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MY CHALK ALLERGY SAGA

 Prior to my work in the public school sector, I had always worked in private schools where I didn't have to use the chalkboard to teach at all so never really came in contact with the use of chalk over an extended period of time.

When I started having initial symptoms I thought I was just having the flu, I would come down with a sour throat and then it would develop into a full-blown cough after which I start to lose my voice gradually until my voice disintegrates into a whisper.

What really made it worse was the fact that most of the time, when I take medications for cough and sour throat, it doesn't work, there was this time I coughed for weeks as I tried different medications all to no avail.

I decided to go to the hospital for a proper examination, when I got there, I was told that I was allergic to the chalk dust I was inhaling every day and that I need to find a way to have less and less contact with the cause of my allergy.

I can remember spending around N30,000 to pay for the injection I was given, for one I never ever imagined that I would get an injection for just a cough, though I had been coughing for several weeks and taken several cough medications that didn't work.

Agnes Onyekwere before and after the whiteboard

The medication worked like magic, my almost four weeks cough was gone within two days of taking that injection. It was crazy, but yeah, that was what happened.

After a few months, I came down with the exact same symptom, this time, I told myself that I wasn't going to any hospital to pay heavily to have some people poke me with needles, I told myself I was going to find a way to not pay that N30,000 again. I was stubborn for weeks, and I continued to cough for some more weeks, this time, it was really bad and I started losing my voice, then it started affecting my class as my students were now having a hard time hearing what I was saying.

Long story short, I went to the hospital, and this time I was told to not use my voice for a few days, "but wait, you know I have to teach right? How I'm I suppose to do my job?" I really cannot believe I asked the doctor that, lol. He looked at me and explained how bad it could get and why I need to find a way not to use my voice as instructed.

I spent time thinking hard, I needed to be in class and do my job but how do I get it done without my voice? So the next day, I came in with a nose mask that helped keep the chalk dust away and I had flashcards with phrases that make me shout or yell "do you understand", "keep quiet", "I need you to stop writing" -I had them on a piece of paper and then I decided to whisper my way through my class, that day I came in really early and adjusted the seats closer to me so that they would hear me even when I whisper, it was a weird day for my kids but they enjoyed that style of things, in fact, to them, it was fun, though for me it wasn't.

After a full day of not using my voice, I was better the next day and since I had already taken my injection from the hospital, I was almost back to being my usual self, at this point I was very serious about not going through this again.

As the new term resumed, I bought a whiteboard and markers, unfortunately, the one I bought didn't completely fit, so I went online and wrote a post about what I have been going through and why I need I another whiteboard to complete my task of making my class completely chalk less, fortunately, I got Agape Life Project to step in and pay for it.

So this is like six months into using just the whiteboard and I haven't had any need to cough, or lose my voice or pay for that injection, it feels really good besides the cough and all, but find it easier to use, imagine having to not deal with white substances flying and landing on you when you wipe the board, and how you have to wash your hands clean every single time you use it. 

Comments

  1. Mr. E9 March 2023 at 01:53

    Truly inspiring, you pushed beyond your allergy to do your job. Well done Agnes.

    ReplyDelete

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