When Daniel Ngugi was diagnosed with diabetes back in 2017, medical officers advised him to avoid taking alcohol and strictly take prescribed drugs without fail.
Ngugi, 45, narrates how he overlooked the instructions and continued to take alcohol saying sometimes he could not take drugs as instructed.
In August 2023, while preparing his farm for planting, Ngugi reflects, he got a slight injury on his right leg.
“I was in the farm ploughing when a stick pierced my right foot. I took it as nothing serious and went for basic medication in a nearby health centre,” he recalls.
As it is advisable, a diabetic patient should get proper treatment immediately he is injured but Ngugi did not adhere to treatment or take medication faithfully.
He told KNA that he was a heavy drinker which made him forget to take medication as advised by doctors adding that after he got injured, he did not seek appropriate medical care.
“A month after I got injured, the wound widened and became worse and extremely painful. That’s when I decided to visit the hospital for proper treatment. Upon examination, the doctor explained that the infection had spread widely since I did not get proper treatment immediately after sustaining the injury with the medic advising the only solution was to amputate the leg,” explains the father of three who hails from Maganjo area in Murang’a south Sub county.
Ngugi continued, “I blame myself because I snubbed doctors’ precautions and went ahead with my drinking habits which I believe resulted in this condition.”
The casual worker laments life changed after his leg was amputated saying he started depending on his wife and members of the community for support.
“The incident disrupted my life. I could not do menial work to earn a living but I’m grateful since my family embraced me despite my condition,” he narrates.
However all hope is not lost for Ngugi as he believes life holds much more for him and his family in the future.
“If I got a chance to get an artificial leg, I would go back to my normal life and help my wife in providing for our children. It breaks my heart to see her struggle so much to put food on the table,” he remarked.
His wife Lucy Wanjiru, said the news that her husband would be amputated shocked the whole family.
“The news was quite devastating but we had to adjust. I vowed to stand by him and love him unconditionally as that would probably put some hope in him to keep fighting and forge on with life. It’s not easy because we were used to working together and now comes a situation that has left me as the breadwinner and especially cater for my children’s education needs yet I am just a small scale farmer,” laments Wanjiru.
According to Clinical Pediatrician Grace Wachira, people can prevent contracting diabetes by eating the right food and doing exercise.
Wachira notes increased cases of diabetes type 2 was due to poor eating habits where many people opted for junk foods and avoided doing exercise regularly.
She explains diabetic patients are prone to amputation of legs, hands or toes due to poor observation of medical instructions.
“If you’re diagnosed with diabetes, for the type 2, take your drugs faithfully and for the type 1, take in your insulin and still don’t forget to eat healthy and exercise as well. However, if the sugars are not managed properly, it may lead to complications such as amputation, sight loss, kidney failure among others,” added Wachira.
She continued, “To avoid amputation, in case of a wound, administer a foot care routine. Avoid walking barefoot, clean and dry the foot properly. In case the wound worsens, seek proper medical attention to avoid long term complications. A diabetic patient should avoid alcohol and smoking as they hinder the medication administered from functioning.”
By Bernard Munyao and Beatrice Muchoki
