My Story…

Hello family, hope everyone has been fine, regardless of what circumstances or situation you’re in, I want to remind you that there’s a God that rules in the affairs of men and He loves to show his mightiness through us by the obstacles and constraints we encounter in our journey through life! Today and in subsequent months to come, different people will be sharing certain seemingly impossible situations in their lives in which God proved himself, this is encourage you, you may not know how, you may not know when, but one thing is sure, He will do it again! Let your past testimonies of God be the anchor of your present situation, He changeth not! Please be patient and read through to the end and drop a comment of encouragement for Sylvia. 🙂

My name is Sylvia.*OK I’m stuck! What should I write next, how much details are needed…* Lying on my bed and thinking about how God has been so good to me…. I remember being on admission about 4 weeks ago…

I can’t explain how it all started, it all seem like a joke! I started feeling pain in my hip, I would take paracetamol and the pain will stop, the pain started getting worse over time, had to see the doctors and I had several x-ray sections, I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis of my hip! I would be needing surgery. At that time, I was at the closing phase of my study in medical school and I thought the doctors were talking gibberish, maybe not exactly but that was what I made me believe because I was scared! I chose to believe the doctors were wrong, after medical school, it all seem like the pain episodes unleashed totally, the pain was unbearable, I couldn’t walk long distances, I had to start taking higher analgesics like diclofenac but it didn’t help, there was still so much pain…

Surgery was then worth looking forward to, family doctors and members put in so much fear, it wasn’t funny and at that point, I felt abandoned by God! How could He…how could He allow me go through such. I got placement for internship at Delta state and I had to forfeit it…I was going into depression…little did I know God had a perfect placement for me.

Back to my story… 4 weeks ago, I was on admission in preparation for surgery, went to the hospital on Friday night in preparation for the surgery booked for Tuesday*the D-day*, it was the longest weekend ever! Finally Monday came, the grouping and cross-matching result of the blood donated by two of my friends were gotten*big hug* and everything was set for Tuesday. I asked the doctor if I’ll be the first patient to go into the theatre that day because part of the preparation for the surgery was nil per oral for 8-12hours (no food for 8-12hours) before the surgery and I knew the hours will be extended depending on the time the surgery started! *Yes, I love food!* :), anyway, the doctor said I would be the second patient, I told him I would love to be the first patient but was replied with a blunt No! Because the first was a geriatric patient and was informed mine will start at midday!
It was Tuesday and I was anxious, breakfast was served, I had to stare at others eat, I began to pray that I would be in theatre before lunch time so I don’t have to stare at others eat, lol. Anyway, like joke like joke at about 9am I was taken to the theatre, I was excited that the first surgery didn’t take so long, unknown to me that God made a way for me by making the implant for the other person not available! Although, it came much later.* God cares! Even about our hunger issues! Lol! He really does care!

Inside the theatre… Spinal anaesthetic was administered even though I wanted general ‘cos I wanted to be asleep! But ‘cos of complications that may arise from general anaesthesia and being that 3 months back I was given general anaesthesia, they decided spinal was better! * God had his reasons…*
After the whole injection at the back thing, I couldn’t feel from my navel down! The surgery was indeed about to start, at first, the monitoring device was not working; the instrument that maps out d incision line too wasn’t working! * the devil is a liar!* miraculously, the instrument started working but d monitoring device was not, so they had to monitor my blood pressure and pulse manually!* naija 4 u* I was a little scared so I started praying silently for everything to go well, I felt relieved when the nurses and d anaesthetic started gisting and joking with me, leaving the surgeons at the other side to do their work! I couldn’t help to pause occasionally to try to hear what the doctors were saying though… everything was going well, heard drilling and knocking sounds…it sounded like a carpenter’s workshop and alas I heard it was time to stitch! Yipee! It had gone well! Just then PHCN took the light!*cold sweat! In my mind I was like are they not supposed to have a standby generator!* rechargeable light came on! Panic! * In my mind I’m like ‘mogbe’ rechargeable ke for major surgery!? Oluwa is involved! Thank God the light came back! I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if while they were still cutting the bone was when the light went off! Or if the light never came back! God was indeed present!

