MATERNAL DEPRIVATION: THINGS WE PROBABLY DID NOT KNOW

When I was preparing for my exams, I had no time for anything else. Twenty four hours were not enough. There was just too much to read. I would stay back at work most times and even when I was home, I would lock myself in. I should not be disturbed for anything. My children was at the mercy of their nanny. At that time, passing that exam was more important to me than any other thing. My excuse was that I did not want to put my family through that process again.

After the exam, I had a malnourished child on my hands! It was not funny. Guilt enveloped me. I had neglected my child. I had to devote my attention afterwards to feeding the child and in no time, his weight was above the expected for his age.

That was my experience. There are other parts of Maternal deprivation that we may not know. I will shed light on them shortly.

Maternal Deprivation occurs when a child is deprived of maternal care, the effect of which is marked in the child's first three (3) years of life.

There are Four related types of Maternal deprivation:

-Mother-Child separation as occurs in divorced homes or maternal deaths

-Multiple Mothering: the child has different mothers caring for him. He does not have attachment to a particular person as occurs in extended family system 

-Distortion in quality of care: as in Overprotection and Child abuse.

-Institutionalization: examples are children in remand homes, Orphanages etc

OVERPROTECTION

ThIs occurs when the child is extremely pampered and inadequately disciplined. It occurs often in children who are the only offsprings of parents or of a particular gender that parents had been hoping for. It may also occur to children whose parents are very busy because the parents try to compensate children for their absence.

EFFECTS OF MATERNAL DEPRIVATION 

- Failure to thrive as the child may not grow adequately

- Feeling of abandonment

- Delinquency e.g Stealing, fighting, lying, aggressiveness

- Lack of concentration in studies

- Lack of compassion for others

- Improper behaviours

As usual, here's a story for your enjoyment. It is based on overprotection as a type of maternal deprivation.

Victoria had been married for 10 years without a child. She had never ever been pregnant. Not even from morning till night. . She was labelled a witch. In fact someone claimed that Victoria was the second in command in her witchcraft society and had contributed all her children there. What name was she not called. Many people deserted her. It was as though being barren was a communicable disease. It was terrible.

The doctors told her nothing was wrong with her. She should only be patient. The only saving grace she had was that her husband Kunle, was always on her side. If not for him, all these would have been unbearable.

Until a miracle happened that changed everything! She was pregnant. Wow! It was a long awaited blessing. After nine months, she was delivered of a healthy baby boy. However, she had complications after delivery. She had postpartum haemorrhage. The doctors then told her later that she could not have a child again! It hurt so badly but at least she had her baby. She named him Oluwaseyifunmi meaning "God did this for me".

Days rolled into weeks and moths into years, Seyi was now eight years old. There was nothing that money could buy that this boy did not have. He could even choose the kind of car to take him to school. He had two nannies at his beck and call. He couldn't lift his hand to lift anything. The servants were at his mercy. They had to be in his good books. If he didn't like someone, the person would be fired. 

Seyi was given the liberty of choosing what to eat. He almost always chose Chocolates, Bobo etc. he did not like eating Rice, yam, not to talk of Eba or Amala. Indomie was usually the other option. He did not like having a bath nor did he like brushing his teeth. Victoria would never tell him to do anything he did not want to do.

His grades in school were bad. Teachers were fed up with complaining. His mom had instructed them never to give him homework nor to correct him in school. No wonder he had repeated twice already. In fact he should have repeated again last session but because of the mom's huge donation to the school he was allowed to go to the next class.

As if that was not enough, there was no insult too large for his mouth. He had no respect for anyone. He was just a law unto himself. Kunle warned his wife saying, "A kin ke Omo kan ko di meji" meaning no matter how much you pamper a child, it can not increase the number of children you have.

One fateful day, Mom took him to the Zoo. The zoo guide had told them not to go into the crocodile's pond but because as usual, Seyi would never listen, he threw tantrums and jumped into the pond. He landed on an angry crocodile who opened his large mouth and bit off his leg. If not for the timely intervention of the Zoo guide, the other crocodiles would have eaten him up.

