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Monday 26 November 2012

No Love.

I am one who always sits on the fence when discussions or should I say arguments on the whole natural/relaxed air debates springs up anywhere. I always wondered the big deal till I chopped off my hair.

There is no love for the natural hair African girl in Nigeria. The hostility is just too much. My mom just assumes I am not alright at all. She is constantly attacking me and always tells me to go buy relaxer to blow out my hair.

My sister and family friend once refused to allow me attend an event with them since I refused to wear a wig. I would not even say I am Pro-Natural, I chopped off my hair because I was tired of the hair itself and intend to be a team "gorimapa" for a while.

Friends have given that look "of why the hell will you cut of your hair", a guy I recently met said he does not find women with no hair attractive (that is his own business, since I was not even attracted to him). The problem is I have not even decided if I want to grow the hair not to even start thinking of it will be natural or relaxed. Everyone seems to have assumed that I  am going natural and frankly no one in my family is ready to imagine that.

I am not sure what the problem is, but from the hostility I have encountered, our people fear for that which they are not used to. Our people are used to seeing the weaves and the braids. The African natural hair is not seen to be attractive, it makes one ugly or worse you are classified as a "deeper-life member".

I don't even know how where to start the fight from, a lot of people still do not know I have shaved my hair because a lot of time, I have wigs on..right now I even have braids...but for one, I wish people would just mind their business and stop stressing my life on what decision I make with my hair.




Monday 19 November 2012

Sigh...my general hospital experience


So like I stated in my last post, the first time I would ever be admitted into any hospital was for the laparoscopy I had recently. I have always been a perfectly healthy child, asides from minor malaria, burns and little wounds, me and hospitals had no business. I remember taking one drip sha when I was 9 but I did not sleep in the hospital.


Since I traveled 3days after my surgery, automatically my post surgery check-up had to be in Nigeria. One of the reason why I did not want my surgery done is Germany is that now I have a Surgery report in German which was not translated, so the doctors here are doing the examination all over again.
My father works in a General hospital and the man decided I have to seek medical advice in one of the hospitals. I have heard tales of how people are treated in all these General hospitals. Gov. Fashola disguised as a patient once received shabby treatments at some of these hospitals. I tell you the madness that goes on in the place is better told as gist than experienced.

Because of my father, I have cut a long line short and have been attended to without having to spend the whole of my day and there was this particular day the old man insisted I experience the whole madness. Sometimes the staffs of the General hospital are not to blame, some patients can be so unruly and extremely rude, but I think they can actually exercise more patience.  There are who people get to the hospital as early as 4.30am just to make sure they get their names on the list for a doctor who would come to work by 10am. There are doctors who after 1 or 2 hours will stop attending to patients just to go deal with a personal appointment or business.

I spent 4 hours just to get my blood drawn for less than 5mins. I got to the hospital by 8am as directed the day before and met this really long queue. When I asked, the people said they had submitted a list by 6am and they were been called from that list. I sha went to ask the woman drawing the blood and she said I should go sit down. I went to sit down and I was told that the chair was for people collecting their results. I found another chair; those ones said their category is different. They were there for a specific type of test. I went back to meet the woman to ask where exactly we were to sit and she started shouting that we should all go and sit down and stop disturbing her. As in, I was frustrated and I called my dad, the man said I should sha sit there and come and give him report of my experience which I refused to give before some people will now start swearing for somebody.  I was supposed to have an abdominal scan done that day, but madam consultant, who only comes 3days a week decided to take that Friday off.

The abdominal scan and blood test which I had was to determine if I had ulcer as diagnosed by the doctor I consulted. My symptom was nausea and vomit, the first question I was asked my all 3 doctors I met including my dad was if I was pregnant. The consulting doctor was so sure I was pregnant and I simply told her asked her why a doctor would go ahead and cut me open for a laparoscopy if I was pregnant. Since I was not pregnant, she then diagnosed that I probably have ulcer. Despite the ulcer/pregnancy which was suspected, I was given malaria drugs to take.

Thank God, surgery from Germany went well, 2weeks back the doctor found a tiny cyst growing in the other ovary which she said I should not worry about. On Friday, I had another scan  which was to check if I have Peptic ulcer and she said the cyst is no longer there, so right now I am cyst free. Like the doctor told me in Germany, they never can tell if it will come back, as seen my right ovary is at risk of growing new cysts.

For now I am grateful for life and I am ready to have my life back. The last 1 month has been crazy for me; I was scared particularly when I was told the right ovary had cysts in it. The hospital business is over for now and hopefully it is for a very long time.

Thank you all once again for the love and prayers, I really appreciate you all.

♥  Lara