PIQUED INTERESTS- GENOTYPING ERRORS

The strike was called off about 2 weeks ago now. whoop whoop! So everything has been happening so fast, I’ve been keeping busy with going to clinics while trying to complete all the paperwork that needs to be submitted for the approval of my research study.

Sickle cell disease and trait is very prevalent in Nigeria, thus my selection of the country to conduct my research. The country has made great pushes towards an initiative promoting the knowing of your genotype, as a result many people before they get married, test to decide whether or not they have the trait, the goal is to prevent or at least reduce the number of sickle cell disease births in the country. Knowing your genotype allows people to understand the risks and likelihood of having a child with the disease. Whether a couple decides to proceed with a relationship/marriage after they know they both have the trait is up to them, however armed with the information, they are able to plan for the best and worst case scenarios.

While at the sickle cell clinic I have noticed an alarming trend among some of the mothers that presented with their child. Incorrect genotyping! Out of the approximately forty patients seen thus far with Dr. Ojo in clinic, four people have said that they were tested as AA (you do not have sickle cell trait) earlier in their lifetime, and so it was a shock when they had their child present with sickle cell pain crisis. Four out of forty is a rate of 10%!!! A lab error rate of 10% is horrendous and unreal! A resounding theme among the four women was that the issue initially brought on marital problems, and accusations of infidelity.
It wasn’t until a lot of persuasion and counseling

their husbands agreed to do another genotyping exam along with the mothers and in some cases paternity tests. In these four cases after their genotypes were tested again, they were found to be AS (Sickle cell trait carriers). 

Due to this revelation, I have decided to somewhat change the focus of my research, because I believe this topic is an important story to tell. The hope is to shed light on the growing issue of lab error/genotype inaccuracy most notably in private hospitals, and hopefully propose solutions to this issue. This change in my research, will now prolong the already never ending paper work, but I think it’s well worth the hassle.

an·ec·dote 2

I have officially been in Nigeria for over a month now, it is the longest I have ever stayed in the country! It’s a major mark for me :-). While I’ve been here though, I am reminded more and more how “un-African” I am. However I am currently making a conscious effort to blend in better into the community. That brings me to anecdote 2!

an·ec·dote 2: See yo mouth jus formin’ phonay! You are not in London o!

Since I’ve been in Nigeria I have noticed a lot of people do not understand me when I talk. There have been several instances where I want to order something and they just look at me or shout, “WE NO HAVE AM” (For my non-pigeon English readers: WE DON’T HAVE IT). Funny enough if I have a friend nearby that is a native they will ask of the same item and they will magically get the server to bring out what they just said they didn’t have! I would think to myself, what kind of juju (voodoo) does my friend have to make them bring out what they just denied me????!!! What ever it was, I too wanted the juice (the it factor that made them do what they said)

It wasn’t until last week at the hospital that I found my own juice via a random encounter. I went to the small corner store located at the pediatric ward to buy a coke. When I get there, two older ladies meet me, and before I open my mouth, I remember, and tell myself “they don’t call it soda, Seyi, they call it mineral,” so I go to the lady and proudly ask for “mineral.” The face the lady made after I asked for the mineral was out of this world, her face was twisted up, then she replied “MINERULL? WHAT’S A MINERULL? U MEAN Mee-NAY-RAL!!! SEE YO MOUTH JUS FORMIN’ PHONAY, YOU ARE NOT IN LONDON O!” I proceeded to burst out laughing while thinking to myself "LONDON??? I've never been to London *side note-unless flight layovers count haha*." The old lady went on to explain, my phonay (phonetics) was not accepted here, and that I needed to talk like a Nigerian. LOL.

That following day, I was out in a mini market and wanted to buy bottled water, I initially forgot my “juice,” and simply asked for a “bottle of water,” the store attendant replied with a loud “henh???” I then remembered what the old lady told me the previous day, and then replied “BOTTLE WARTAAAAAAA,” the store attendant then smiled, walked away and returned with an ice-cold bottle of water. I calmly paid for the item and left, BUT inside I was screaming YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, I finally figured it out, I was so ecstatic I wanted to burst out into skelewu (a dance song)!

Funny enough, my time spent in Nigeria has shown me, that when in Rome (you all heard of the saying)…I was so scared of coming off as patronizing that I was missing the opportunity to assimilate into a culture that is welcoming and open. I was initially afraid to speak in accent, but through my many funny encounters, I am learning that Nigeria is open to me trying to speak in accent, so I should be open to it too, it’s not patronizing instead it’s showing my effort in absorbing the culture!

an·ec·dote 1

Like I mentioned in my blurb, I am going to share whatever is on my mind, which includes random occurences that happen while I am here. I decided to call them anecdotes (definition of an anecdote: a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person). So here is my first one, enjoy! 

an-ec-dote 1: 50 Naira and Love in the Parking Lot.