Victoria sat at her son's bedside in the hospital. Looking at his amputated leg, she wished she could turn back the hands of time and do things differently. She prayed and hoped it was not too late......

We might not have power over the causes of mother-child separation, Institutionalization or multiple mothering. But we do in the case of overprotection and child abuse. We owe it to our kids to train the right way as the Bible states in Proverb 22:6. It does not mean that we don't love them. In fact it's because we love them, that's why we should prepare them for the future. 

Hopefully next time, I will talk about Child Abuse. Thank you all for reading. Please share!!!

NIGERIAN RAPISTS: STOP DESTROYING OUR CHILDREN

Last week while discussing with my friend, Aunty Ameenah, we talked about how our girls have been exposed early to adult life and how many of them are being molested due to no fault of theirs. This reminded me of this wonderful piece written by a very passionate paediatrician, Dr Valentine. 

The write up was based on a true life experience that he had and with his permission, it's available on this blog with minimal editing. As parents, we have to be observant and sensitive to everything that concerns our children. I'm sorry if you find the story disturbing but know that the statistics of statutory rape is more disturbing than this story can ever be.

Thanks.

 "Sometimes ago, a 3 year - old girl was brought to my attention by the Nursing Sister on my ward. The mother complained of some discharge from girl's genitalia ("bum - bum") which made the Nurse to draw my attention to the swab* test result - also brought by the Mother. At first, I was not keen at seeing because I had closed for the day before this "over - caring" nurse started to trouble me. Good nurses are -"abaniwase baori"** really; so immediately, I asked the nurse to take the result of the swab to a junior doctor who would write out drugs based on the culture result available but she would not let me be, so I obliged.

Its not good to just write drugs for patient without proper examination (a reason why most doctors who had already closed for the daƴ would not want to see a new patient who is just arriving; 1 minute of your time may lead to a whole night of watchful waiting for a come - back effort if the patient suddenly slumps!), so I proceeded to check. It was a gory sight! The discharge coming from this child was offensive and unbelievable. The redness and pains on examining the child's "bum - bum" (vagina wall) was terrific! 

There were so many cuts:some fresh, some were healing. The mother bursted into tears and I struggled with mine anyway (I felt liƙe crying but I had to hold the tears before doctor pushes the patient's relative over the highest wall of emotions!)

Obviously, someone or something has been traumatizing this area! Anger and  nausea were an understatement for me. A 3 year old girl in a mess of unsolicited sexual assault! This is traumatic.

Did the girl entice her assailant? Did she wear provocative dresses too? Or had too much alcohol?

Rape is a forceful or non consensual  sexual contact or penetration of a victim's body with an object or the sexual organ. Penetration might be oral, anal or vaginally. Consent giving is an essential part of sexual relationship while lack of consent, use of threat, deception or coercion constitutes the sole hinge on which rape cases hang. 

The media recently has been reporting  sexual assaults or sexual abuse story "almost" on a daily basis. No, I am wrong. It is everyday that we read different versions: how a 70 year old man was seduced by a 12 year - old girl? Or how a 54 year old was claiming he had paid the dowry of a 14 year old girl and therefore could impregnate her? 

Even school Proprietors/Principals and even Vice Principals. We had thought the 'devil' - that habitual culprit - always "uses" the young school teachers only. Alas we were wrong, our protectors of children have become their tormentors. How does one save the child of an armed robber whose parent teaches pilfering and still  claims the sole propriety of his or her wards?

Rape is as common as Malaria nowadays. About 15 - 40% in certain studies in Nigeria.  When we are just recovering from Boƙo Haram anɗ still battling the Fulani herdsmen rapes of our women, girls and boys, here rapes intend to destroy our children!

What more can we say? This is because of unmanaged psychiatric illness or aberrant sexual behaviours. Either way, an adult who abuses a child is wicked, insane, afailure and/or a weakling!

