Self medication;A slow way to die

Self-medication is easily accessible with many OTC (over the counter drug) I will say they self medication is a gift given to our African mothers, especially Nigerian mothers. They hardly get it wrong; but it's also very dangerous and has sent so many souls to an early grave; this self-medication thing helps to heal or cure some minor health issues; I can say everybody is guilty of it. People self-medicate because of money, and they can't afford medical bills or even to consult a medical doctor, but sometimes it seems like an easy way out or a fast way, if I may put it like that.

Often, I do wonder how our mothers know the exact medication to give even to a baby that is not talking; as soon as a baby cries and they give him/her their food, the child doesn't respond positively, and they will start checking the baby's temperature or the entire body.

Before you say jar, they already know what medication to give to the child, and within 1 hour to 2 hours, the child is back to his or her lively self, in most cases, although not all

I don't like self-medication, but I usually like making sure that I run tests before taking any medication. But Sapa (Not having money)hit me; I have no choice but to self-medicate. I was very feverish and had no money to run a test, the only money with me was the one I could use to buy small drugs or herbs but to run test, e no dey(it's not available) I was having different calculations on how I will manage the money and still have enough to buy the drug.

The calculation was not calculating(it wasn't working), No matter how. I tried, and I was burning up very seriously, so I decided to buy those herbs that grandma usually buys and gave us as children for malaria and typhoid.

I bought them all and boil; I drank them and I was well. So any time I have a fever or cold, I will assume malaria or typhoid have come, which some of us do too. Small headache malaria is here. I will buy the herbs and still repeat the same procedure and I will be fine.

Until one day, I became sick. It started like a joke, but before evening, it became serious. I was sneezing and coughing, which are usually the symptoms I get if I have malaria, but I forgot that the coughing doesn't cause me pain in the chest, so I went home and complained about my health.

I was asked to boil herbs, but I told them the way my body was doing me. Is not herbs something? My mom says she would get drugs for me on her way back. That I should sleep, when I wake up, I might be fine. So I slept and woke up, feeling better, but around 8 pm in the night, this sickness increased; I was given some drugs, which I took, but no way.

I was holding my ribs and complaining of serious pain; the Ijaw woman in the my compound decided to massage me; people started guessing different drugs; some even brought what they had in the house. I was forced to take everything. That's where the main problem started. I just fainted after taking the drugs, and I was rushed to the hospital.

Lo and behold, they ran some tests on me. It was cold that entered my body. The doctor did all he could and revive me. According to my mother, I was breathing slowly,and my eyes were shut. The doctor asked what they gave me, and when they mentioned one drug like that. My mom said the doctor asked if they wanted to kill me or keep me alive, who advised them?

That's how God used that doctor to save my life that day; I was told that if there was a delay even for 5 minutes, that's all. I would have been gone. Since then, self-medication, I have tried to stay far away from it.

Thank you for taking the time to read