My 2021 - The Pandemic
I spent the most part of the year 2021 in and out of hospitals, trying to stay alive.
The year 2021 was quite something. I spent the most part of the year in and out of hospitals, taking tests, consuming pills and IV/IM fluids, spending all my money trying to stay alive.
But why?
Sometime in February 2021, I started to experience some symptoms - malaise, weakness, headache and high fever. Sounds like malaria right? Doesn’t it sound like typhoid too? Well, here in Nigeria it's typical of medical practitioners to diagnose and administer malaria and typhoid medications whenever you have any complaints such as these. Most times, they are right, so no harm, no foul. Some other times, not so much. Anyways, I went for some blood tests to be sure - Malaria Parasite (MP), Widal (test for Typhoid & Paratyphoid fevers) and Full Blood Count. The tests indicated that I was ill from malaria and typhoid fevers. Pharmacy prescribed and sold me some drugs - Augmentin (antibiotic) and Artequick (antimalarial). I finished the doses but my condition did not improve.
About 8 days later, I wasn’t any better so I went for another test. Widal test results were worse than the previous test, but the malaria was better. This time, I was placed on IV antibiotic therapy (Ciprofloxacin, Metronidazole and Artemeter (antimalarial)). I did see some improvements but it didn’t last.
By April 2021, I was ill again. I took the tests (the trio, as above) and the results were similar - typhoid and malaria positive. Pharmacy prescribed and sold me drugs - Ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) and Amatem forte (antimalarial). I started taking some precautions too. I got insecticides and a mosquito net. I stopped eating out and switched to only bottled or dispenser water (in fact, I still do). I also took more fruits and vegetables. But I didn’t exactly get better. I was experiencing extended episodes of general body weakness. I tried to manage this but I was unsuccessful.
In May 2021, a couple of interesting things happened. I was still struggling with my health when bitcoin and co started to crash. I was heavily invested in the cryptocurrency market, so who dey breet? Definitely not me (the market has still not recovered from this downward trend. It’s quite unBEARable). Anyway I started to explore other healthcare options I could find. I tried a telemedicine HMO service but it wasn’t very helpful as the doctors I was speaking with couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. They were always saying “do you have a stressful daily routine?” “do you sleep well?” “you probably just need to rest”. They would send paracetamol and one or two drugs to a pharmacy close by for me to pick up and that would be the end of the consultation. Please am I a joke to these people? Omo! I unsubscribed from the service after the first month.
I found a new hospital. Here the doctor directed the nurse to administer an injection (I didn’t check what it was) and a drug for malaria (I also cannot remember the name). I finished the course with no significant results here too. I was off to find another medical facility. Somewhere within this search, I got vaccinated for typhoid fever with hopes that this would prevent further illness. I was wrong.
I thought to explore traditional medicine. Yes they say agbo (herbal medicine) does wonders where modern medicine fails. I was going to test this theory and I landed in the ‘office’ of a woman that sold herbs. She claimed to be a native healer and seer as well and she went on to say that what I was experiencing was of a spiritual nature, and I would need to put down N50,000 (about $100) for the treatment with herbs and spiritual activities. Well, I figured this was a plot to exploit sick helpless me (well a young, good-looking Nigerian man is target for unnecessary billing everywhere), so I paid only for the herbs and told her I would be back to discuss and pay for the rituals. Lol I never went back. Orisirisi! 😂
By the time I was done with the agbo (herbs) nothing seemed to change. Infact, it was getting worse. I was losing blood, and I was losing weight (5kg short of 68kg). One of those days, I went blind for a couple of minutes at a local market. My eyes were open but all I could see was darkness. I panicked. A kind vendor there came to my aid. She got me milk and water and helped me rest there until I could go home. Mum pushed me to go to church for prayers, prophecy, deliverance and all. Nothing still.
In June, I went to Alimosho General Hospital, Igando Lagos. It was here I really understood that the Nigerian Healthcare System was a huge mess. First you have to get to the hospital as early as 7am just to queue to see a doctor 3 hours later. You spend another 3 hours on a queue for a blood test and you have to return the next day for the results. Now getting test results is an extreme sport, unless of course you personally know one of the medical staff, and/or you can pay them some extra financial motivation to collect your test results. What a travesty! Well I didn’t hear anything new at this hospital. I was told it was typhoid and malaria and I got drugs - Cefpodoxime (antibiotic), Ibasunate (antimalarial), some supplements and painkillers. Thank you Nigerian Government. You are doing well!
