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 modify the catheter and be sure that I hadn’t suffered any inner harm. I ended up spending six days within the ICU and later returned to the personal room. In the ICU, the visitors and calibre of people that got here to see me shocked the hospital administration. One night, Dr Saraki himself led a really lengthy and highly effective delegation to the hospital such that when he mentioned: “Yusuph, get well fast, look at the whole troops turning out to wish you well,” I couldn’t however agree with him. In the identical manner, there have been the visits of Senator Salis and his son, Kamal, who was all the time travelling down from Kaduna to see me, simply as Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi as soon as led his spouse, kids, and mates 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. While within the hospital, I mentioned my prayers most occasions mendacity on the mattress. Although I had misplaced a lot weight, it appeared as if I used to be set on my strategy to restoration. Until one thing occurred that might change all the pieces, 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 Boost 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 Boost that I had taken the day past. She felt one thing was unsuitable. However, Oladapo and I believed it might be the impact of the Lucozade Boost drink.
For some motive, my spouse then introduced out her blood strain monitor to verify my ‘vitals’. She came upon that although I used to be hypertensive, my blood strain was low, whereas my pulse price 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 stored on repeating the blood strain and pulse price monitoring. At one level, I instructed the machine might have malfunctioned. But 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. But we received the identical studying from the pharmacy. The alarm was then actual.
Immediately, 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 must always go to the emergency ward of the general public hospital the place he works and he would get a marketing consultant to take care of us. We did as he directed. But one hour after, we have been nonetheless ready. No one was in sight to take care of us. After a fast deliberation, we determined to go to the personal hospital the place we have been usually registered. It was on the personal hospital that the physician on responsibility alerted us that I had a septic an infection and that I might 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 personal hospital urged me to hasten to the general public hospital the place I used to be lately handled. We referred to as the urologist once more. He directed that we report back to the Accident and Emergency Ward. We did. Yet once more, the physician that was meant to obtain us was nowhere to be discovered. Several panicked calls to her quantity, and there was no response. After what appeared like an eternity, she abruptly materialised. She had gone to eat, she mentioned, informal and detached as nature itself. This time, I used to be to spend 9 days within the hospital.
But 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 night time, my household insisted that I must be discharged, even when in opposition to medical recommendation, in order that I might make a scheduled journey to Egypt. My spouse already signed the Discharge Against Medical Advice kind earlier than Senator Salis phoned me and mentioned we must 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 night time. The professor got here in with the senator and took us by way of an hour-long lecture on the problems. He concluded that the case was not past what might be dealt with within the hospital. But “things could have been done differently during the surgery.” He additionally enlightened us that with sepsis not correctly handled, it was uncertain if I might 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 pupil. We all agreed that I’d keep if he might assure that the extra senior surgeon would take over my case and report progress to him and the senator.
Again, I returned dwelling. This time I even felt higher and was assured that my recuperation had began. But it turned out to be the calm earlier than the storm; the largest storm of all. We came upon that as the times glided by, I began to lose management of my limbs. As common, my spouse was the primary to lift the query one morning. She requested why I staggered every time I attempted to stroll. I mentioned it might be as a result of I simply awoke. I attempted to allay her fears, however I couldn’t disguise for lengthy. Soon, I used to be not in a position to 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 one among my sons and Kamal Salis, my senator’s son, would information me by way of. But as an alternative of any enchancment, issues continued to degenerate, and so they have been taking place so quick.
In no time, I started to depend upon my spouse to brush my enamel, clear myself within the lavatory, 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 night time, 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 might grant me respite from this oppressive ache, irrespective of how fleeting, turned not possible. All by way of this ordeal, I had tried to be courageous. Now, I might now not maintain again. I cried. The ache was simply an excessive amount of. And it got here within the night time. Therefore every night time approached with terror as a result of I knew what lay in await me at the hours of darkness. Maybe if I stayed up. I advised my spouse that maybe, I ought to attempt to sleep in a sitting place. But nothing I attempted helped. The title given to this one, this newest harbinger of pains, is cervical spondylosis. But 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 have been advised to return again the next week’s Wednesday. But the ache wouldn’t relent. Whatever I did, wherever I turned, it flogged me like an errant baby. The hospital later referred to as to make a change from Wednesday to Friday. But by then, we had already sought a extra pressing various. At 9 pm that very same night time, we met the orthopaedic surgeon. He really helpful some medicine and a neck collar, which I have to now put on on like a shackle. That night time, after a very long time, I had a wierd sleep with out pains. But it was like shooing off a wild canine with a stick. It could again off for the second, however it could come again. By the subsequent day, the ache returned, ferocious, as if offended to be disrupted for one night time.
