04/03/2026
SHE SAID IT WAS STRESS.
HER KIDNEYS SAID IT WAS NEGLECT.
Mama ada’s Story: “It’s Just Stress”ma
Mama Ada owns a small shop in Iyanoba.
By day, she sells household items.
By evening, she manages daily contributions for people in the area.
She is hardworking. Always on her feet. Always busy.
Because of the harsh weather, she drinks plenty of chilled beverages to cool her body. She avoids drinking enough water because she doesn’t like using public toilets.
Headache? She buys painkillers over the counter.
Waist pain? Painkillers.
General body pain? Painkillers.
For months, she noticed constipation.
Her feet would swell in the evening.
Her slippers started feeling tight.
“It’s just stress,” she kept saying.
Valentine’s Day came. She and her husband celebrated with plenty of spicy isiewu, salty meat, and chilled alcoholic drinks.
Two days later, her feet refused to go down.
The swelling became worse.
Her body felt heavy.
She was weak.
Fear replaced confidence.
At the hospital, tests were done. Blood tests. Urine tests. Blood pressure checks.
The result changed everything.
Mama Ada’s kidneys were no longer functioning properly.
Years of dehydration.
Frequent use of painkillers.
Too much salt.
Sugary drinks.
Ignoring early warning signs.
Her body had been speaking.
Constipation.
Swollen feet.
Fatigue.
But she called it stress.
Now she faces strict diets, medications, and regular hospital visits. The word “dialysis” was mentioned if things do not improve.
The woman who avoided water because of public toilets now measures every drop she drinks.
The painkiller that gave quick relief almost cost her kidneys.
Sometimes what we call “normal stress” is actually organ damage waiting for attention.
Your body whispers before it screams.
Please listen while it is still whispering.
Heavenly Gold TV Nkiruka Angel Ntiajuokwu
