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Tag: kidney

  • I’m dying, kidney patient cries out

    I’m dying, kidney patient cries out

    When Adesoji Adebola, an estate surveyor, first experienced renal pains in February last year, his family didn’t realise that it had a serious problem at hand.

    His face and legs were swelling up, followed by severe bouts of malaria. At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, he was initially diagnosed of infection and he was treated for it.

    He thought it was all over, but in April, he was diagnosed of kidney failure. All efforts to save him began.

    But there was a snag – the dialysis machine at LUTH did not work, leading to his transfer to a specialist hospital.

    “He was just talking incessantly for over 24 hours. We had to rush him back to LUTH where they said he would have to undergo dialysis immediately. Unfortunately, the machine wasn’t working and we had to move him to a private clinic,” his sister, Adebukola Adesoji, said.

    At the Dialyser Specialist Medical Centre in Oshodi, Lagos, where Adebola was admitted, he was told that his kidneys had packed up. To live, he has only one option: He must undergo an urgent kidney transplant in India. He was also told that on his kidneys have been destroyed by infection. Also his Packed Cell Volume (PVC) was less than 20, hence he would need blood transfusion every time he goes for dialysis.

    When The Nation contacted the hospital, its Medical Director, Jacob Awobusuyi, said: “He has kidney disease and it is a permanent one.  The infection which caused the problem is glomerulonephritis, an inflammation which the body produces and it has destroyed his kidney.”

    Awobusuyi said Adebola would need an urgent kidney transplant which would cost at least N7 million, adding that the patient also needs a kidney donor urgently.

    For now, Adebola undergoes dialysis twice weekly at about N45,000 per session; the family is groaning under the financial stress.

    Adebola is appealing to kind-hearted Nigerians to help him raise the fund. “I’m dying; Nigerians should please help me.”

    Donations, the family pleaded, can be made into his Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Account number: 0011516188 under the name, Adesoji Adebola.

  • Borno teacher needs N8m for kidney transplant

    Borno teacher needs N8m for kidney transplant

    Faced with a life-threatening renal condition, Rahila Jiboyewa, a Maiduguri-based school teacher, in company with her daughter, Bisola makes an urgent appeal for assistance to enable her access timely treatment. She shared her emotional story with Sunday Oguntola.

    At 53, and after two decades in service, Mrs. Rahila Jiboyewa, an economic teacher at University of Maiduguri staff school, should be looking forward to a well-deserved retirement. But the last three years seems to have rubbished all that, as she battles a life-threatenening health condition. It all started when she noticed that her sights were becoming blurred. Surgeries after surgeries didn’t offer the needed relief.

    When she became tired, she decided to leave Maiduguri to seek medical help at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where she was put on admission for almost nine months. From there, she proceeded to the Eye Foundation, also in Lagos. Yet, all her efforts proved abortive.

    Though she had been managing diabetes for over twenty years, her sight trouble became a nightmare. When nothing was working, Jiboyewa heard she could get better treatment in India through a friend, and off she went to Chennai for medical treatment last month. It took a loan facility from her place of work and the goodwill of relations to raise the hefty travelling fare.

    If she left Nigeria with hope, everything came crashing when she got to India. For one, her sight deficiencies were rectified. The Indian opticians succeeded in improving her vision. She, and Bisola, her first child, who travelled with her were overjoyed.

    But it was a short-lived joy.

    Doctors told her it was only a matter of time before the sights went bad again; and that if it ever does, it would be Jiboyewa’s kidneys.  In fact, they were emphatic that the kidneys were functioning at less than ten percent. That, they explained, was what affected her sights and created other medical complications.

    “I couldn’t believe what I heard,” the mother of four stated. “I knew I have diabetes, not renal failure.”

    But medical science dispels all doubts and reservations. According to tests carried out at Global Hospitals and Healthy City, her kidneys are at the brink of a total shutdown.

    The test result signed by Dr K. Ezhilarasan of the hospital’s department of clinical biochemistry shows that Jiboyewa’s Serum Creatinine is hovering at 7.6, a ridiculously high level for a normal human being. Medical experts believe a healthy kidney should stand at 0.5-1.0. Her Serum Uric acid stands at 6.4 as against the 2.6-6.0 normal level.

    The rapid deterioration of her kidneys is quite alarming. According to a test result from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital dated 21th of January, 2015, Jiboyewa’s Creatinine was still at 3.61. Her uric acid stood at 4.25. But despite the notoriously high levels, the alarm bells did not ring.