Sexual intercourse involving 2 minors without consent, without equality or with coercion  is Child -  on - Child sexual abuse. In such instance, the older minor tricks or forces the younger minor into cooperation to carry out such acts. Often the older minor has been exposed to sexual activity by an adult or to Pornographic materials carelessly passed on by an adult. That in itself is a form of sexual abuse:when an adult keeps exposing a child to sexual events or activity. You can watch and monitor your maids or child minders again and again if you are looking for that abusive adult. Even some fathers and step fathers! Ha!

If an adult has sexual contact with a minor, it is a statutory rape. Even if the older person claims consent was given by the minor, it is not tenable and it is a criminal offence with jail terms if found guilty.

Children giggling and touching each other while playing may be having age appropriate sexual play that needs proper guidance and check. Normative Sexual play that is age appropriate, is not bad in itself because such children are still exploring their sexual self. They are easily distractable once they are called for errands or taking away from their friends. 

Normative sexual play is different from repetitive sexual behaviours like trying to kiss other children with tongue all out while playing or crudely demonstrating adult sexual movements with other children. This calls for caution and further probing. If a child likes to touch other children's genitals or liƙe to watch nude adults or peers, such a child must be evaluated for sexual abuse.

In the long run, a sexually abused child may become more anxious, may avoid the offender who often is a close contact(neighbours, teachers, minders, uncles and aunts), develops poor school performance, depression, poor appetite, poor weight gain, pains in the genitals (Mothers bath your dependant children everyday yourselves while you monitor the grown ups for subtle changes) and suicidal tendencies later on.

 Other signs of abuse and consequences are recurrent vaginal discharges in a prepubescent child or young adolescents (urinary tract infections can occur in young girls without sexual abuse especially with poor toilet training and or hygiene practices). Nevertheless, be concerned if your child keeps having stained under wears and genital pains.

Sexual abuse or rape is a cankerworm that can wreck our children's future so parents should become more concerned: if a child refuses to play with previously known and friendly adults or minders; parents  should not force their children to hug their relatives or neighbours as these children may not understand inappropriate touch or abuse; parents should not call their children someone else' s wife or husband especially when the person is older. Wait for the child to be a responsible adult and then can decide.

Parents should also monitor what their children watch. Some movies rated 14- or 16- are sexually explicit. Even some cartoons nowadays are not so harmless, they are suggestive.  Please be very observant and sensitive. Always listen to your children and pay close attention. If your child does not like someone, there must be a reason for it. Believe your children when they report to you. 

 Sexual education like "good and bad touches", "it is not okay for anyone to touch your genitals" and many more age appropriate sex education should be used. We should Stop sexualizing our children too. That make up, that dress that makes your girl child sexier is making a statement! Abeg let these children be children. When they are adults, they can start using makeup.

Before I submit, my patient was being abused allegedly by her female teacher and one other boy. The description the poor toddler gave is too horrific and too concrete to be ignored or written here.....

Hmmmmmmm!

It is time we stopped this RAPE!

TinoMaria.

* Swab test: a microbiological test in which discharging fluiɗ or pus is taking to the lab to determine the cause of the infection and the best antibiotics;

**abaniwase baori: Yoruba name for a job intermediary who helps the jobless to find jobs;

References: Nelson Paediatrics' textbook, Global health action, Rape Wikipaedia.

DEPRESSION;LET'S TALK 2

Still on the depression topic. Here's another story from the depression support group. It's entirely fictional and bears no resemblance to any living or dead person.

"Hello everyone" said Dr Abraham, the founder of the support group. "I thank you all for sharing your stories tonight. I am amazed at how we have grown since this group began. We have learnt each other and we have made friends over the years with one another." He added.

"Our friendship and support has helped us to be compliant with our drugs and to live healthy. I will encourage you to continue in that spirit." "However, in this same group, we have a friend here who has not found a place among us yet. Today, it has to stop. That's why I am calling on you, Mr. Seun Oke, to come out and share your story with us. Let's all give him a round of applause as he talks to us" said the Doctor.

