We toured through hospitals hoping mama will recover fast. Mama lost so much weight this one year but it has been so interesting.
We have seen a different daddy.
***
Mama was writhing in pain on her bed when I walked in.
“Bring me a bucket, I want to throw up,” mama said.
I brought her a small bucket. By the end of that day, she had thrown up three times. I was wondering what to do and how to help when daddy came in. I welcomed him and explained that mama had been throwing up all day.
We managed mama through the night. At 6:00 a.m. we were at Ledon Hospital but the doctors were not there. Daddy took Dr. Lekan’s phone number from mama and called him. Dr. Lekan was in the hospital thirty minutes later and mama was on admission at 7:00 a.m.
Everything was progressing well until the fifth day. Mama started complaining of pain in her lower abdomen. Dr. Lekan checked her and suggested an appendectomy. Mama and Daddy consented.
Monday came and mama was taken to the theatre. Post operation progressed well until Thursday morning – well, except that she had not passed gas.
Daddy prepared pap for mama to drink. Dr. Lekan suggested that we try the pap drink. She managed to take two spoons and couldn’t continue. Then her stomach began to distend. Daddy called the doctor in but he couldn’t explain the detention. He referred us to the teaching hospital where he was a consultant.
Dr. Eze sent mama to do a barium meal test. The result showed her intestine tied up in a knot which meant she needed another surgery to correct the anomaly.
Daddy barely traveled these days. He followed every procedure and prayed for his wife’s recovery. The day of the surgery came. Daddy signed the consent paper and the nurses took her into the operating room. The surgery lasted eight hours with a team of three doctors. Mama recovered consciousness three hours later.
We visited three other hospitals in referral to manage mama’s case. Every day came with it’s own challenge but having a patient and caring daddy eased the pressure.
***
Mama and I were pleasantly surprised at daddy. Mama wondered if he was the same man who married her, I wondered if he was the same daddy I’ve always known.
Then one night in Goshen Hospital, I went to the patients’ lounge to chat with the male nurse on duty. When I got back to the room, mama was unconscious. I waited patiently for her to come back. Three days later, we were driving her corpse to the mortuary.
Transforming Word Series 