On the 26th of August, I was diagnosed with appendicitis. For clarity, Appendicitis occurs when the appendix becomes inflamed and filled with pus. Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. One of the major symptoms is a throbbing non-stop pain that starts in the middle of your abdomen and moves to the right side.
That morning, I went to the hospital with Michael. Getting to the hospital was a miracle because, at the time, the pain was already so unbearable. Like every other hospital visit, I felt I was just going to be diagnosed with something simple and be given drugs. But, it wasn’t business as usual on that day.
I got to the hospital, in pain. I and Michael sat patiently, till it was time to see the doctor. I got to his office and gave him a breakdown of how I was feeling. “I just hope it’s not what I’m thinking”, the doctor said. Immediately after he uttered those words, I froze for a bit. I was worried. What could he be thinking? He said “Apendicitis”.
Of course, it was not the appendicitis that was the problem. It was the fact that if he was right, I was going to have to undergo a minor surgery to remove the appendix.
I told Michael and he just assured me that everything was going to be fine. I was told to go to a laboratory in RingRoad to carry out a scan to confirm the diagnosis. But before leaving, the nurse had injected me twice with pain relievers on both sides of my butt. That was how bad the pain was.
We started our journey to Ringroad. It was terrible. The pain became worse. I had difficulty walking fast. Everything was wrong at that point. We got to the laboratory and they were so unprofessional. They saw that I was in so much pain and still decided to waste my time.
Eventually, I did the scan got the results immediately, and went back to the hospital.
We got back, and I went into the doctor’s office immediately. By the time he was done reading the results, he confirmed that I had appendicitis and said he was going to have to admit me.
I was numb. Numb from the news while dealing with the excruciating pain I was having in my abdomen. Michael was still with me all through that time. When I told him I was going to be admitted, he took it well. His priority was just ensuring that I had support and that I didn’t feel alone.
I broke the news to my mum and she became confused. Her baby was going to undergo surgery and she wasn’t going to be there. She was worried and scared. But I managed to calm her down.
I got admitted. Afterward, Michael went home to get food and a change of clothes for us. Fortunately, I was given a private ward which was well furnished. There were two beds in the room. So, Michael had a proper bed to sleep on while I slept on the other bed. The first night was so uncomfortable. I was weak, and in pain, and I was peeing constantly. It was tiring.
The next day which was Sunday, around 2 p.m., I went into the theater for the surgery. The surgeon and Anaesthesiologist had told me the surgery procedures and had assured me that everything was going to be fine.
I wasn’t scared. I was simply nervous. That was my first surgery and I just didn’t know how it was going to feel like. I started shaking. All of a sudden, I was cold scared, and confused. I wanted to disappear from that bed.
Before the surgery, the anaesthesiologist injected me with anesthesia to numb my lower body. My waist down to my feet was numb.
I was awake when the surgeon started the procedure, but I was put to sleep midway through the procedure. While I was asleep, I felt like I was on a moving train. The train was moving in circles and my head was spinning. It was a very weird experience. I began to wake up towards the end of the surgery, but I was still so drowsy. I didn’t know where I was or what was happening. I was lost.
A few minutes later, I was a bit more conscious and that was when the doctor let me know that the surgery was over. They carried me to the ward. At that point, I was shivering badly. The nurses had to cover me thoroughly.
I wasn’t totally conscious, but I could see how Michael stared at me. He was confused and worried. But I knew the worst was over.
I woke up later. I was weak. I could barely say anything. I told Michael to call my mum. I spoke to her briefly just to let her know that her baby was fine.
When it was 7 pm I told Michael I wanted to watch BBN. Not even surgery was going to prevent me from watching Tolanibaj leave that house. He held the phone throughout the live eviction show and I watched my show happily.
Post-surgery, everything was fine. I was still weak and in a little pain, but I had firm support from Michael. This is me publicly saying a big thank you to Michael Adeleke. It’s very easy to take things like this for granted. But for me, it was such a huge deal.
He never complained about how exhausted he felt caring for me, even though I could see how tired he was. He helped with everything–getting me a change of clothes, feeding me, assisting me to the toilet, but most importantly, making me laugh. He always made sure I was laughing.
Shout out to you Michael.
It’s been over three weeks since the surgery. I’m a lot better now. Fortunately, my recuperation has been quite impressive. It was hard at first to adjust to having a scar on my abdomen, but I got used to it over time. The hardest part of my recuperation was adjusting to a new lifestyle temporarily. I wasn’t supposed to climb bikes, carry heavy stuff, or even do any strenuous work. In fact, for the first week, I was supposed to simply eat well, take short walks, and rest for the most part of the day. It was exhausting at some point, but we thank God.
Shout to everyone who called and came to visit. Shout out to Adeife, Evidence, and Eniola. These three people are my gees for life. Shout out to my mum, my siblings, and my uncle.
I’m grateful for life. I don’t take it for granted.
From now on, I only pray for good health, peace, joy, and happiness for myself.
