...STILL MUCH AROUND

With much difficulty, victor coughed violently. Hardly being able to catch his breath, he producing mucous sputum as he coughed. He was obviously in grave distress-every breath and bout of cough brought him untold pain. He was pale, heart beating so fast, breathing twice faster than normal, but that didn’t suffice. He was receiving oxygen via nasal prongs.

I was in the Male Medical ward when Victor was wheeled in. While his bed was pulled past me, I wondered: ‘’ what could be wrong with this boy? Why is he in such a state?’’. What actually drew my attention was the worry and fear written all over his mother’s face. There was an expression of defeat on the younger brother’s face as they marched in behind the tall cylinder containing oxygen. One could tell that the family had been through alot.

As, medical students, during clinical postings, we are expected to interact with and examine patients. Being my third week of medical postings in Dermatology Unit, I thought I had gotten over the ill feeling that followed the hopeless situation of some patients with AIDS, particularly those that were diagnosed late. No wonder i had an interest in his case despite the fact that he was brought in under a different unit

Tony, was another patient in the ward. He was happy I visited him. Within minutes, we had developed a rapport such that we were discussing school and future ambitions. He wanted to become a professional footballer and was a fan of Manchester football club. I went on to explain all that was wrong with him clinically and the rate of improvement he was experiencing. Satisfied with my explanations, he told me to always visit him often.

‘’Doctor! , Doctor!! , Nurse! , Nurse!”, Victor’s mother cried out in despair. Victor was having serious difficulty breathing, following an attempt to get him up on bed so he could use the bed pan .The distress subsided after the intervention of the doctors, but he kept coughing violently. Strangely, among everyone at his bedside, he kept starring me at the eyes. Occasionally truncated by the bouts of cough, I returned to Tony’s bed to wrap up our discussion.

From the moment I woke up that Sunday, through morning mass, till my time in the ward, I was in` high spirits’. The sight of Victor and the thought of the reality of his condition brought me a gloomy feeling .He has being having diarrhoea ,cough, generalized body weakness, whiteness of his palm and he was found to be HIV positive only three days earlier. Just like Tony, he was 19years old and an undergraduate of a Federal University in Nigeria, while Tony was a senior secondary school three student.

Now, I was back at Victor’s side. He was coughing violently and his elder brother gave him water, hoping it would alleviate his distress. At the foot of his bed I stood, in my white coat observing him. He kept looking at me straight in the eyes as if he was trying to tell me something very important. The only sounds I could hear were those of his cough. Examining him, his eyes appeared really pale and so were his palms. He was breathing 42 times in a minute. I positioned his pillow so his head would be elevated to a degree. After a while, he was free from the paroxysm of cough. I had so many questions for him, but refrained from asking due to his state. I hoped I would get my chance during the days that would follow, when he gets better.

The time was thirty minutes past three in the afternoon. On my way out of the ward, I bade Tony farewell and overhead the nurses lament: “This is really bad, here is another one and he is such a handsome young boy”. Another replied, “I just pity his mother”. They were both referring to victor.

Retroviral disease is not an outright death sentence. Prevention still remains the best approach. Despite increased awareness about HIV/AIDS, the bane of the disease remains relevant. Sexual intercourse, sharing of sharp objects, blood transfusion and needle stick injuries are ways of getting the virus.

As I walked backed to the hostel, past the barbing saloon, I remembered all the times, I had been careless with sharp objects, especially at the saloon. I remembered the several warnings and advice my mother had given me. I remembered all the information I had gathered in my years in Medical school and I wondered: “Why am I still so careless?” Still lost in thought, I guessed, “If I can have so much information and experience concerning HIV/AIDS, and still be so careless, what about those that are not as Privilege as I am.

The virus is ‘Still Much Around’ and avoidance of infection remains the best approach. Even when infected, early diagnosis and treatment poses a chance of leading a normal life. This is paramount not just for the individual’s wellbeing but also of family b, friends and society at large as they are all significantly affected if you get infected.

Monday came as usual, with its usual bustle. After attending the morning review, I returned to the ward to prepare for ward rounds and decided to see Victor. His bed was vacant, and I got the sad news; he passes on early that morning.

Osumah Micheal Ailende.

Osumah graduated from the University of Benin Medical School, Benin City, Nigeria.

Though it’s a true life story, all the names contained are fictitious and not referring to any one in particular.

About Unknown

Eddy Uwoghiren is a Medical Student at the University of Benin, Benin city, Nigeria. He is a contributor to several prints and web media. He freelances with nine newspapers in Nigeria. Eddy is very passionate about medical journalism. He wants to find out why some communities are more healthy than others, develop skills needed to cover health and medicine anywhere in the world, for any audience , in any medium.