I stopped taking BP medicines. Pastor Kofi (not his real name) sat on my right hand. I had approached him to interview him for some work. For ethical reasons, let me withhold what work it is.
As we began, he was answering the questions jovially and even asked that I would pay him after the interview.
And then the was a question requesting how his condition was affecting his finances.
He started by saying, “my finances are greatly affected, in fact, as we speak . . . . . .” he broke down, dropped his face into his palms and started weeping, I consoled him, but he would not easily stop. I had to allow him to pour it all out, after some minutes, he wiped his tears and told me something that I have been telling people all these years in my advocacy work.
“You know, I am a Pastor, and I am always busy. As a result, I don’t take my BP medications. If I had known that high blood pressure can give me chronic kidney disease, I would have taken my medications”
I stopped taking BP medicines
This information hit me to the core because, this is what I have been telling people all these years.
The bitter truth is that, high blood pressure, though not painful in itself can be a devastating non communicable condition. What makes it dangerous is that a lot of the people who are living with high blood pressure don’t feel anything. Very few people living with the condition will have migraines, bleeding nose or some obvious effect that will take them to the hospital.
This makes is tricky! And many people as a result don’t take the condition serious until they have suffered one or more forms of complication.
What I just narrated in this piece is one of the many true stories I have come across in my line of work.
Though a minister of the Gospel, God did not heal Pastor Kofi because he preaches and prays for others. His finances are so affected that he cried for his inability to now provide for his family.
This is the reality of non communicable diseases. They can be silent yet killing you slowly, and by the time you realize what is going on, you have reached an irreparable stage.
Pastor Kofi has end stage renal disease and is supposed to start dialysis as he prepares to get a donor for transplant. This is the truth – High blood pressure can cause chronic kidney disease.
If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, simply take your medications.
It is as simple as that.
Social Medial: Ghana Health News
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