I usually buy my beans from a few regular vendors, but of recent, I have bought a batch through a co-worker.

After eating them for several days, I fell I'll at work, and nearly passed out.

My blood pressure turned out to be 162/105.

I was immediately marched to the ward, and put to bed for five days.

I had never taken any medication in twenty-five years, and insisted that I needed none, despite testing positive for Malaria.

I was checked out in good health- but days later, had another attack- more severe this time.

About 10pm, I felt an acute thirst and though I drank three Pure Water Satchets (1.5 litres,) I was still thirsty! I took a spoonful of BAKING POWDER in a litre of water, with a couple of cubes of Sugar, in the hopes of neutralizing whatever poison this was.

It didn't work.

I called up our Clinical Pathology Specialist, and described my symptoms: "DRINK WATER!" he advised.

"I have!" I replied.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked seriously.

"Call an ambulance!" I said. "I need an ambulance."

It was after curfew, and that would be the only way I could possibly get to the Health Centre.

A Security vehicle arrived shortly, and, collecting me from my landlord, whom I has gotten up to help me, rushed me through the Campus to the Health Centre.

My boss sternly told me, that whatever drug they prescribed for me, I must take it.

I meekly agreed.

However, at that time, I was not given any medication, and my Blood Pressure came down on its own. I was put on a standard Hypertensive Drug regimen

I was fine, after some days, and allowed to go home. I ate a hearty meal of beans, reheated them the next day, and ate more.

I had another horrible attack- heat rose up through my chest to my head, as though I had taken a "Hot" Alcoholic drink. (Which I usually refrain from.) Acute thirst- and then I realized I had an ALUM taste in my mouth.

I was able to get back to the Campus by myself, and check myself in. I looked up the symptoms online, and concluded I must be suffering from ALUM POISONING.

My theory did not greatly impress the Doctors, however.

After weeks of WATER THERAPY- 1.5 litres of fresh water first thing every morning- I began to suspect something else might be involved.

I had bought another batch of beans, ate them, and was fine. I did not throw out the previous batch. I thought it paranoid to think that maybe someone had sold me poisoned beans- what for?

So, just to be sure, I thoroughly washed up a couple of cups of the old beans. They looked normal- a mixture of dark red and light red beans. They smelled normal. No oils came off when I soaked them.

Why should they be poisioned?

I cooked and ate- and promptly had another High Blood Pressure/Acute Thirst Attack.

The beans had to be the culprit!

Okay... but HOW?

I decides to try a little experiment I had not tried in decades...

I soaked a couple of cups of beans for a day, examined them to see which proportion germinated!

The first time, I suspected that I had soaked the beans for too long. I therefore soaked them for some twelve hours or so, then poured the water away, leaving the beans to rest for two days more.

I took a few pictures of the result.

Na WA o

Kenshinmunac:
Na WA o

Indeed. But have you tried this experiment yourself?

Those beans may be poisoned or contaminated with fertilizers or some preservation chemicals. They could do immense damage to one's kidneys, little wonder your blood pressure rose up.

I think you should do away with such beans and morealso complain to the person the beans was bought from, to avoid a chain reaction of food poisoning.

SHALOM!

PRISTINEMUSCLES:
Those beans may be poisoned or contaminated with fertilizers or some preservation chemicals. They could do immense damage to one's kidneys, little wonder your blood pressure rose up.

One would have thought that the Ministry of Health should have put out a BE-ON-THE-LOOKOUT Alert on this problem.

When American Mercury-Poisoned Corn- to deter pests- was distributed in MEXICO some decades back, the people were not warned in language they could understand, not to use them for food. The hospitals were crammed with people who could not read the English warnings.

I think you should do away with such beans and morealso complain to the person the beans was bought from, to avoid a chain reaction of food poisoning.

I have made sure to do that.

But I don't know whether she will do anything.

But I am annoyed that this possible cause for my condition was not explored.

These Soya Beans were soaked for two days, then most of the water poured away, then the beans covered and left.

This is the fourth day, and you can see what percentage of them have germinated: namely, ZERO!

This is what we have been served up to eat in our markets, restaurants, and by our street vendors?

What I find unbelievable, is that, thus far, only two persons have seen fit to comment on this experiment- despite over 100 views!

Don't you think that it is your business to be concerned?

I am begining to think of some genetically modified foods here. GMOs can be quite lethal to our health. No thanks to the high cancer rates in nigeria.

Nairaland, like i said before has more immatured minds compared to matured minds, they are simply trying to push traffic to their site via non-cerebral topics. Rarely do you find front-page topics worthy of looking at, how much more reading them.

Are you in the medical field.

OMG....
I Was Sick For 2 Days And Almost Died, Always Almost Passed Out Every Now And Them.
I Never Thought It Could Be Beans, After Reading Your Post, I Remember Eating A Lot Of This Beans Same Day I Fell Sick.
I Am Not Even Used To This Type Of Bean, Doesn't Look Like The White Black Eye Beans That I Used To Eat. When I Was A Kid I Do Not Eat Beans At All, I Am Out Growing It, Especially Now That Ilive With Some That Love Beans.
I Wish I Could Do The Test Too To Be Sure, But The Beans Is Gone.

PRISTINEMUSCLES:
I am begining to think of some genetically modified foods here. GMOs can be quite lethal to our health. No thanks to the high cancer rates in nigeria.

