Humanist

ON FIBROIDS, I comment as one who had to go through surgery to remove a fibroid and who suffered the devastating effects of being afflicted with one that colonized my uterus for years.

Under the fabulous care of Dr. David Ndawula, a Ugandan medical doctor specialized as a GP – General Practitioner.

Thereafter, the surgical teams in Edinburgh who did an amazing job of the keyhole surgery. Incidentally the lead surgeon was of Pakistan origin.

I am in good health decades later.

Yes, I saved up and with support of friends, I was able to avoid doing the surgery in Uganda for fear I would end up in the care of those false and judgmental quack doctors.

I literally was running away from them for my good mental health.

Absolutely none of my good doctors in Uganda and Scotland and their medical teams made a joke or jokes about women causing themselves to get fibroids by making a choice not to bear children.

And I am grateful to them for their professional care, based on science.

“The cause of leiomyomas (correct scientific term for uterine fibroids) is not clearly known, but studies have shown evidence of factors that drive the development or exacerbation of the disease. Evidence has linked risk factors such as lifestyle, age, environment, family history of uterine fibroids, and vitamin D deficiencies to an increased risk of uterine fibroids, which impact women of African descent at higher rates.” Be enlightened, read more in “Uterine fibroids – cause, impact, treatment, and lens to the African perspective.”

My commentary was provoked by a praise post of a doctor who published on his X TL as follows:

“Girls today: “I want to first be an independent financially stable woman before I get any kids.” Meanwhile fibroids looking at you like … “; which he accompanied with a photo of him which a lustful expression.

Such “unconventional doctors” are sadly one too many in Uganda, terrorizing the sick with their ‘quack doctor’ advice not based on science. That joke has the potential to embolden their malpractice.

I think that it is in bad taste for a medical professional to make jokes in a certain way about illnesses and make people feel bad that it is their fault they are ill, when it isn’t necessarily true.

And, moreover, on the basis of quack theories not based on science.