I
squeezed myself in the meager space left by the lady napping on the available
seat at the Mental Clinic Waiting Lounge. Waiting for my turn to see the
doctor, I reminisce on my first visit that was marred with mix-up.
Wednesday,
22nd March 2017
After a
short examination, the psychiatrist asked me to go to the hospital reception
and get a prescription book. Following the doctors instruction, I went to
purchase the book meant to record my diagnosis. The hospital issues two kinds
of record documents; one is a four paged card while the other is the old school
book with about 20 pages.
Three
people were seated over the two counters at the records desk, a lady to my
right and the gentleman to the left. An intern was seated next to the lady on
what seem to be a record keeping class. After few seconds of waiting, it was my
turn to be served by the lady. I somewhat felt more comfortable. My name, Place
of residence, Cellphone number and other basic details were filled up. Getting
to the age section, I slurred, I have an age adding policy. I was born on 25th
October (feel free to send in gifts), I move to the next age as soon as I get 6
months to my next birthday, that is on 25th April. This date also
marks an important event in my life that happened 7 years ago. For crying out
loud, this is March. I have a month to go! In one of the numerous hospital
visits earlier in February, my Mum took the liberty of crossing over the year
before time; I only let it pass because I was too weak to defend my policy.
Insisting
that I want a booklet, not a card, the gentle man serving at the rare end
looked my way and asked 'unaenda clinic?'
‘Ndio,’
I answered, silently wishing he had no intention of being more specific.
‘Clinic
gani?’ Came the dreaded question. For once I wished I were pregnant so that I
said pre-natal clinic
‘Mental
clinic' I responded firmly. I could see the guy coil back to his cocoon.
The
rest of the details were filled and I started the process...
Wednesday,
19th April 2017
Being
my second visit, I did not need to go through all the trouble. I went straight
to the mental clinic. I always keep time; with the bouts of energy I’ve had
recently, I stayed home to ensure all was well before my departure. Nilifika
saa sita na madakika.
I had a
difficult time selecting the most appropriate dress for the day; I ended up in
a black dress with pink doll shoes. My sister had called in her 'best boda'
she's saved his name as so, I learnt this when she forwarded his contacts to me
a month ago. He’s the most efficient man alive, in my world. He was home, a few
minutes to 12pm and dropped me at the hospital by 12:08pm. You agree with
me now, right? I told you so! We settled on meeting up later so that he can
ferry me back home. 'Nipigie tu, nitakuwa pale mbele ya Nakumatt.' He assured
me
The
queue at the clinic was unexpectedly long. The patient being served was taking
longer than was comfortable for most people waiting in line. Right beside me
sat a gentleman, probably in his late 30’s or if life has been kind to him,
early 40’s. He wore a khaki trouser and a cream shirt which with a keen look
was not its original colour. The guy seemed a little more anxious than the
rest, he was in evident hurry. He went ahead looking through the door knob, he
could not see through. He opted to open the door and confirm the presence of
the doctor.
A few
minutes later, he sat down again and as if trying to break the evidently loud
silence, he called me, ‘Sharon.’ I looked his way, puzzled. He asked whether I
knew him.
‘Nadhani
nimekuona hapo awali,’ I responded.
‘Mmmh, ‘he
responded. I quickly realized that the Coastal Swahili will not cut it.
‘Nikama
nishawahi kuonako,’ I rephrased. ‘ko’ is an important part of any Luhya
conversation. It saves you from using please because it indubitably replaces
it.
‘Hapana,
hatujakutanako’, he responded, smiling sheepishly
That’s weird,
I thought as I turned back to my phone. Shortly after, he called again 'Sharon
Jumba'. I was now getting uncomfortable, I moved away, siting at the edge of my
sit. All through, he hadn’t seen my book or anything else that had my name! I
tried having a conversation with him but he kept smiling and moving up and
about the waiting lounge.
My turn
to see the doctor came, sooner than I expected. It toppled my thought process. I
had prepared all I needed to share with her but I was blunt. I recollected
myself and talked of how well my body was responding to the medication. I
mentioned the dizziness I felt on the first week and the slight stomach upset
on week three. She asked me whether I experienced headache to which I confirmed
to have had none through the month.
With
all seriousness I could garner, I asked her if it’s normal to experience hair loss
when dealing with my condition. This has been a piercing question since my
health started deteriorating, I 'm not sure if it was the effect of the
numerous unnecessary medicines I took at the time or the depression itself. She
went on and asserted that some symptoms evident in her patients were learnt on job;
they were not part of the course work. She was impressed with my progress and retorted
that my body was just responding to the challenging life situations that I
faced recently but it’s not out of control.
I’ve
been having a difficult time waking up early to prepare for my May exams. As
much as I was no longer dependent on other people to do basic activities, waking
up early in the morning is still a challenge. She advised me to take my
medicine early, as early as 6pm so that its effects can wear off earlier.
Punctuality in taking the drug leads to a productive day. I went ahead to purchase
the next 30 day antidepressant, I paid ksh.30 and it hit me that my family
spent thousands of shillings on my treatment but I needed very little to regain
normalcy.
Starting
my second month of treatment, I fervently count my blessings for having this
service near me. My psychiatrist will retire in 2 months’ time. She has served
in an area of medicine few choose to study. I hope and pray that her successor
will be posted soon so that she/he can benefit from her 17 years of experience
garnered at Bungoma County Referral Hospital
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