SIBLINGS-IN-LAW:LOVE & CONSEQUENCES

TWENTY-FIVE

NTOMBENHLE MAYIZA

We are at the hospital consulting with Doctor Christine Frauendorf, she is a doctor from Germany and she is highly recommended but, does not come cheap. She will be the one who will be doctoring Lindokuhle's health.

I am seated next to Luyolo with Lindokuhle sitting on his lap, not forgetting Yoniswa (rolling my eyes), of course she is here since it is her son's first consultation. If it wasn't for Luyolo, I would be out of this room, I can't stand her. Okay, let me focus on what we are here for I am sure just a few more minutes with her won't be that bad, would it?

"Sorry to keep you waiting, good morning." Doctor Frauendorf walks in and settles in her office chair. We greet her back. She fixes her spectacles and turn her focus on us. "I have gotten a report about the patient, Lindokuhle Mayiza, and I can see that he hasn't started with the treatment."
"Yes doc, we wanted to get him the best doctor." Luyolo breathes, she nods.
"And how has he been so far?" the doctor asks.
"He often gets nausea, and just yesterday he vomited but, my wife knew how to calm the situation since she is a pediatrician." She smiles.
"Very well. Stomach cancer also known as Gastric cancer can have no symptoms but, people may experience abdominal fullness, difficulty of swallowing, nausea and vomiting as you mentioned and even loss of appetite. These signs are not seen in an earlier stage but,..."
"If the signs are not seen in early stages could this mean that, the cancer has spread even further?" Yoniswa breathes nervously. The doctor takes off her glasses.
"I am going to run my own tests and in the meantime we can start with the chemotherapy. We will have him on F-5, the Fluorouracil, which are often given along with leucovorin also known as folinic acid."
"Doctor I have no clue about anything that you've just altered. I just want to know if you can help my son or not. We are talking about cancer here and as we are sitting and blabbering, it multiplies." He semi-shouts and Yoniswa's hand lands on my husband's thigh, the nerve of that woman! Oh my word did she just squeeze his thigh? I think I need to...

"Baby, are you okay." He sounds panicking. "Water please!" I fan myself with my hand and my breathing escalates and I feel my temple sweating, I don't know what is happening with my body.
"Put her on the bed, I will examine her." Luyolo puts the Lindokuhle on Yoniswa's lap before he carries me the bed across the room.
"Baby, stay with me." I nod. The doctor comes with a glass of water and helps me drink it.
"How are you feeling?" The doctor asks.
"Actually doc, that's another reason why we are here. My wife has been getting fever, nausea and..."
"Oh come on now. My baby needs more attention than here. Can we get to what we came here for in the first place?" Yoniswa sounds bored, but I have no energy for her. I squeeze Luyolo's hand for assurance because, his son needs him more than I. He plants a forehead kiss (my favourite) then he makes his way back following the doctor.

"As I was saying, after I get the tests which will be as soon as in Monday, I will immediately have your son in radiotherapy, especially when combined with the chemo drugs that I mentioned before, the F-5." The doctor explains.
"Uhm, how is that going to help with the spread?" Yoniswa asks.
"Well, it may help with delaying or prevention on cancer recurrence after surgery and may help your son live longer." She pauses before she continues further. "Radiotherapy also helps on easing up the symptoms such as eating disorderly and pains."
"You mentioned..." He breathes. This is hard for my husband and I am not there to hold his hand. "surgery." He sounds broken.
"Yes, unfortunately I will have to perform a partial gastrectomy: This procedure removes a certain part in the stomach ensure that the cancer is gone." The doctor effortlessly says.
"Oh God." The dramatic Yoniswa. She lays her head on my husband's shoulder and like I said, I have no energy for her. I lay facing up and close my eyes as the doctor continues explaining further.
After all that, the doctor was now attending to me. Yoniswa and Lindokuhle went out giving us some air.

"How are you feeling now Mrs Mayiza?" I breathe.
"Much better." That's all I could say.
"Right. I am going to need your urine, so take this container with you to the ladies and pee in it and bring it to me when done." I did as the doctor instructed, I washed my hands and headed back to the doctor's office. She took the container and dipped two sticks in it and put them on a tissue paper. I already know what the sticks are for and I am not sure how I feel about that. Luyolo takes my hand into his and kiss my knuckles, I give him a weak smile.

"As we are waiting for the results, I would like to check you blood pressure and also want to take a portion of your blood to run tests." Ugh, that means she'll put a needle on me, I hate injections.
"Okay." She checks my blood pressure and jots it down and also injected out blood from my veins and I can't seem to stop bleeding. The cotton gets wet second by second. She plastered on a plaster where the blood comes out.

"Your blood pressure is not impressive, it is higher than normal. Try to be most calm or do exercises or anything that can calm you should there be difficult situations that can put your health at risk." What exactly is this woman saying?
"Doctor is there anything wrong with my wife?" I think Luyolo is also confused.
"Not at all." She smiles. "Congratulations, you are pregnant."
"What?" I ask in a very low voice.
"Wait, I am going to be a father again?" He sounds excited. The doctor nods. "Did you hear that honey we are pregnant." He stands up from his chair and holds his hands to his mouth. The exuberant on his face is so amazing to watch.

Luyolo and I have been making love without using condoms from the very first day and also I am not on contraceptives. Now I am pregnant and I don't think that I am happy, nor sad I don't know how I feel, it's overwhelming. I just want to cry. A baby was not part of the plan well, at least not now. Everything is happening so fast and...

"Khanyisile, I've been calling you haow." I got lost in my own thoughts.
"Y-yes, you were saying?"
"I am going to keep you in, just for a few hours. I need to monitor you blood pressure because, it might disorientate your body and you will faint. I will call the nurse to prepare a ward for you, did you have breakfast?" I nod. "Okay I am going to sedate you and you are going to fall into a deep sleep. You need a bed rest." I sigh.
"And when can she come back home?" She looks at the time on her wrist watch.
"12:30 in the afternoon."

I was taken to my ward and of course I got sedated. Luyolo was sitting on the chair next to my bed waiting for me to fall asleep. He requested an Uber for Yoniswa and Lindokuhle to go home as he will be heading straight to the office from here. He is gently brushing my hand.
"Baby." He turns his gaze on me. "Can we keep it between us, just until I finish the first trimester."
"Whatever you want my love." He kisses my hand. I slowly drift into a sleep.