Doctor Leye

Menopausal Disposition And Challenges

It was about 3pm on the 20th of December,my cousin called me, telling me his wife has been
facing a lot of health challenges lately. They had gone from one primary health institution to the
other. They had visited two referral health institutions,one at Ilesha and the pioneer teaching
hospital domicile in Ibadan. They knew I would be coming home for Christmas around 22nd of
December,it was a disrest call,it appeared urgent and life threatening.
I got home in the evening of 22nd December,and behold my cousin was there to usher me in to
my apartment. Unknown to me that his wife was in his car parked outside.
When my luggage had been taken in and I had settled down,he went out to bring his wife.
Madam was working like an old woman and she had just celebrated her 59th birthday then.
I inquired what was the problem. Madam opened up to me it tears," I have lost all in my
savings,and I don't understand myself any longer. My health has gone poor lately. I sweat a
lot,even when others are cold. I sweat too much at night now,that I hardly sleep. Sometimes am
cold at night,that Baba Ibeji( her hubby) will cover my whole body with all the clothes in the
house,I will be vibrating like grinding machine,in few minutes,I will be very hot again. My joints
ache me more these days, sometimes it's like my arms are disconnected from their suckets. I
feel dizzy these days to the extend that I can't go to the market unaccompanied again." I turned
to the husband what other challenges does she have from your perspctive. "Since this problem
started few weeks after her 58th birthday,she had totally abstained from s*xual in*******se with
me. I wonder. I have tried my best possible efforts to help her,she has suddenly become more
erratic and highly irritable. This is not the Iya Ibeji that I married,she has changed. She quarells
with everybody at home and talks any how. At first I thought it was a spiritual attack,so we
moved from one church to another,but nothing seems to work. Sometime ago,I thought it was a
mental problem. Like I told you on the phone we had gone from hospitals to teaching
hospitals,but all to no avail. This made me to put my hope in alternative medicine,hence our
coming to see you."
"What type of sickness is this,we call it hot and cold sickness. Please help us if there is a way
out of this problem. I don't want Iya Ibeji to die o"
I told them to allow me to take my pounded yam hot, whilst they were waiting for me to have my
dinner,some of Iya Ibeji's friends had come to check her,to confirm that I had proffered solution
to her problems. They were six in number. They came in greeted me and sat with their friend of
old. One of them Iya Eni said,"excuse me sir,sorry to disturb you during your meal,but I must
report myself to you. Am having similar problems like Iya Ibeji,but my own is far more. Why?
These days I just cry like a baby,small thing,I find myself crying. My night cry is worse,one day I
cried from 10pm till Dawn,on that particular day my husband showed me the balance in his
account and transferred every Kobo there to me but, that could not stop me. Sir,am I about to
die or I have run made already,I feel that way. I lost confidence in my person lately. I had always
been the most sociable teacher in my school,but that is past tense now. Am very shy now and
hate public outings. Sir my memory is almost gone completely. If I remove a dress now, it's hard
to remember the dress I just remove. To remember my pupil's names these days is a big
problem. One thing I thank God for,is my energy level has increased tremendously. I can wash
clothes from morning till evening, provided that, sweating has not taken over control of my life. I
have headache daily now.

To be continued.