They finally finished stitching and I was sent to the recovery room, then for x-ray and back to the ward, there I felt more pain ‘cos the anaesthetic had worn off! But thank God the doctors prescribed drugs to ease it…

Three days post-op, the physiotherapy guy came to show me some exercise to do and teach me how to walk! With a walking aid! I was excited but when I found out that the leg was longer I freaked out!

I told one of my doctors and he said they will either do another surgery or give a shoe raise! Ha! Mogbe! Mbanu! Another surgery nibo? God forbid! I cried tiya…I prayed… I started wondering why all these things were happening to me! Haba! What went wrong…I reminded God that he said he won’t give us more than we can bear! Another surgery was way more than I can! That would be going to theatre a third time!

I didn’t realise what God was doing, He was making me have a stronger relationship with him, and He drew me closer… ‘Cos for the most part of the day, I would have a long chat with him, beg him, ask questions, beg some more! Anyway on their ward round 6 days post-op, I was discharged after being reassured that with time and weight bearing the length discrepancy would resolve. As I got home, I made it the first thing I did everyday… I would stand to check, see no change and feel sad!

It was 2weeks post-op came, went to remove the staple! tet staples on its own was enough torment! It sometimes dragged against the dressing and caused so much pain and sometimes bleeding! Taking it off wasn’t easy as well, the staples actually looks like d staples you use for books! Same size! Imaging a billion of them on your skin! OK not a billion sha but plenty! About 20… Sha sha it was removed… And d wound dressed!

2 days later I woke up and saw that a part of the bandage was soaked with blood! *although I did a little vigorous exercise the previous day sha* but I was worried all d same*scared of infection* told some of my friends to pray, which they did! *Big hugs* I had to go to the hospital to re-dress the wound, I was told there was no sign of infection and I should just give me time, somehow that day, a friend encouraged me with a word I had heard in the past but somehow, it stuck that day! She said “God didn’t bring you this far to abandon you!”

With that I just felt at ease, I felt well, it’s up to God, worrying won’t change a thing; it only gave me sunken eyes and bony physique! So I didn’t have to wake up every day to check the length of my leg or overdo exercise ‘cos I wanted to start flying asap!

3 weeks post-op, on a particular morning I just woke up and I noticed like film trick that the difference in length had reduced significantly! It wasn’t equal but quite significant change in the right direction! God is at work… now it’s almost 4 weeks post-op, the incision wound healed to 95%, I can sit up, still walking with aid but my stability is better, the length difference reduced greatly*almost equal… Not as I planned but how God wants to be glorified* I know better now that God has my back in ‘everything’ I do… And I believe that the God that jumped protocols by creating a mild scarcity of implant for someone, that didn’t allow PHCN or failing hospital equipment to cause damage and the same God that just one day reduced the length difference would perfect his work in me and you reading this.

Ok, thanks for reading my long story! My hospital experience… Thanks to Dr guy guy, Dr igool, Dr Alfa, all my doctors, my awesome nurse flor and co, Tope, Sarah, Chioma, Moyin, Mariam, Fade, Kemi, Loladesss, Isabel, the whole class of Rad 12! * the best class in d world* Laolu, Eniang, Nonso, Paul, Pero, Ubi, Belema, Billy, Emole, Johnson, David, all d awesome friends that were there! Can’t list all your names, the best mum in the world, my awesome brothers, and my ‘nursing’ father! Lol! Radiology department Igbobi and Crestview! In short *the whole Igbobi staff! My twinnies Nazor and Seyi* now I sound like a child on tv* lol! Pardon me! Love u all, God bless and keep you all in good health.

Don’t lose hope…There is a God!