Ufuoma McDermott Opens Up On The Cause Of Her Kidney Disease
Nigerian star actress, Ufuoma McDermott has opened up about her battle with kidney disease, which stems from years of unknowingly abusing painkillers.
During an emotional interview with media personality, Chude Jideownwo, the mother of two recounted her experience with kidney disease over the last 12 years.
She also expressed her longing for other people to prioritise their health, drawing from her experience and that of her brother, who was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease.
According to the movie producer, her kidney disease was linked to her prolonged use of strong painkillers for migraines, headaches and eye aches.
She said she took medication to alleviate pain quickly, unaware of the detrimental effects.
She said to Chude,
“I really wish everyone would understand how important health is. My brother was diagnosed late on stage four and he had to go straight into dialysis and had complications. I was diagnosed a lot earlier so I’ve lived on medication for almost 12 years now.”
Ufuoma explained further,
“When my brother passed away I ran to my cardiologist. I was scared and my parents were scared, is this genetic? We had to trace the kidney disease and we learned it was from drug abuse.
“I’d always grown up with migraines, headaches and eye aches, and I never wore my glasses because they made me look like a geek. I wouldn’t wear them and then I’d take painkillers for my migraine. I never took ordinary painkillers, I took strong painkillers because I wanted the pain to go away. At a point, I had painkillers in my wallet and I could give people.”
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McDermott learnt that her condition was not genetic but simply a side effect of long term painkiller abuse.
“The doctor told me I was exposed to certain behaviours and my brother was exposed to the same thing, doesn’t mean it’s genetics. I didn’t know I was abusing drugs and I was first I was diagnosed with high blood pressure was at 26, and I didn’t even know what that was.”