Seun got up reluctantly. Oooh! What is this one now. Why would this man put me in such a tight spot, he wondered. I didn't even want to join this group in the first place. All these people will be talking about themselves and be feeling as if they have experienced terrible situations. Are they not the ones responsible for their own misfortune? Shiiiooorrr! They should come and ask me. They don't know anything.

Why am I even here. I'm not depressed. I am just sad and angry. And I just want to be left alone. He wished he could tell the doctor to mind his own business but he couldn't. Dr Abraham was just too nice. In fact he was his best friend in this whole planet. And it's only because of this reason that he would speak today.


" My name is Seun. I am 23 years old. I joined this group two years ago and I am not depressed. I am only here because all my life I have only known pain. It's has been my companion since forever and It's the only thing I know that can never forsake me.

"I am the first child of my parents. I have two other siblings. I am a sickle cell disease patient. It was diagnosed when I was only six months old. Apparently, my parents did not consider genotype when getting married. Who does that?! In this age and time. They just gave birth to me so that I can be suffering abi. I have never known what being healthy really means. I am always in and out of the hospital.

"Why me for God's sake? Why does it have to be me? Why do I have to suffer so much? There were times I have asked for death during my crises. As a child, I suffered Avascular Necrosis of the head of femur which means I have problems with my hip joint. The head of my left thigh bone is dead.  It needs to be replaced but since my parents cannot afford the surgery, I can barely walk. You can all see that I use crutches to aid my movement. 

"In the past few years, I have had multiple blood transfusions along with some terrible side effects. I don't go to school regularly because of the illness and I have repeated almost every class. I only just finished secondary school this year. I am not looking forward to going to the university because I can not study the course I love. I was told to choose a less stressful course. Imagine!!!

"Two months ago, on my way home from here, I suffered a stroke. How does that happen in someone my age? All because I am a sickler. I nearly died. I actually wish I had. At least I would rest from all these pains. I have no friend because no one wants to be with me. And since no one wants to be with me, I don't want to be with anyone either. I just want to be left alone. A lot of people say that I am withdrawn. Why won't I be? If they were in my shoes, they wouldn't do any better. There's nothing in my life worth celebrating and I don't see it getting any better.

"That's my story. I hope I can have my seat now".

One could hear a pin drop in the room. Some people were crying by the time he was done. Some bowed their heads and could not bear to look at him. Dr Abraham got up and spoke. His voice was gentle and reassuring. He said, " Now Seun, that is one hell of a story if you ask me". He cleared his throat and continued, " You can do either of two things in this situation. First, you can choose to focus on all the negativities in your life. Live in self pity and hopefully die one day soon or you can take charge of your life and have a positive impact on people. You can start a sickle cell foundation where you can educate people on Sickle cell disease. You can start a support group for those with the disease. You can help prevent the disease anyway you can. You will be more fulfilled doing that. Even if you die, I pray you don't, it will be a happy death."

"At this juncture, let's call it a day," said The doctor. "Let's not forget to talk about Depression, it helps. Till we meet again next week, stay blessed". "Goodnight doctor", everyone chorused and filed out of the room. Only Seun did not leave. He broke down in tears at the doctor's feet and said, "Thank you very much doctor. I choose to live positively hence forth. I will take your advice and positively impact people's lives."

Dr Abraham pulled him up and supported him as they walked outside. He looked up to the sky feeling very fulfilled. He loves helping people. And on days like this, he feels like a super hero.

I want to use this opportunity to encourage you all reading this to help people around you. I have already discussed the symptoms of Depression in the last episode. Let us encourage people to talk. A woman is suffering and we say she should not talk. A husband is depressed and because of stigmatisation, we say he should not tell anyone. All these have to stop. Depression is Real and only talking about it helps!!!

Thanks so much for your time. Special thanks to my daughter who helped me to edit this piece and my son who gave me some ideas. God bless you all.

