Posts

Showing posts from October, 2007

Chronic Typhoid and Malaria!

Typhoid and Malaria are two disease entities that most Nigerians or should i say Lagosians are proud to claim as their own. Anytime anyone walks into my office and has a fever I can be sure that when I ask the question 'what is wrong with you?' The answer I will receive is usually 'I have typhoid and Malaria'! To make matters worse, they usually come armed with Laboratory results from some Lab trying to make a quick buck to substantiate their bogus claims. Of course they are sure to have a Widal's test done to complete the picture and confirm their disease! I have unsuccessfully tried to explain so many times that a Widal's test is not proof that you have typhoid fever. Its foolhardy trying to explain as you will probably come down with the label of a doctor that doesn't know his onions, since almost every private clinic orders a Widal's test to prove that their patients have typhoid fever. Its a waste of time trying to explain to them that with our wate

Wondering!

I wonder what my life would be like if I was not born when I was, Would I be a hippie or a tech savvy kid? I wonder what it would have been like if I was not born a twin? Would I have so many friends or would I have been a loner? I wonder how my path would be if I had never gone to school? Would I be the wife of a poor farmer, with 6kids or a tailors apprentice? I wonder how it would be if I was male and not female? I wonder! I wonder where I would be now if I was born in Darfur and not Nigeria? Would I be 6feet under or in a refugee camp I wonder........................

So Cheap!

Just an incident which made me so annoyed recently. A little girl was brought from her school after falling face flat while running. She had sustained a swollen eyelid and nothing else. We took care of her and decided to observe her for a while before letting her go. In the meantime her guardian was sent for and she promptly arrived thank God for the gsm. I stepped out for lunch and on my arrival met the little ones guardian who stopped me right in my tracks when I was introduced as the attending doctor. The first question was 'doctor the medicines you gave her will it bring the swelling down?' I answered her question and she thanked me most kindly. I noticed there seemed to be a problem when I walked in but I waited till the patient and her entourage had departed before I asked any questions. After they left, the nurse on duty informed me that there had been an unpleasant scene with the lady demanding to know why our bill was so high, she complained about the bill for the doct

Need I have gone to Medical School?

An advertorial of a 'gbogbonise' drug I was given goes thus exactly the way it was printed: Flush your body systems and be clear: 1. If someone has fever, be it hot or cold and is very weak,he is given 1 tablespoon of the drops, if he is not overloaded with other medications, will in a short time come to, the pulse will start to beat again and the fever, no matter how high it was, will pass and the patient will soon be better. 2. if the menstrual flow ceases for a woman or it is too heavy, she takes the drops for three days, what is too much quietens and what is too little, even out. 3.For morning sickness, 1drop in the morning for 3days. These drops should not be taken after drinking milk. 4. For toothache a tablespoon of these drops is taken without water and kept in the mouth for a little while or the aching tooth is moistened. the pain soon eases and the putrefaction dissappears. 5. For stomach ache 1tsp is taken. 6. For serious stomach ache . 2tablespoonful in half a cup o