Before our subsequent appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon, we took the initiative to do an MRI take a look at. But by then, my case had turn out to be a determined emergency. All my limbs have packed up. Throughout these ordeals, I had by no means missed my prayers and supplications to Allah. But that morning, I couldn’t transfer even one finger to press the digital counter or maintain the tasbih.
“Is this illness also going to separate me from my God in my last days?” I lamented to my spouse. She mentioned it was solely short-term and all the pieces can be wonderful. But I learnt she later went into the toilet to cry. She is a courageous girl. But I’m positive 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 effectively. The neurologist defined that some bones had ruptured in my neck, which had disorganised the nerve provide system from the mind all the way down to the limbs. Again, I needed to go in for a surgical procedure to revive the functioning of the nerves. The operation was to be carried out on May 13. While ready for the appointed date, my colleague, Akintoba Fatigun, got here to see me. He thought I used to be getting higher. Many of my mates who have been talking to 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 advised Akintoba that in truth, the scenario had gotten worse for the reason that final time he visited and that I used to be truly ready for an additional surgical procedure.
When Akintoba left the home, he went straight to Dr Saraki’s residence and advised him of my scenario. The former Senate President instantly began to make calls to totally different hospitals in Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the US. I didn’t have a legitimate US visa and we had no time to use for one. The Saudi hospital, after finding out the MRI, later replied that they may not take care of the scenario. Then, somebody instructed Egypt. Contacts and appointments have been made. To enter Egypt, one solely wanted a legitimate UK visa to acquire the Egyptian visa on the level of entry. By Monday, May 13, I used to be set to journey. Dr Saraki had bought business-class tickets for my spouse and me. He additionally offered 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 mates, regardless of our greatest efforts to maintain the journey as confidential as doable. They have been folks from totally different elements of the nation and folks 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. Even as I lay helplessly in mattress, considering the motley crowd that had gathered in my room, I questioned in the event that they thought they have been saying a closing goodbye to me.
It was time to go. My spouse and second son, Oladipo, had already packed the baggage. Then we realised that there was yet one more necessary problem. My room was on the second flooring. How do I get down and into the automotive? We might solely consider two choices. Oladipo must carry me on his again and take me downstairs or I must crawl down the staircase. But even these two choices have been fraught with dangers. Yes, 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. But what if he slipped, and we each crashed to the bottom? There might solely be one end result. How would the younger man forgive himself? But none of those occurred. Dipo efficiently carried me downstairs and received me safely into the automotive.
On the way in which to the airport, I advised my spouse what my Plan B was, if Oladipo had been unable to hold me, to crawl downstairs. “That would have broken me,” she mentioned. I responded with a joke that I wanted her to stay unbroken as a result of a damaged man couldn’t depend upon a damaged girl. In the final 5 months, she had turn out to be my in-house nurse, minder, and caregiver.
Five hours later, we landed in Cairo. My hospital, Neuro Espitalia, is positioned in a metropolis referred to as sixth of October, which is about an hour’s drive from the Cairo International Airport. I learnt that town received its title in commemoration of the day one of many Arab-Israeli wars broke out. We have 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 pupil 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 exams and to getting my medical historical past. On Wednesday morning, I had the surgical procedure, which, as they defined, was to “clean an abscess in the cervical vertebrae, stabilise the cervical vertebrae and expand the neural canal.” I didn’t perceive all the pieces, however I simply wished to get effectively. The surgical procedure was led by Prof. Ibrahim Lotfy, an aged however pleasant surgeon, and Prof. Dalia Rushdi.
After the profitable operation, the surgical crew determined to tradition fragments of bones and tissues extracted from my again to find out what went unsuitable within the first place. It was an investigation that took days and quite a lot of blood exams. What they discovered was, to say the least, surprising. It was described in medical phrases as “necrotizing Granulomatous Inflammation Compatible With Tuberculosis of the Vertebrae. No malignancy.” In quick, it’s referred to as tuberculosis of the vertebrae. This was the stealthy thief that had been stealing my limbs, one after the other. But even the surgical procedure couldn’t return all the pieces this illness had stolen from me. I needed to recuperate them myself by re-learning the usage of my legs and palms once more.
