A Ghanaian nurse identified as Hanan-Confidence Abdul has shared a rather sad story on social media about an unnamed elderly woman who lost her life after partaking in the month-long Ramadan.
Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon, according to numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths.
From what we know, certain group of people are exempted from this holy ritual; they are- the insane, children who are not adolescent yet, the elderly and chronically ill for whom fasting is unreasonably strenuous; such persons are required to feed at least one poor person every day in Ramadan for which he or she has missed fasting, pregnant women and nursing may postpone the fasting at a later time and the ill and the travellers can also defer their fasting.
From the narrative as shared by the nurse who has amassed a fairly large following on Facebook owing to his good command over the English language and some useful opinion he shares on topical issues making rounds in the country, the deceased probably refused to listen to those who advised her against fasting, culminating in her untimely death.
Here’s what he wrote;
She was rushed into the OPD’s triage corner at about 1.30 pm. The triage corner attends readily to patients in critical conditions in an effort to stabilize them before admitting them to the main ward. She was conscious. She could talk. She spoke to me. Her chief complain was severe abdominal pain. A preliminary diagnosis was made when additional history was elicited from the relatives. She was fasting and she took fufu for pre-dawn meal (suhoor). So, indigestion, gas or GERD could be the reason for the colicky pain and burning sensation she had complained about.
The patient was unaware if she had peptic ulcer disease (PUD), hypertension or diabetes. She was aged and the aforementioned trio could remotely if not directly contribute to her condition.
A prescriber saw her and said this is no problem. An antacid (stomachaine) with either buscopan or omeprazole would reduce her pains. The drugs were ordered and 5% intravenous glucose was set up whiles waiting for it. She told me to give her medicine to “drink” and I assured her that she will have it in a jiffy. The order came and the meds were served immediately with the assistance from the relatives.
After serving the meds, her bed was slightly propped up and made comfortable. I inform the relative that in about an hour, she would be fine and may not even need hospitalisation. I handed the patient over and left. I return to work to meet a friend only to be told the patient has passed on. That was like in a matter of 2 or less hours.
When I told the patient passed, I was shocked. But what happened? She was gasping for air and that’s it. I was in disbelief. I nursed the patient and she didn’t show even one observable red flag of respiratory distress. And none of the meds served put burden on the heart. So, I was imagining how it happened. The old lady can’t die because of simple abdominal pain.
I picked her folder and went through it. Her RBS was checked upon continuity of care and it was 21 mmol/L. Okay, 21 for someone who has just taken 1 L of glucose directly into the veins is not a bad figure. There are diabetics with values above 21 and they don’t drop dead (just like that). I felt bit relieved that I “didn’t” contribute to killing this patient. Guilt feeling after a patient dies is a common feeling to nurses. Again, a systolic BP of 100 mmHg was a good value to begin to start with a patient who was not leaking or losing fluids.
I phoned the prescriber with whom I managed the patient and informed him that our “abdominal pain” patient is dead. This was his words, “Oh how? That is not possible!” He was just utterly speechless as I am when I was apprised.
I know you will say that the woman was destined to die or it is not the fasting that killed her. But what I know is that fasting is complicit in the woman’s death. This was a woman who had no single strand of black hair in her head trying to do what energetic young men and women are not finding easy to do. Look, HUNGER IS A SERIOUS DISEASE. Last year fasting, I went to work and when my morning shift ended at 2 pm, I couldn’t go home. I knew I couldn’t make it home alive if I dare. I’d to wait till I broke my fast in the evening.
Aged people are gaining notoriety and stubbornness when it comes to fasting. I know every house has that aged person who defies all cries, pleas and persuasions not to fast. You can’t blame them. They are suitable candidates of hereafter and they want heaven. If you have an aged person, give him or her enough money to do the statutory zakkat in lieu of the fasting. That is a good starting point. When you’re aging, it is not only your skin that ages, all other systems in the body age. And we all will agree that it is not wise to burden a friction-prone old rickety car with rusty engine. It will break abruptly. Let’s find a way to make old folks know that there are other ways one can be part of the Ramadan blessings whiles sitting on the bench. There are just one too many weak aged people forcing to fast.
Even if you’re not old but you’re not fit enough to fast, please don’t punish yourself. If you’re recovering from illness, take your time too and recover properly. If you’ve sickle cell disease, I beg you in the name of Satan, don’t say you will try. If you’ve stomach ulcer, please don’t take overdose of whatever to help you fast. It might take just one simple severe abdominal pain and you’re gone. If you’re diabetic and you’re on more than one sugar-militating drugs, don’t fast. If you’re on insulin, then don’t even attempt commiting suicide in the name of God. If you fast and you’re having a really bad stomach upset and throbbing migraine, don’t deceive yourself with words like “perseverance and fortitude”, please break, rest and continue later. If you fast and see goats like elephants or you see everything “two two”, please do the needful.
Allah is all merciful and loving. He knows what is in our heart more than we do. Let’s not follow society and what people will say about us when we are not fasting. For someone to die whiles fasting portrays God as being wicked. And such portrayal is a misrepresentation God certainly can’t be pleased with.
Remember health is wealth. Health is better than riches. Let’s not destroy our health or destroy what is left of it simply because you’re trying to impress God with your Ramadan disabilities and inadequacies.
I repeat, you need to be healthy first to be able to frequently connect at a deeper level with your Maker.
Please share because I don’t want to witness another fasting complicit death throughout this Ramadan again.
Source: www.Ghgossip.com