So yesterday I drove myself for the first time to the hospital I am supposed to be doing my research at (LASUTH). When I get there I learn I have to pay for parking (300Naira-less than $2) and I was not a happy camper!

The parking warden in charge of directing cars into the car park signalled for me to roll down my window and shouts "THREE HUNDREDDDD!" (For those who have never been to Nigeria, esp Lagos, it's all about haggling the price, so in my "Lagos State of Mind," I'm thinking why pay 300Naira when I can pay 100Naira)
Of course my automatic respone to the warden was "Oga (boss) I don't have 300Naira, I only have 100Naira."

The look on the parking warden's face after I spoke was out of this world! His eyes got really big and he looked at my face, and said "give me 250Nairawheredoyoustay?" He said it so fast and all in one breath, I had to ask him to repeat himself. Once he repeated himself I thought "YES!!! I saved 50Naira, but whY is he asking me where I stay?!"I reasoned that he either mis-spoke or his English wasn't too good and meant to ask me, what building I was going to. So I gave him the 250Naira and told him the pediatric department. After which he was so gracious in following me and finding a spot for me to park my car, he waited for me to descend from my vehicle to again ask me where I stay. When I did not answer he yelled "YOU KNOW I LOFE (LOVE) YOU!" At this point I'm thinking I need to get the heck out of there, but before I could take two steps, he's on the road on his knees asking me where I stay and begging for my number -__-

When I'm nervous I SWEAT!!! So of course at this point I'm sweating buckets, while people passing by are looking, pointing, and laughing. My exchange with the parking warden went on for about 3 minutes, but it felt like an eternity. I finally convinced him to get up from the ground, by collecting his phone number, and promising to see him before I left.

When I finally made it inside the building, the doctor I came to meet asked if I walked far, because of the MASSIVE sweat stains I got from my parking lot ordeal. I didn't have the energy or mind to tell her the story, so I lied and said yes I walked a far distance, though the parking lot was literally a few steps away from the pediatric building.

Nevertheless, yesterday was a good day, I guess. I saved 50 Naira and found love in the parking lot, all at the same time.


SIDE NOTE:
Now that I think about it, the parking warden should have let me park for FREE if he really loved me!!!! Next time I see him I am going to have to tell him about that.

The Strike of Life

So you may or not be aware of the doctor’s strike involving Lagos state resident physicians. The ongoing strike is separate from the more well-known ASUU strike (public university strike) which is affecting medical students and other students across the nation. The ASUU strike has resulted in public university students being out of school for over 3 months and counting.

Nevertheless I digress. The doctors strike started the day I landed in Nigeria (my luck, right?) and is still ongoing. When I asked the doctor's when they thought the strike was going to end, they just laughed...so I'm not too sure how to take that response --> --> -->

The doctors are demanding for "non-skipping of salary grade level CONHESS 1O," along with a few other requests. The overall gist of it, is that they are demanding for payment of salary; some doctors have recieved 10-20% of the salary they are supposed to recieve or have not recieved any payment of salary at all for over 6 months. 

The strike or “the strike of life” as I’ve affectionately named it does interrupt my proposed research, because the hospital I am supposed to be carrying out my research in is a federal hospital, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). As a result, I have been trying to keep busy by conducting preliminary research (which has been slow because internet is slow) and canvassing the city for potential alternative places I can conduct my research. 

Through my random searches, I discovered the Sickle Cell Foundation located in Surulere, though it is also associated with a federal hospital (LUTH), it is considered a separate entity and thus has not been shut down due to the strike.

Soooooo though the strike of life continues, the Sickle Cell Foundation in Surulere may be an answer to my stagnant research attempts. As the days go by and Lagos continues to stylishly throw me her many curve balls, I am learning to adjust and make due with what is available. 

CUCKOO-ROOKOO!!!

 

CUCKOO-ROOKOO!!

Anddddd... I’m up in Lagos, a rooster’s crow literallyyyyy woke me up this morning and for some unexplainable reason, gave me the energy, determination and will power to finally try to put up my first blog post! Soooo Greetings from Lagos, I’ve been here for almost three weeks now, but it feels like three months. And with that… I bid you adieu until, I am mentally prepared to battle with my expensive and dreadfully slow Internet connection.