By the time I finished the course of the treatment, I still did not see any significant improvements. I found a private hospital with great reviews and it seemed like they knew what they were doing so I was admitted there. I was administered a 5-day IV antibiotic regimen - Ciprofloxacin, Ceftriazone and Artemeter (antimalarial). I did feel better after this but I had a relapse after two weeks but this time I think I had figured out my malaria situation and I was no longer testing positive for the malaria parasite (by the way, I am a Genotype AA but there is nothing spectacular about this now, is there?).
July, August, September, October, November 2021; I spent all this time on back-to-back IV infusions for typhoid and paratyphoid fever as the doctor said I was facing resistant strains. This holds merit as Salmonella typhi (typhoid bacteria) & Salmonella paratyphi (paratyphoid bacteria) just like other microorganisms, can develop drug resistance over time. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) typhoid, is resistance to three first-line antibiotics used to treat typhoid - chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and cotrimoxazole. Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains are resistant to five classes of antibiotics: chloramphenicol, ampicillin, cotrimoxazole, streptomycin, fluoroquinolones, and third-generation cephalosporins. I would end up being treated with almost every antibiotic available, oral and IV (including azithromycin, cefuroxime, cefixime, ofloxacin, chloramphenicol, fosfomycin, pieracillin/tazobactam, amykacin and meropenem). I made it a point to note what I was taking so I could do my own research. Four years studying Biochemistry came in handy. I had become a ‘regular customer’ at this hospital. It was not very pretty. I was taking IV infusions daily (outpatient) and still had to go back home to work cos I had a team to manage, impatient clients and deadlines, the whole shebang. I spent a significant portion of my net worth trying to get well. This was quite depressing. But friends couldn't tell or even believe that I was not feeling well, cos for the most part I looked fine. I just didn't feel fine. I was still on IV drip by 28 September, the day I was born. But I console myself with the fact that my drip is eternal. If you don’t gerrit, forget abourrit!
With all this drip, I started having a different kind of symptom - occasionally it felt like something was moving around my body, my heart rate was rapid, and I could barely stay awake for long hours. Doctor seemed to attribute all of this to typhoid fever but I felt like I should have been rid of typhoid by this time. I mean, I must have taken over 100 IV infusions already (not exaggerated). What exactly is the problem? I had symptoms of ulcer at some point. Then I thought ‘H. pylori is a gram-negative bacteria’ (H. pylori is a bacteria that causes ulcers). The other symptoms I was experiencing also seem to be characteristic of gram-positive bacteria. But Salmonella is gram-negative! Could I have cracked this case? I also considered COVID-19 but the symptoms really did not match.
I should mention that I had taken a lot of different tests - Blood Culture, Stool culture, Urinalysis, Liver Function, Kidney Function, Complete Blood Count & ESR, Blood Sugar, Lipid Profile, and the HIV/AIDS test that many of you dread so much. Everything actually seemed normal. Lol yes I do not have HIV/AIDS. And I recommend you get tested too. You won’t die; before, during, or after the test.
December 2021, I did my own research and hypothesized that I may be immunocompromised, and this exposed me to other secondary infections like bacteremia (which was most likely what I was experiencing). I went further to self-medicate with antibiotics suited for gram-positive bacterial infections as I found that I had only been taking medications for gram-negative infections. I got Linezolid (oral) and Vancomycin IV infusions. Well, for the first time in a long time, I felt fine afterwards. These seemed to have worked! I would later return to gift my doctor two bottles of wine and a couple of Christmas presents, as I hoped we do not meet again in the near future. Kamapademo! (let’s not meet again) 😂.
What a year! At some point, I thought I wouldn’t survive this depressing phase. But I did record some wins though. I had acquired about 25 certifications (or more) by the end of the year, and I still managed to deliver on all projects I was responsible for. Early this year (January 2022), I applied for and got an offer for a Product Marketing role at a Fintech Startup (I was interviewing with a catheter in my arm and my eyes struggling to stay open). The new year looks promising from here.
My Key Takeaways
Widal Test is not sufficiently sensitive, specific or reliable enough in the diagnosis of typhoid or paratyphoid fever.
Always research your meds, read the instruction manual for side effects and possible drug interactions.
If, and when you can, japa (migrate) to a country with a system that works.
Nigerian Healthcare System needs restructuring, and a miracle. I might fix this myself. Maybe.