Life has not been the same for a 70-year-old lady, Mrs Tari Bannerman, who has been battling severe knee joint osteoarthritis for over 15 years.
She said the pain around her knees started about 20 years ago, but she discarded it as regular knee pain, taking some pain killers to calm it.
She told our correspondent, “The painkillers worked for a while. I kept changing from one brand of medication to another until none of the brands worked again. At a point, it became unbearable for me to bear.’’
Bannerman said she cried herself to sleep at night and woke up still crying because of the excruciating pain which defied medication.
She said she visited many hospitals where she was told that the only solution was for a knee cap surgery on the two knees which would cost between N2.7m to N2.8m.
“I am now in a wheelchair. I have been wheelchair-bound for over six months now because my legs could no longer carry me. When one is not mobile, you can imagine how bad the situation can be. The more I stay at home, the more it gets worse. I cannot move out to search for jobs. The legs have got even weaker and I am in a wheelchair right now,” she added.
Recounting what life was like before the condition, Bannerman said, “I had a restaurant after my work failed but I couldn’t continue because I could no longer fund it. The salespersons I employed to help me manage it put the proceeds in their pockets. Before this time, I worked as a journalist between 1978 to 1979 before I moved to Bonny Island, Rivers State to work as a sub-contractor under the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas; a position I left over 10 years ago.
“One or two of my family people support me charitably and that is all I am managing. It has not been easy for me at all.
“When I visited the April Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where an x-ray was done on me, they told me that the only solution was a knee cap surgery, not painkillers or massage. That was where I had one of the X-rays. I also went to BMH, Port Harcourt, where they prescribed some medicine for me to take when I do the surgery.
“I live in a one-room apartment alone. My daughter is married and in Port Harcourt. She employed a maid for me but the maid left because of her act.’’
Bannerman said she had also sought religious interventions with various churches, stating that she was hoping on God for a miracle.
A report made available to Sunday Punch, signed by the April Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, showed that she had severe narrowing of both compartments of the tibiofemoral and needs urgent knee surgery.
The medical report titled, “Bannerman: Both Knee Joints”, stated that, “There is mal-alignment of the knee joints. Severe narrowing of both compartments of the tibiofemoral as well as the patellofemoral joint spaces are noted. Extensive periarticular sclerosis is also noted. No lytic changes were seen. No fracture or dislocation is seen. Soft tissue planes are within normal limits Conclusion: Severe Knee joints osteoarthritis.”
Monetary donations can be sent to Bannerman through account number: 2006716161, with account name: Toru investment Ltd, domiciled at First Bank.