DEPRESSION: LET'S START TALKING

Every year, the World Health Organization sets a theme. This year 2017, the WHO theme is Depression, let's talk. I want to discuss this theme because even though a lot has been said about this topic, the level of awareness is still low especially in Nigeria, we are not yet talking about it freely and most importantly the stigma attached to Mental Health conditions is still very high.

It is a common sight on our streets to see "mad" people. We see "mad" people who are aggressive, we see the ones who are very quiet, those ones who are very neat and organised. We even gave them names. I remember a Yoruba proverb which says "Were dun wo, ko se bi l'omo" translated as "it's fun to watch the mad man but not fun to be related to him". This buttresses the fact that our society ostracises mentally ill people and so people rarely talk about it when they have mental health issues for fear of being labelled mad. Also, in my culture once people know that you have had a mental illness before, you can never do anything right even if you are back to normal. If you laugh, they will say it's too much, if you don't laugh, they will say you have relapsed.

When I was younger, some relatives brought news of how one of them was seen in Neuropsychiatric hospital, Aro, Ogun State. They didn't bother to greet him for fear of being identified with him. But they brought the news home. What they didn't know was that the person they saw was a Nurse in that hospital. 

Depression is a very common mental disorder all over the world. Identified causes include a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors. It can affect any age group though it is more common in adults. It can occur with other serious medical illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension and Parkinson’s disease. These conditions being chronic may predispose to depression and some of the drugs used for the management of these diseases have side effects that can contribute to depression.

Symptoms of Depression must have persisted for more than two weeks before the diagnosis can be made and it includes:

Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood

Feelings of hopelessness, or pessimism/ Irritability

Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness

Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities

Decreased energy or fatigue

Moving or talking more slowly

Feeling restless or having trouble sitting still

Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping

Appetite and/or weight changes

Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause which may or may not ease with treatment.             

Today, the story is based on a Depression support group setting. Each member of the group tells his/ her story in order to encourage one another. I hope you find it easy to understand and highly informative. Thanks.         

Good evening. My name is Mrs Awe but you can call me Bisi. I am 43 years old and I'm a retired  banker. I have been in this group since 2011.  I love being here because I can easily express my feelings. Before then I had severe Depression and I didn't even know it. Now, I am an ambassador of some sort on Depression.

 I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Graduated top of my class at the University at the age of 22. By the time I was done with youth service, jobs were lined up for me. I chose banking. Being brilliant, I worked my way to the top in no time. You can call me a workaholic. I did not have a closing time. My work meant everything to me. I became a director by the time I was 29 years. With it came official car, chauffeur driven and an official residence (one that I had no time to sleep in). I was always on the road, traveling from one state to another and sometimes outside the country. I had no time for emotional entanglements. Men had nothing to offer me. A lot of people envied my independence, achievements and all. I thought my life was good until things started falling apart.

By the time I was 33, my two younger siblings were already married with children. My cousins were married. My matter became everybody's business. I come from a very large close knit family. Weddings in the family was a good time to bring everyone together and to discuss serious issues especially one like mine. At one of such meetings, I was asked questions like, "she o o ri toaster ni?" ( isn't there anyone to woo you?); " Abi ako re ti po ju ni?" (Are you too choosy?); or she o fe ka matchmake e ni?   (Do you want us to find a date for you?). 

All these made me resolve never to attend any family function again. When they didn't see me, they hounded my telephone lines, both mobile and office phones. Men, dem wahala too much. Nah by force to marry? Shey person wey no marry no dey enjoy life again? Abeg, make dem free me jare! So, I boned everyone. I called no one. I didn't return all their calls. I did what I only knew how to do best; Work.

