I was told taking BP medication will 'kill' my manhood - Kidney patient

A young Ghanaian man in his thirties, who has been on dialysis for 8 years, has shared his painful experience and daily struggles as a kidney failure patient.

Enoch and his family were shocked and didn't understand why he was diagnosed with kidney failure when he never smoked or drank alcohol.

Speaking to Etsey Atisu, host of #SayItLoud on GhanaWeb TV, in the continuous campaign being spearheaded by leading digital news outlet for parliament to pass legislation on organ donations, Enoch said when he was diagnosed, he tried to use other means to get healing but paid a huge price for that.

According to him, when he was diagnosed of extremely high BP by doctors at the Koforidua Government Hospital, his friend discouraged him from taking the medication.

"So, when it happens like that then I feel uneasy. There was a day I fell asleep on a glass, with my head leaning on it and when I woke up and lifted up my head, I noted my sight was blurry, yet it was not dark. For instance, if someone was approaching and was wearing yellow, I would see it as white, especially from afar until they get closer. I wondered if my eyes were spoiling, and there was nothing showing that my eyes were getting problematic.

"And so I had a good friend who I told that with the way things are, if I am not careful, I would run at a loss, and I was into call credit and mobile phones business at the Kyebi station, so I asked him to come and sit in for me so I can go and rest.

"And then I started vomiting continuously, wondering what sickness it was I was coming down with. It was a Friday, so I took it to the government hospital at Kyebi but after several checks on my eyes, they said I was fine, but I knew I could not see properly. I was then referred to Koforidua.

"There, the doctor looked at me and also said there was nothing wrong with me but he gave me some BP drugs, indicating that sometimes, the symptoms could be hiding."

However, on his return, when he shared the updates from the hospital with his friend and the medication given to him, Enoch added that, his friend discouraged him.

"On my return home, my friend told me not to take the medicines because it would affect my manhood," he told Etsey Atisu.

He reiterated that "Yes, he explained that I did not have BP and for which I was going to take the medicines and that it could harm me. So, I waited till he had gone to sleep and then I took the medicine. But around 2AM, I nearly died."

Enoch was rushed to the Kyebi hosipital and referred to the Koforidua Government for further treatment.

Enoch also detailed several other things that have troubled his mind, including how many people he started dialysis with have died because they were not financially and mentally strong enough to keep living.

Watch the full interview below:



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Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.

Click here to start the nomination process for the 2023 GhanaWeb Excellence Awards