    “The doctors explained that her kidneys are virtually gone; she is more or less on her way out,” Bisola, her daughter cried out. “My mother is dying practically and the thought is depressing and distressing,” the graduate of Business Administration from the University of Maiduguri, lamented.

    While dialysis remains an option for Jiboyewa, the Indian doctors recommended that an outright kidney transplant would be most preferable. Once started, dialysis will be costly and killing without any stop until she dies. But a transplant will offer her at least a functional kidney, with which she could lead a healthy life for many foreseeable years. The snag, however, is that a transplant is an expensive procedure that a teacher like Jiboyewa cannot afford.

    Confirmation from India

    When our correspondent contacted Global Hospitals and Healthy City, the International Patience Assistance Centre confirmed that Jiboyewa was there in a series of emails. In a letter signed by Dr Rajal Saxena, the hospital stated that she would need to cough out almost $20,000 approximately N4million to undergo renal transplantation.

    To get a donor will cost another $10,000 or N2million. This is excluding cost of staying in the hospital for three months with the donor for observation and post-transplantation treatment estimated at $800 by the hospital.

    In all, the Borno-born teacher, who is married to a teacher from Otikipupa in Ondo will require N8million to get her life back to normal. She believes Nigerians are born with milk of human kindness and will come to her rescue. “I have heard of many cases and I believe Nigerians will not let me die now,” she stated. “Even if it is a loan, I need help. I need Nigerians to help me stay alive,” she pleaded.

    Bisola seems more desperate: “Nigerians should please help my mum. I and my siblings need her alive now. I am pleading that everything should be done to save her life.”

    To support Mrs. Jiboyewa, please send donation to Rahila Mshelia Jiboyewa 2001498026 First Bank, Maiduguri Borno State.

  • Kidney patient needs N7.5m to live

    Kidney patient needs N7.5m to live

    Except an urgent kidney transplant is carried out on him, the hope of 40-year old technician, Chika Igwilo, to fulfil his dreams in life may soon be cut short.

    Chika who hails from Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State and resides in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, was diagnosed of a chronic kidney failure three months ago at the National Hospital.

    He hangs on to life through a weekly dialysis which requires a payment of N100,000 at a private specialist clinic in Abuja.

    According to Ada Blessing Igwilo, his younger sister who has been taking the responsibility of taking him around hospitals for treatment as well as footing the hospital bills, Chika’s ill health started with malaria symptoms.

    “The kidney failure started about three months ago when he complained of malaria symptoms,” she said.

    “He was having constant malaria, itching, frequent urinary, dizziness and later swollen legs” Ada Blessing added.

    She disclosed that her brother was admitted at Kubwa General Hospital where he was treated for two weeks before he was referred to a specialist hospital.

    The strike by medical staff of National Hospital however forced her to take him away to a private facility, Zenith Medical and Kidney Center, where he currently undergoes dialysis twice or thrice a week.

    While speaking with Abuja Review on the dialysis bed, Chika who coughs intermitently pleaded with well meaning Nigerians to save his life.

    His words: “what I need now is to reach out to fellow Nigerians to help raise money for me to undergo kidney transplant in India or in this country. I need N7.5million to be able to undergo the transplant and I plead with Nigerians to help me. God will not leave all of you alone, they should please save my life.”

    Lamenting the health status of his brother, Ada Blessing, who said that Chika’s case wouldn’t have required kidney transplant if it were acute kidney failure saying “ doctors told us that mere dialysis would have been enough for the kidney to pick up and function well again if it is acute kidney failure”

    She noted that his present condition is preventing him to consume more liquid as the more he drinks, the more fluids his body possesses which would also have to be removed with dialysis “otherwise he would be in more pains.”

    “Now I have exhausted all our savings and I can’t even attend to my own business because I can’t leave him alone. We want Nigerians to come to our aide and save my brother. I don’t want him to die,” she cried.

    For any financial help, his account number is: Igwilo Chika, A/c 3089460224, First Bank.

    You can also contact Chika through 08034940624.

     

  • Man, who has not urinated since January, needs N9m for kidney transplant

    For 43-YEAR-OLD Okechukwu Okoro, life has been so tough. He has not urinated since January– no thanks to a kidney problem that requires N9m to rectify. Okoro, who is resident in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, is from Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.  He is on admission at the male medical/surgical ward of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

    The young man’s wife, Chinenye, stated in Port Harcourt that her husband was diagnosed of End Stage Kidney Failure, with the two kidneys affected and had been sustaining his life through dialysis three times a week, since September 2013.

