Lagos Medical Doctor and socialite, Dr. Tunde Soleye is the former
husband of ex-Beauty Queen, Nike Oshinowo. They were married for 6 years
but the union broke down in the middle of 2012, when all efforts to
resolve their differences were unsuccessful.On Saturday, April 8th, 2016 at the “Yello Endo” Gala Night
Fund-raising For Endometriosis held at Civic Centre, Victoria Island,
Dr. Soleye revealed all the pains he went through, seeing his beloved
ex-wife go through the trauma and agony caused by Endometriosis.
In his
words,
“Adenike has been afflicted since adolescence. Firstly, her parents
didn’t understand what was happening with their beautiful daughter all
curled up in pain and totally dysfunctional each month. Nike, a happy
and bright girl suddenly became very ill.
And, of course, even Nike didn’t understand what was happening to
her. Her teachers and carers were also perplexed when the crisis set in,
most especially when a crisis flared up before exams or sports.
To live with a victim, you have to quickly get used to the sight and
smell of blood. I can’t recollect how many times we were at a function
when elegantly dressed Adenike would get up and ask me to check the back
of her dress looking for a stain. We became very adapt at this.
Learning to be discret and not letting on that there was a problem.
The effect of spontaneous regular bleeding on the love live of a
couple, means that you seize your opportunity when and if she is dry.
Your ability to keep up with your social diary, weddings, dinners trips
is uncertain hence, some see the couple as anti-social but you cannot
explain your condition to everybody.
As a Medical Doctor, I quickly became an “in-house consultant” to
Adenike. For pain relief, coping with anaemic periods etc. I was
constantly on call for Adenike” case. Seven (7) years ago, in London, we
didn’t know that Adenike’s haemoglobin was under 6gm/100ml until she
fell and collapsed down the staircase of Mayfair restaurant.
Her gynecologist of 20 years ordered an immediate transfusion so that
he could operate and stop the hemorrhage. I was in a position to advice
against the transfusion and by intravenous iron and foliates we got her
haemoglobin back up to 11.5g/100ml in 6 weeks.
Such was the import of the anaemia, that Adenike at our apartment had
to crawl on all 4 (legs and hands) to the bathroom, daily as she was
afraid she would fall. You can imagine what that period did to our
commercial and social life.
To get any succour from the painful and hemorrhagic episodes for a
period of 3-6 months the victim must have painful implants of
progesterone, this has massive long-term side effects.
So, being married to Adenike, who is a victim has another domestic
dimension, you find your wife is mostly comfortably curled up in bed,
often with a hot-water bottle and watching TV. So even when guests come
visiting, it’s difficult to explain why she will not come out to act the
hostess. Indeed, a favourite surprise present for your wife is to buy
her special designer wool-covered water-bottles from Malo. She valued it
more than jewellery.
As a male therefore, you are assured your wife can’t get up to no
good. As bleeding PV is unpredictable. I do not believe the condition is
inheritable, we pray for better diagnoses and to keep the girl victim
out of her misery earlier in life as well as a programme for parental
education. I am sure there will be better medication and surgical
processes as medical awareness progresses among professionals and the
public.
I could live again with a victim of endometriosis, as it does bring
the couple very close together and the condition is self-limiting by
menopause, it is not transmittable and is mostly non-fatal”, Dr. Soleye
concluded.
Culled from City People