Slowly and unknowingly, I withdrew from friends (that was understandable as they were married with kids and I was always the odd one out), from family (because of all their wahala) and from my house because it was like a shell. My house always felt empty. There was simply no life in it. It always made me feel empty and alone. I started feeling like settling down into a marriage. Maybe my people weren't wrong after all. If I had a husband and children, my life would be a lot better, I thought. By this time, only few married men or divorcees made passes at me. Lack of experience made me blind to the fact that they were only after my money. After two failed relationships, I gave up trying. Those relationships however left a mark on me. I was no longer happy. I became so irritable. I got angry over nothing. I was  nicknamed WITCH at the bank where I worked. It was terrible. When asked how I was, I would answer fine but I was far from fine. In fact I was anything but fine.

A few years rolled by and the situation went from bad to worse. The bank was letting go some members of staff and I was offered an early retirement. That was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Over the years, I had nothing except my work. It was the only thing that I had. And that one thing was taken away from me. How I got home that day, I still can't remember but I know that I stayed in bed for days without bathing or eating. I lost interest in everything. I felt forsaken. I felt as though my world had ended. A black cloud was descending to envelope me. Truly, I wanted to die. What was there to live for anyway? No husband, no child, no job and unfortunately, no family around me.

In my state, I had forgotten about my cousin's wedding which was holding in my town at that time. My parents had tried to reach me to no avail. They visited the bank and were told about what happened. They dashed to my house and banged my door but I couldn't get up to open it. They broke down the door to find me on my kitchen floor in a pool of blood. I had slashed my wrists. I felt someone carry me and then I passed out.

I woke up in a hospital with all my family around me. They were so happy that I was alive. The doctor came and offered to refer me to a psychiatrist. My family supported me. Though it was not easy being on medications, it really helped a great deal.  I had a new lease on life. That was when I joined this group. I learnt from other members of the group. I learnt about coping mechanisms, learnt to talk and interact with peers. I learnt that I had reasons to live. The major one was to prevent people from going down the path I went through. So, I found my mission which is to talk about Depression.

Today, I'm no longer on drugs, I'm married to a wonderful man with two children (twins 😇). I have a business that I run successfully. I'm happy and proud of myself. Thanks for listening.    

DIABETES IN CHILDREN

Hello dears! How do you do? Hope today was not so stressful. May God continue to bless all our efforts with success. Amen.

I am here to continue with the series on #Diabetes. There are majorly two types of Diabetes viz the insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (type 1)and the non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (type 2) which was discussed in the last episode.

Today, I'm supposed to write another story which would convey my message on type 1 Diabetes but I couldn't brace my mind up enough to write it. Each time I try, I remember the cases that I have seen especially in children and I become emotional because of the effect of the disease on the children and their families. Therefore, it gives me no pleasure to write a sad story about children. 

In light of this, I just want explain in lay man's terms what type 1/ insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM) is. I hope you won't find it boring.

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus is a type of disease in which the body's immune system attacks and renders useless an organ in the body called PANCREAS. The pancreas is an irreplaceable organ in the body whose cells produce a hormone called INSULIN. The work of insulin is to mop up all the food we eat especially the carbohydrates from the blood to the cells of the body.

I hope you know that all the food we eat will digest and be broken down into smaller substances before the body can use it. The only way for the body to either use or store the sugar broken down is if the insulin is working well. Otherwise there would be high level of blood sugar. Therefore, Insulin is a very important hormone.

IDDM is the type that usually occurs in children though it can occur in adults as well. Thankfully, it occurs in only 5-10% of all Diabetes cases. There is no specific cause of this disease though some risk factors have been identified or implicated. The disease is not due to one's fault either by commission or omission.The risk factors are as follows.

- Family history: this is a strong factor as children whose parents or siblings have Diabetes tend to have the disease

- Exposure to some viruses like Epstein Barr virus, Coxsackie virus, Rubella or Cytomegalovirus may trigger the immune system to destroy the islet cells of the Pancreas.

- Drinking water that contains Nitrates

SYMPTOMS

- Frequent thirst and drinking of water

- Frequent urination

- Excessive Hunger

- Weight loss

- Tiredness

- Unusual behaviour in children

- Blurred vision

TREATMENT

There is no cure for this disease sadly, however it can be managed by injecting insulin at regular intervals as prescribed by doctors. There should also be blood sugar monitoring regularly.