    Chinenye said: “My husband is now on maintenance dialysis three times a week. The cost of dialysis, with blood transfusion, iron sucrus injection, recormon injection, glucometer, pre and post-dialysis tests is N54,000 per session, at three times a week, totalling N162,000. For one month, it is N648,000.

    “According to medical advice, the only solution to save the life of my husband is transplanting of kidney and one year anti-rejection drugs, which is N9 million. We cannot afford the money.

    “I am pleading with government, corporate and non-governmental organisations, individuals and other members of the public to assist us, so that my husband will survive. Support should please be sent to: Okechukwu Okoro, GTB – 0139571638.”

    Chinenye also presented a letter from the Renal Unit of UPTH, signed by Dr. C. Wachukwu, a Consultant Nephrologist, affirming that Okechukwu is on admission in the hospital and suffering from end stage kidney failure.

    Wachukwu noted that survival of Okoro depended on life-long maintenance dialysis or kidney transplant, stressing that both modalities of treatment are expensive, requiring a minimum of $40,000 or the local equivalent, not within the reach of average patient.

  • Man battles kidney failure

    Man battles kidney failure

    •Patient requires N6.5million for surgery

    Fifty one year old Fatai Olaseni is battling for his life in hospital. He needs N6.5million to undergo kidney transplant at St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos.

    His trouble started in 2004 when he developed hypertension, which his family tried to manage. The story changed when he was diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Disease in April.

    Since then, the father of three has been on maintenance haemodialysis.  But he has not been able to meet up with his sessions because of money.

    In tears, he said:”I have spent all my hard-earned money trying to find a cure for the ailment. I have also spent my wife’s pension to defray the medical expenses, including tests, drugs and dialysis.

    “My sister has agreed to be a donor. But I cannot afford to provide the required amount because I don’t even have any income now. I don’t want to lose my hope of living.”

    Dr. E.L Bamgboye, a consultant Transplant Nephrologist at St Nicholas, said Olaseni must undergo renal transplant to live a healthy life again.

    Olaseni said his ailment had stopped him from discharging his responsibility as a father.

    His family is seeking financial support to save his life.

    An account has been opened at the Guaranty Trust Bank(GTB) with No:0010900438 under his name:OLASENI FATAI OLANREWAJU with his phone numbers: 080230322109,08036849989.

  • Student loses kidney failure battle

    Student loses kidney failure battle

    He was in Abuja to perfect his plans to travel to India for a kidney transplant. But, Zakariyyah Abiodun Olowo, a 300-Level Law student of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) could not make the trip. He died before he could obtain a visa, reports HABEEB WHYTE (Nigerian Law School, Abuja)

    What happened to him? This was the question Law students of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) were asking when news of the death of Zakariyyah Abiodun Olowo hit the campus.

    Zakariyyah, a 300-Level Law student, was in Abuja to obtain Indian visa for medical trip. Unknown to many of his classmates and friends, Zakariyyah had been battling kidney failure.

    He planned to travel to India for transplant, but he died while trying to get the travel documents. His death disrupted activities at the Faculty of Law because Zakariyyah was the best student in his class. He was also a member of several students’ associations.

    He had just been elected president of the UNILORIN chapter of the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ). He was the Organising Secretary of the National Association of Muslim Law Students (NAMLAS) and a member of Law Students’ Society (LSS) Judicial Council.

    “I saw him last week,” a student screamed as the deceased’s colleagues gathered to mourn last Friday. Many were in tears; some wore pensive looks, asking why such fate befell their colleague.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the late student was disgnosed of the ailment months ago and had been managing it, pending the end of the session when he would travel abroad for proper attention. When he could not cope again, he took excuse to abandon the second semester examination to enable him travel. It was learnt that the late Zakariyyah had already written two papers when his health deteriorated. He was in UNILORIN Teaching Hospital for a while before he left for Abuja.

    His body was brought to Ilorin for burial. As the corpse was being awaited, members of the Law Students’ Society and UCJ gathered at the UNILORIN Bus Terminus at Tipper Garage area to attend the funeral in group. They left for the deceased’s family house in Adewole area of Ilorin to condole with the Olowos, from where they went to the cemetery in the university’s Marcopolo bus.

    After Asri (late afternoon worship), the students left in group to Ilorin Muslim Cemetery for the interment.

    The cemetery was besieged by students. At exactly 6pm, a Toyota Sienna bus brought the remains to the cemetery. The body was taken into a building in the graveyard for spiritual bath. Afterwards, Janazah (funeral) prayers were said.

