This is a picture of Venturina and me.
I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on the sixteenth of August between three and four in the morning. At Poly Clinic Du Carrefour, Gikondo, Kigali, Rwanda by cesaerean section. To say I nearly died is to put it lightly. I had an interesting pregnancy. I did not eat enough. And this was not because I did not have enough. I did. I had plenty. They say when you are expecting you ought to eat for two. I ate for one. And one not nearly there. This demonstrated that I had a problem. When we went out. And we ordered grilled chicken and bananas. I would eat one piece of chicken and that too I would not finish it. I would eat the skin and maybe pull of one or two strips of its leg. And I would assume I am satisfied. And stop there. The same was done with the banana. I ordered one and did not finish it. That was my pattern. I did not pick up anything and eat it entirely. "Whether it would be a glass of milk or a bowl of porridge." I heard my mum refer to it once.
For many years I took medication for a mental illness. That of which is known as Bipolar Disorder. A medication called Semi-sodium Valproate. Most of its composition salt. I took 1500mg of the pills a day. That is 750mg in the morning and 750mg in the evening. It was torture. It is stored in a packet of about 100-150 all so pills. It is an estimation. The packet is packed with the medication so much so the carton appears swollen to the point of exploding. My mum refers to the way it is packed as if it was medication for cattle! I did not like it. It made me feel sad.
So how did I nearly die? After giving birth, I immediately developed high blood pressure. I was put on ivy drops for two maybe three days. And was advised not to eat anything. Until I farted. I also became anaemic. I lost blood naturally after the delivery but I was informed that I did not have enough blood. My eyes were white like the paper we put in the fax machine. My cheeks, eyes and face were puffy. My mum who had escorted me informed. She was horrified but she kept her head held high. I never knew just how bad it was.
My mum believes that it is the salt in the ivy drops that stimulated the puffiness in my face. That it had become too much.The Semi-sodium Valproate I took for over ten years had built a wall of salt between my veins. The doctors diagnosed illnesses I never had. Asthma, heart palpitation problems, abscesses under my arm pits and other invisible problems only I could see like puffy face and swelling tummy.
I had come to the hospital with swollen feet but now my thighs were also swollen. They looked like the legs of an elephant! I started drinking a lot of water. Desperate to dissolve the high amount of salt running the veins wild.
My mum was advised to buy medication to treat all those problems. And this was nearly everyday.
I cannot thank her enough for having been there. She made the drama appear to disappear.
Poly Clinic Du Carrefour is a privately owned hospital. So we paid for ourselves.
Now I am strong. I eat. I eat like there is no tomorrow. My mum said to me just the other day. As she looked into my eyes with unutterable gladness. She said "You look more beautiful than you have ever looked." I look like how I should have looked when I was pregnant. I look like how I used to look when I was young, fresh and innocent.
And all this is thank you to my mother because she made it all possible. She stood by me through it all.
She was my strength, my rock and my protector. She is. Even now. Can I tell you the many ways she is great? It is another post for another day.