COMPLICATIONS

IDDM affects nearly all organs in the body. It affects the heart, blood vessels, the nerves, the kidneys and the eyes. However, if the blood sugar is kept under control, the risk of complications is reduced. The complications include:

- Stroke

- Heart attack

- Coma from a condition called Diabetes Ketoacidosis

- High blood pressure

- Nerve damage

- Damage to eyes, kidneys and the feet

PREVENTION

This disease is not easy to prevent but early diagnosis and treatment goes a long way in preventing complications.

Thanks for reading.

References

www.webmd.com

www.mayoclinic.org

Photos from Google 

WHAT IS DIABETES MELLITUS

Hi. I guess I'm back a very long break. Hope you are all good and I hope you were still visiting the blog even though there was no new post. Please be kind enough to broadcast or invite people to read stuffs here. Thanks. 

Last year, the WHO theme was on Halting the Rise of Diabetes. This was what inspired the story below. Thanks for reading! And I hope you share it too.

My name is Bukky, I love life. We can only live once. So, I believe one should live life to the fullest. I'm a beauty if you ask me. I have all my curves in the right places. When I was a bit younger than now (well, I'm not yet old, besides being old is a thing of the mind. Or what do you think?). After all, I'm just 38 years old. Anyway, as I was saying, when I was a bit younger, men would kill to have me. Which man would see this my body and not want me? Ehn? Except if no be woman born him or if blood no dey him body!!! Lol.

I eventually married the love of my life. Or so he was when I married him. He claimed to love me so much then. He used to do boyboy behind me o. So what's now his problem. Now that I have given birth to four kids, he's now Mr head-complainant. Heeeee, my husband can so complain. Ha! I think complaining is his talent. I hope none of my children take after him in that regard.

Hmmmm, if I'm drinking my Coke jejely, he will complain that I drink too much coke that it's not good for my body. If I'm eating my meals, he will complain that the size is too much. That I will die eating. That's why I don't like eating with him, he will be eating rubbish food like salad, vegetables and fruits and be saying that that's the best food. Abeg, na food be dat, when I no be goat. I go come dey chop grass always. No be something go kill person?! Abeg, abeg that fruits and vegetables no be for me o.

See, if my husband knows that he doesn't have enough money to feed me, let him say. Abi which one is it that some will not be able to eat what one wants. Does he want me to look like Those skinny people who cannot afford to eat three square meals a day? In fact those are the people that are sick. Hmmm. They are not pretty at all. Clothes will hang on their bodies like hanger or mannequin. Imagine!!! Hmmm. No be me! Please check me out. I've got all it takes. You need to see me in Iro and Buba. You go bow. Cash madam!

Abeg, let's leave that story for another day. I noticed some strange things happening to me recently. I hope it's not my stepmother that is at work ( you know she's a witch!). If she's the one, I will show her pepper. Hmmm. Now, I wake up about four times every night to urinate. During the day Nko, uncountable. My legs feel numb like blood is not flowing in it very well again. All those ones don't even bother me as much as this big sore on my left foot. It started as one tintinni wound o, see, now it's so big and it's not responding to the dressing the nurse next door is doing for me. What will I do now oooo. My husband says I should go to the hospital but is this the kind of thing that you take to the hospital? No be hospital matter jo! There's a hand at work and I must see to the end of this matter......

Three days later.......

Bukky was rushed unconscious into the emergency room at the hospital. She was diagnosed of Diabetes Mellitus. She had already developed a complication called Diabetic foot. The doctors would have to amputate her leg. What a pity!!

The story above, though fictitious depicts one of the various manifestions of Diabetes. Hopefully soon, I will tell another story of diabetes in children. Then I will discuss the issue of diabetes at length. 

Please note, all pictures were assessed from Google.

Thanks for reading. Please share on your social platforms. Thanks in anticipation. Ciao for now