    Students fought back tears as the body was being lowered into the grave. It was an emotional ceremony attended by sub-Dean, Students’ Affairs, Dr Yusuff Abdulraheem, Dean of Law Faculty, Dr Yusuff Arowosaiye, his deputy, Dr Bashir Omipidan, Head of Property Law Department, Dr Hakeem Ijaiya and ex-president of UCJ, Barrister Mohammed Alabi, among others.

    Titilope Anifowoshe, his classmate and Vice President-elect of the Students’ Union Government, described the late Zakariyyah as a “very good friend”. She said his brilliance and writing skills stood him out of many. “Zakariyyah was particularly nice to friends in need. He gave his best in everything he did and always helped the sick. He was also an entrepreneur,” she said.

    Alabi described Zakariyyah’s death as a personal loss. He said: “I only had glowing memory of him. His scholarship, writing skill and above all, his being a devoted Muslim. May Allah grant him eternal rest and give his distraught family the fortitude to bear this obviously irreparable loss.”

    Nurudeen Olalekan, his classmate, said he was still in shock. “Members of NAMLAS visited him at his hostel in Adeta area a week before his death, where we made an appeal to his family to fast-track the medical trip abroad. We did not know it would be the last time we would see him alive,” he said.

    Zakariyyah’s deputy in UCJ, Kayode Nissi, described him as a “great colleague and classmate”.

    Wale Bakare, graduating student of Zoology, who should have handed over to the deceased as UCJ president, said Zakariyyah’s death was “very painful”.

    Adam Muhammed, a 400-Level law student, said the deceased was a campus activist. He said: “Fighting the cause of justice and using the pen for advocacy was his way. His latest advocacy was the condemnation of engineering students, who held dinner party after one of their colleagues died. The late Zakariyyah wrote a three-page article criticising engineering student for not having respect for the dead. He earned my respect for this singular act but little did he know that his own time was around the corner.”

    The late Zakariyyah was his parents’ first child. He was in his early 20s and best student in his class.

     

  • ‘Contaminated water causes kidney, other diseases’

    ‘Contaminated water causes kidney, other diseases’

    Federal and state governments have been tasked to provide quality and safe drinking water for Nigerians to check the spread of diseases caused by drinking contaminated water.

    A geologist, Dr Oghenerhoro Odedede, has urged federal and state governments to provide clean drinking water for Nigerians to check the spread of diseases caused by contaminated water.

    The don traced many diseases causing failure of vital human organs to the consumption of contaminated water.

    Odedede spoke yesterday in Egborodo community, near Warri, Delta State, at a lecture organised by Peak Table Water project.

    He said many Nigerians and other people across the world become ill after drinking impure water.

    Delivering a lecture, titled: Water: A Recipe for Healthy Life, Odedede said: “Billions of people around the world are still without access to clean, quality, drinkable water, because it takes an investment to tap into safe and quality underground water. That is what Peak Table Water has done. “Surface water types and shallow well water are not so safe because they are easily contaminated.

    “From drinking contaminated and impure water, your vital organs, including the kidney, could be affected. That simply implies that you will have to live with deadly illnesses, which will require you to spend huge resources to correct or just to manage to stay alive, in case it is terminal.”

    The don said governments should provide clean and accessible drinking water to discourage citizens from opting for surface water sources that are easily tainted by human and natural contaminants.

    He said underground water sources are usually the best, but lamented that they are not easily available.

    He hailed the management of Ininidi Global Service for the location of the factory outside human dwelling area and opting for underground source of water.

    Addressing reporters after a tour of the facility, the proprietor of the table water factory, Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, said the aim of the company is to give quality and safety back to society, adding that he chose water because of what it meant to him.

    The proprietor said he would use the company to provide jobs for youths.

    He said Ininidi Global Services Limited, producers of Peak Table Water, had employed 20 people from the host community.

  • Lifestyle key to prevent kidney disease

    Lifestyle key to prevent kidney disease

    World Kidney Day, which was celebrated on 13 March, highlighted the importance of healthy kidneys and how prevention efforts could curb millions of premature deaths associated with kidney disease.

    Reports indicate that between 8 to 10 per cent of the adult population have some form of kidney damage but fewer than 1 in 10 are aware of the importance of regular kidney check ups. Of those affected, only 1 in 5 people with kidney failure are ever referred to a specialist.

    Most people experience no symptoms until chronic kidney disease is advanced and the prognosis bleak. It is estimated that one can lose up to 90 per cent of their kidney function before experiencing any symptoms.