This was after I realised how a lot grateful people must be to their creator for even the most straightforward issues we take as a right on a regular basis. I realised that even the mere capacity to scratch one’s face when it itches, what we do numerous occasions on a regular basis with out even serious about it, is certainly a giant deal. When my face itched, I would wish my son or my spouse to scratch it. To change my sleeping posture, I would wish them. To change the place of my palms, or clear the sputum that come typically after I coughed, I wanted them to do these and all the pieces else for me.
At some extent, I might now not fold my fingers to kind a fist as a way to enable nurses take blood samples or repair the cannula for intravenous infusion. Over the previous 5 months, my arms had been coated in needle marks like a devoted drug consumer; to manage some injections, to take blood or to repair the cannula for intravenous medicine.
A couple of days after the surgical procedure, I started physiotherapy classes within the hospital. Several physiotherapists got here to work on me. But a selected one stood out for me. His title is Ahmed El-Sanadidy, the person from Alexandria. Even after I left the hospital for a rented condo 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 scorching demand in his hometown, Alexandria, and within the metropolis of the sixth of October. In the early a part of our classes, he would kind a protecting ring round me along with his arms to protect me from falling. He taught me to stroll another time, to climb the steps, to make use of my arms, to strengthen my fingers, and to regain some stage 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 superb progress with my rehabilitation and I didn’t need to terminate it abruptly.
But there was yet one more problem. The hospital had tried in useless to get me to go to the bathroom. For virtually two weeks, even after two classes of enema, nothing got here out. After we moved to the condo, 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 tissues round my waist had turn out to be so weak they may not exert adequate strain to push out the waste. This turned one other supply of agonising ache. My abdomen felt as strong as if I had been fed concrete cement. This turned one other main prayer level for me.
“You should be saying ‘Alhamdulilahi Rabbil alaamin’ because we should let our gratitude to God be more than our requests to Him,” my spouse mentioned 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. But it was additionally a lesson by no means to overlook. One morning, the plumbing downside resolved itself, not in probably the most dignifying method. Since then, it has been simpler than ever doing my ‘toileting business’. For greater than 4 months, I used to be carrying a catheter round. At some extent, they turned two. But 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 sort this piece on my iPad. I can carry out my salat, the ablution, ruku (bowing), and the sujud (prostration), all by myself. There was a time previously after 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 as a right 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 previously 5 months. But 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 unsuitable with our medical system, for which I practically paid with my life. But my expertise in Egyptian hospitals and with Egyptian medical doctors made me realise this much more. Why do our medical doctors behave as if they’re being pressured to be medical doctors; 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 right surgical operations that had been carried out in Nigeria, some from glamorous hospitals in Abuja the place they cost exorbitantly.
At the federal government hospital during which I used to be virtually killed, an evening’s keep within the ICU prices N150,000. I doubt that many inns cost that a lot for the standard room. Yet, sufferers are nonetheless made to pay what they name “utility fees,” calculated by the variety of days a affected person has spent within the hospital. We usually are not even speaking about the price of medicine and medicines. The identical hospital offered Tavanic 500mg, an antibiotic used for the remedy of infections, for N42,000, whereas a pharmacy positioned just a few metres away from the hospital offered the identical drug for N20,000. In Egypt, we purchased the drug for 124 Egyptian Pounds which is about N4,092, on the change price of ₦33 to 1. How did we discover ourselves in a scenario the place authorities hospitals have turn out to be the most costly and probably the most inefficient in Nigeria? Health staff, medical doctors, nurses, and so on., in personal hospitals, might not be any higher, however a minimum of they seem dedicated to their jobs. Public well being staff in Nigeria behave as if they might quite be someplace else, as if they’re truly doing the sufferers a favour. The painful reality is that they don’t care whether or not you reside or die. There is figure right here for everybody – the federal government, skilled our bodies and coaching establishments.
I used to be fortunate to have highly effective individuals who might muscle them. What in regards to the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who don’t know anyone? If I have been of their scenario, I’d have lengthy been forgotten. Why would a Nigerian want tonnes of cash and highly effective mates 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 should 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 demise. Today 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 Information in Ogun State, wrote from Abuja