Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana revealed that he had to undergo surgery and the complications doctors faced while removing a mass from his neck.
In a detailed piece on his Facebook account, Prof Kibwana explained that he had experienced pain in the chest, kidney region, arm and legs and over time he had numbness in the right side of his body.
After visiting the Dr and a number of tests conducted in Nairobi, Makueni and South Africa, doctors recommended that the county boss undergoes surgery to remove the mass found on his neck.
"I began to experience persistent headaches and generalized malaise. Scaling the stairs to my office became strenuous. I discussed these symptoms with my spouse and doctor brother. Finally, I was prevailed upon to seek medical attention. We approached the most senior physician in Makueni County Referral Hospital," the governor said.
"On the second visit, Dr Somba dropped the bombshell. He revealed that I had a growth at the tail of my neck and the beginning of the chest. In technical language, the growth was between the 7th vertebra of the neck and the 1st of the chest (C7-T1)."
According to Prof Kibwana, the diagnosis shocked him and his immediate fear was whether the growth was cancerous but the doctor explained that such growths were normal.
"At this stage, I requested that my spouse Nazi and all actors previously involved holding a consultative meeting. During this subsequent conference in Dr. Somba’s office, a consensus was built that the growth had to be removed through surgery. If allowed to grow, it could with time burst and cause internal bleeding with dire consequences, such as a stroke or paralysis due to the depressed spinal cord. We agreed the operation could be done in Kenya or abroad. I was advised the operation would be delicate because to reach the growth, part of the vertebra would have to be “excised”," he said.
"On the 15th at about 3 p.m., I was wheeled to theatre. My family had been with me the whole day. I remember the anaesthetist Dr Esther N. Munyoro promising she would send me to sleep and wake me up. Before long, I was gone. Later I learned that upon opening my upper back, the neuro-surgeon found the growth presented more complex than anticipated. The ball of blood vessels needed more time to untangle. An operation for three to four hours extended to six and a half hours. The doctor, however, was satisfied that he had done a “clean” job."
The governor thanked the medical team that had attended to him adding that the country needs the greatest medical infrastructure to sustain Kenyans who can not afford to go abroad to seek treatment.
Additionally, Governor Kibwana noted that leaders need to be open with their electorate on the various medical conditions they are diagnosed with for purposes of encouraging those going through illnesses and encourage the public to seek treatment locally where it's more affordable.
"Through my medical insurance and NHIF, I was able to access first class medical services. Had I gone abroad, the cost would probably have been five or more times higher. As one of our country’s leaders, I believe that ultimately we should share with our citizenry details of our medical conditions. After histology, the growth was found to be a non-cancerous spinal haemangioblastoma, and not the initially suspected meningioma or ArterioVenous Malformation (AVM). I thank my God," he continued.
