MEN’S HEALTH WEEK

Dear Mr X….permit me to share our story

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Nurturing yourself is not selfish – it’s essential to your survival and your well-being.”

Women are so celebrated and somehow the men are almost always left out…..

Well, let me tell you a little about My Friend… Mr. X.
Meeting him wasn’t just a coincidence, it was an eye-opener for me. It made me realize how much men are ignored in the society especially Healthwise. Well, I’m not laying the blame on the society per se but The MEN THEMSELVES. IRONICALLY…

Back to him
I met him in Abuja last year. He’s a 37-year-old hunky, dishy, hot, drop-dead gorgeous guy who is also well to do.

What exactly is this gist about…I know what’s going through your mind. Chill. Lol

So we met at a friend’s wedding. He was the best man. I was just a guest who interestingly picked the bouquet. Hehehehe. So as usual the MC officially wed us. Hahahaha
That was the beginning of our friendship.

So we got talking not so often though. Chatting was a better means for us even though this too wasn’t frequent. I got to know he is an Engineer who works with one of the largest Oil companies in Port-Harcourt.
Not married. Both parents are alive. He’s also into business, so he is just so much of a busy man.

While we were chatting one fateful night he informed me he was having serious headache, palpitations and feels dizzy. So I figured out he may be stressed out.I encouraged him to have enough sleep and if it continued, he should see his doctor first thing in the morning.

This brings me to my main reason for this discussion. Honestly, you won’t believe his response. You know our men are so concerned with the women in their lives that they nearly almost always forget to care for themselves.
They go about thinking they’re too strong. Powerful and immunity covers them. Well…let’s see.

“Doctor?” He asked
“Yes of course” I replied

“Hmmmmmmmm. I don’t have a Doctor o. Neither have I ever visited a hospital.” He said.

What? For me that was strange

Ok. He was 37 years.
So you mean a 37-year-old full-blooded man has never visited a hospital? 37 years on earth?? Wow!
“So what do you do when you fall sick? Don’t you go to the hospital for a routine check-up? What exactly do you do concerning your health?” I tried to ask so many questions at the same time because I couldn’t comprehend the fact that a 37-year-old had never been to a hospital. What!!!?

It was at this point it dawned on me that Hypertension could also be a possible cause of his symptoms. However, there was not enough reason to say that.
But for the avoidance of doubt, I asked “When last did you check your blood pressure?”

“Hmm… some months ago.” He said.
And it was 180/…..he tried to recall but wasn’t sure of the diastolic pressure.

180??? So what have you done about it?
I asked curiously having in mind he has never visited a Doctor as he said.

Nothing. I’ve checked it severally it’s always within that range but I figured out it’s due to the nature of my job. He replied.
Do you know what got me upset? This is someone that loves his girlfriend so much that when she complained of slight abdominal pain. He called me and was fidgeting. For abdominal pain o. Yet his own life, he took for granted.

Yeah shocked right? I know.
He is not my boyfriend tatafooooo. Amaigbo wie not kie you. Hahahahahahahahahhaahahahhahaha

I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t just believe He wasn’t joking. How could someone take pride in Ignorance? Are you a Doctor? Even if you’re are you to treat yourself? How could someone vomit such venom with so much alacrity?
Well, these were the things that went through my mind, but of course, I remained calm.

“Ok. Please tomorrow first thing in the morning go to a hospital. See a Doctor. Tell him exactly how you feel and let him have you examined and your Blood pressure checked.” I told him
I was a bit persuasive so he was forced to accept.

To cut the long story short… His blood pressure was 200/100mmHg.

Do you know what this means? 200? And he has been walking around. The complications of Hypertension are endless and it doesn’t matter how strong you think you’re. If a stroke hits you, you will realize how hard life can be. It is better prevented, always remember this.

Currently, he’s on drugs, very adherent to his drugs, and has been so grateful to me.

What is HYPERTENSION

It is when the blood pressure is above 140/90mmhg in an adult.

It is the one of the commonest non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.

It has a lot of causes 95% of these are * INCURABLE*.
It could be genetic or acquired
Some of the risk factors include:

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Symptoms
Virtually none.
And it can go unnoticed for years until complications begin to manifest. This is why it’s called a Silent killer

This is the reason why every adult should regularly go for medical check up. Infact we all should have our blood pressure checked irrespective of age and sex.

Once your blood pressure is under control you have almost nothing to worry about.

Some of the complications include:

• Stroke
• Poor vision
• Heart failure
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack and sudden death)
• Kidney failure
• Peripheral vascular diseases

In fact, the list is endless. And the complications are IRREVERSIBLE.

Would you rather have a stroke or have your blood pressure under control? The choice is yours.

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Nurturing yourself is not selfish – it’s essential to your survival and your well-being.”

THERE’S NO EXCUSE. Just virtually anyone can be Hypertensive.

So dear men, take care of yourself. It’s the only place you have to Love.
We care so much about you.

The purpose of Men’s Health week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. This month gives health care providers, public policy makers, the media, and individuals an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury. The response has been overwhelmin

I hope you enjoyed my story.

Mr x is doing so fine now…and……..