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The Bravery And Agony Of Dialysis Patients By Farouk Martins Aresa
One has to let people know up front that most of the people who suffer from temporary or permanent kidney failure in Nigeria due to hypertension, infections, local unpurified remedies and adulterated drugs; unlike in most developing countries, die before they can be saved. It is just too expensive to go on dialysis even when you have some money. It is not primary care that can be made available by willing governments.
Nigeria has a limited number of dialysis machines. Most of them are located in tertiary and private hospitals. Before many of the patients are diagnosed, they look for other remedies that may even complicate their problems. By the time they seek proper care like many other cases, kidney failure might have taken hold. Those who are fortunate enough to get care must be encouraged emotionally because it is not an easy burden.
Nothing can replace efficient body system and dialysis machine is supposed to remove waste carried by the blood from all parts of the body to the machine to exchange the impurities and revitalized the same blood back to the body. The simplest way of putting it is like exchanging clean drinking water for the one we excrete. Our bodies also get rid of waste from our bowels, of course..
Anyone whose family has been touched by this misfortune may even suffer with the patient, not to talk of those who are personally affected. We hear about dialysis and may even know of someone on it but it takes a great deal to be directly involved as the nurses, technicians, social workers and doctors who work closely with them. The bravery displayed by these patients can be enormous and so is the agony.
As in many diseases, those on dialysis have to watch their diet to balance electrolytes, fluids and other nutrients because of sodium and potassium intake. Banana, milk, dried fruits and vegetables that are high in potassium should be avoided or eaten sparsely since the kidneys that regulate potassium for steady heart beats no longer function. Vegetables and potatoes can be peeled to reduce potassium. Salty food should also be avoided. It is wise to have a local dialysis dietitian hand in hand with dialysis patients.
Patients on dialysis used to be compared to patients on operation. They must constantly be watched as the machine cleanses the blood. The preparation and the three hour it takes to complete it must keep nurses or technicians alert. That was over 20 years ago. There are better dialysis machines now, some portable but they still require attention. Some of the patients in the developed world may even be taken care of at home. It all boils down to this: you have somebody’s life in your hands during that process.
This is why some of us find it disheartening the way President Yar’Adua sickness has been turned into either a joke or opportunity by peeping vultures. If all indications are right, he suffered through this as a Governor and still ruled. In spite of all the differences some of us may have with him and his Party, you do not kick a man when he is down.
If anything, we should focus on Yar’Adua kitchen cabinet. Many Nigerians always take their eyes off the ball and play air-game. His sickness should be used to drum up support and attention to our kidney patients and how well they are faring. But in a country where primary health care has grounded since the death of Professor Olikoye Kuti, there is little to celebrate in terms of Healthcare. It is also a good time to table discussion on why our leaders spend so much on healthcare outside the country when more can be done inside.
If anyone undergoes dialysis for about three hours a day, two or three times a week and still come out looking good like Yar’Adua, we must appreciate his courage just as we congratulate those who go through cancer treatment and beat it. We have witnessed head of states all over the world, notably in the past in China and Russia where some leaders stay into their senile years while the countries function. We know that kitchen cabinets are the power bases that rule the country anywhere.
Some of us were surprised that he was asking his relative to donate kidney, if that is true. Is Nigeria not where kidnappers gut body parts everyday and sell to foreign black market, waiting for unscrupulous medical professionals to perform replacement of organ overseas? Sad but true, some poor people are willing to sell their blood or body parts for money. As rich ones become sicker on their dying beds, the more desperate they become for organs.
The fact that the President came on television to declare that he was sick, though late, is enough. Africans, by culture hardly declare their ailments. In this case, it seems we want to know every detail before his hospital admission: how many times a day he coughed, how many hours he slept, if his eyes were close or open and who donated what organ.
One of our problems with sickness in our Country is how the rich and the looters spend more than what they can on foreign hospitals when they can establish the same hospital here at home. Dialysis is a good example of what some rich people can establish; centers in their names and make money at the same time, as long as they treat certain percentage of poor people free. Their names will be remembered long after they established the centers. No government can do everything, individual initiatives make more difference.
We never know when our time will come or what may become our problem. It is why we must not be selfish and be generous to extend our comfort to those who are in need. As important as money is, it cannot buy death off when it comes. There are so many terminal diseases that all we can do, is provide comfort until it is time. African cultures are very hospitable to the sick until our dying days. If we cannot provide cash, we provide succor.
Let us face it, we all get closer to our death everyday. By the time we get to 40 years, we are already on one medication or the other. If we fail to take these medications regularly as prescribed, we may shorten our own life. That is why we call it Life Management my brother. So why do we “pokenose” so much into others while we hide our real motives?
This is the reason we must imagine those who have to undergo dialysis have to endure. The last thing they need is to make them a butt of our jokes. They need support, comfort and grace to be able to function well. At the same time it is not an excuse to tackle a physical task that may be too demanding or over stretch their physical strength.
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