    The most common causes of chronic kidney disease are associated with the skyrocketing rates of noncommunicable diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Kidney disease eventually leads to kidney failure and the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.

    Tips for healthy kidneys

    Keep fit and active. It’s important to keep one’s weight in check through a healthy diet and regular exercise regimen. Both of these are known to prevent diabetes, heart disease and other conditions associated with chronic kidney disease.

    Experts agree that monitoring one’s blood sugar is also important in managing chronic kidney disease. About 50 per cent of people who have diabetes develop progressive kidney damage over time.

    Blood pressure-induced kidney disease is another silent condition that can develop for decades with very few noticeable symptoms. One should monitor blood pressure regularly and maintain a healthy diet that is low in salt and unhealthy saturated fats.

    Salt-induced high blood pressure is well known but salt intake is also directly linked to kidney disease and eventual failure. Salt intake is similar to other cumulative risk factors such as obesity, tobacco and alcohol use – the longer you abuse it, the greater your risk.

    The World Health Organization’s overall goal is to reduce salt intake to no more than 5g per day. This can be achieved by reducing the amount of salt in processed foods items as well as salt added during cooking and at the table. However, most people who eat too much salt don’t realize that as much as 75 per cent of the salt that they eat is already in the food that they buy.

    Do not take over-the-counter pills on a regular basis. This may come as a surprise but common drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are known to put excessive stress on the kidneys that can cause eventual kidney failure.

    Stay well hydrated. Drinking enough clean water can help maintain optimal kidney function. However, experts have not reached an agreement on a set quantity of water per day as requirements change with many different factors such as one’s overall health status, physical activity levels, and body height and weight.

    Do not smoke. Tobacco is known to diminish blood flow to the kidneys – an important indicator of one’s overall kidney health. Research indicates that smoking can also increase the risk of developing kidney cancer by about 50 per cent.

    World Kidney Day is a joint initiative between the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations. For additional information, please visit: www.worldkidneyday.org

     

    Dr Couillard is an international health columnist that works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals of disease prevention and control.

    Facebook: Dr Cory Couillard

    Twitter: DrCoryCouillard

     

  • Kidney disease prevalent in Nigeria, says experts

    Nigerians are coming down to kidney disease because of a high incidence of diabetes, infections and hypertension, Consultant physician/ nephrologist, Dr. Ebun Bamgboye has said.

    According to him, no fewer than 10 per cent of the country estimated 160 million people may be suffering from the ailment.

    Bamgboye spoke during a programme organised by St Nicholas Hospital (SNH) to mark the World Kidney Day (WKD) Thursday.

    The theme was chronic kidney disease (CKD) and ageing.

    He said kidney disease can be prevented if the predisposing factors such as hypertension and diabetes, among others, are control.

    He called for early diagnosis of kidney disease to save lives.

    Bamgboya said the activities of renal/dialysis centres should be controlled to prevent deaths, adding 76 dialysis centres should be increased to meet demand of patients. “Out of about 10,000 who require dialysis yearly only about 2000 are able to access it,” he added.

    Consultant nephrologist, SNH, Dr Ngozi Aikpokpo said 18 per cent of the people tested had kidney disease according to a hospital-based survey conducted.

    She said most people present already had the symptoms.

    She described kidney disease as a progressive disease that can only be managed.

  • Kidney patient seeks N10m to survive

    Kidney patient seeks N10m to survive

    THREE years after he underwent a kidney transplant, Abiodun Akinyemi needs N10 million for another operation. Why? The initial transplant relapsed after he could not keep up with the expensive drugs prescribed by his doctor. The drugs cost N150,000 monthly and are to be taken twice daily.

    His travails began in 2010 when he had recurring typhoid fever which forced him to undergo tests at the General Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos. It was then the father of three was diagnosed with kidney failure. Everything was okay after the first transplant. His medicals and laboratory tests revealed it was a success and he was diagnosed to be fit to keep up with his daily work.

    Adeyemi’s problem got worse when he could not sustain his medication schedule. The burden became too much for his wife, a hair stylist, who gave all she had for the dialysis.

    His doctor, Ebun Bamgboye of St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos advised him to prepare to undergo another transplant. Dr Bambgoye, a nephrologist and Clinical Director at the hospital, said if he could get a possible donor without a history of smoking or alcohol that is compatible, the chances of the correction is high.

    In the course of the kidney disease, he suffered other ailments associated with it including ulcer and high blood pressure.

    He urged Nigerians to come to his aid. “I am just a depressed person. Please come to my aid and save my life and that of my family,” he pleaded.