Nairaland, like i said before has more immatured minds compared to matured minds, they are simply trying to push traffic to their site via non-cerebral topics. Rarely do you find front-page topics worthy of looking at, how much more reading them.

Are you in the medical field.

I am a Pathology Laboratory Assistant.

We run tests to confirm or refute the Doctors' diagnoses.

There are many tests that are simply not done, because either the equipment or the chemical reagents do not exist in our country.

Therefore, you have institutions that call themselves "Laboratories" all over the country, whereas their counterparts outside Black Africa would laugh and laugh, if they were told what goes on in them.

This does not have to be. We can build our own laboratories, and make them every bit as professional as those in "First World" countries.

But that is just not what our people want- until it is them lying on the gurney, and the Doctor is putting his "Game Face" on.

CDCEO001:
OMG....
I Was Sick For 2 Days And Almost Died, Always Almost Passed Out Every Now And Them.
I Never Thought It Could Be Beans, After Reading Your Post, I Remember Eating A Lot Of This Beans Same Day I Fell Sick.
I Am Not Even Used To This Type Of Bean, Doesn't Look Like The White Black Eye Beans That I Used To Eat. When I Was A Kid I Do Not Eat Beans At All, I Am Out Growing It, Especially Now That Ilive With Some That Love Beans.
I Wish I Could Do The Test Too To Be Sure, But The Beans Is Gone.

You are exactly the sort of person I was hoping to reach!

I am sorry that my warning reached you too late to prevent your illness- assuming that beans were responsible.

I ate "red" Cowpea "Beans," but it follows that the same Chemicals will have been used to try to preserve White Cowpea "Beans."

My point in writing this post is to instruct people to ALWAYS TEST THEIR BEANS (AND OTHER WHOLE SEEDS) BEFORE EATING THEM.

This test is as simple as it gets.

If you soak your beans, maize, guinea-corn, groundnuts, or whatever, and they do not germinate, DON'T EAT THEM!

There is no way we should try to do without Beans. They are one of the greatest sources of Protein- which our bodies need.

But we should make sure that our beans are fit for consumption.

Even feeding them to our livestock could pose a threat to us, even though they may seem to have no effect on the livestock.

The worst part of this to me, is that NOBODY SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT WAS USED ON THESE BEANS.

That is just not good enough!

oaroloye:


I am a Pathology Laboratory Assistant.

We run tests to confirm or refute the Doctors' diagnoses.

There are many tests that are simply not done, because either the equipment or the chemical reagents do not exist in our country.

Therefore, you have institutions that call themselves "Laboratories" all over the country, whereas their counterparts outside Black Africa would laugh and laugh, if they were told what goes on in them.

This does not have to be. We can build our own laboratories, and make them every bit as professional as those in "First World" countries.

But that is just not what our people want- until it is them lying on the gurney, and the Doctor is putting his "Game Face" on.

Please sir, I would like to ask some questions:

What do you mean by the phrase "pathology laboratory assistant". What's your qualification and which school gave you such?

And

What are these exact tests that are not done in Nigeria

nelszx:


Please sir, I would like to ask some questions:

What do you mean by the phrase "pathology laboratory assistant". What's your qualification and which school gave you such?

And

What are these exact tests that are not done in Nigeria

My Academic Qualification is GCE ORDINARY LEVEL.

As a Laboratory Assistant, it is my job to prepare equipment and chemicals for use by the Specialists, and to run some of the minor tests for them.

I have been doing this job for 35 years.

oaroloye:


My Academic Qualification is GCE ORDINARY LEVEL.

As a Laboratory Assistant, it is my job to prepare equipment and chemicals for use by the Specialists, and to run some of the minor tests for them.

I have been doing this job for 35 years.

Did you attend any college of health technology with this your GCE ordinary level as an assistant?

BTW I'm a Medical Laboratory Scientist. Just wanted to know

nelszx:


Did you attend any college of health technology with this your GCE ordinary level as an assistant?

BTW I'm a Medical Laboratory Scientist. Just wanted to know

No. I learned on-the-job.

The Boss said: "DO THIS!" and it I didn't know how to do that, he would direct me to the manual (A MEDICAL LABORATORY FOR THE TROPICS, by Maurice King- as excellent a book on the topic as you could find,) or else he would show me what to do.

Your sincerity and intelligence amazed me sir, unlike many men who lie about and falsify their actual living, even with your 35years of experience, you didn't dare to call yourself the Chief MedLab Scientist. You are a very good man.

Thanks for this important information.

I wish you the best at your work and home.

nelszx:


Please sir, I would like to ask some questions:

What do you mean by the phrase "pathology laboratory assistant". What's your qualification and which school gave you such?

And

What are these exact tests that are not done in Nigeria

He was specific enough, you're kind of becoming egoist with your questions, being an MLS degree holder.

BaEnki:
Your sincerity and intelligence amazed me sir, unlike many men who lie about and falsify their actual living, even with your 35years of experience, you didn't dare to call yourself the Chief MedLab Scientist. You are a very good man.

Thanks for this important information.

I wish you the best at your work and home.

Thank you for your kind words.

On a Topic of this nature, it is important that people know exactly how reliable the information they are getting is.

I am sorry that I did not try harder to improve my qualifications.

I assumed that other people would fill the breaches in our infrastructure.

For instance, had I known, I should have read Chemistry, and become licensed to manufacture every single Chemical we now lack- and have retired by age 40 or something. I had no idea that degree-holders hide behind "WE WERE NOT TAUGHT!" and preferred to STARVE to death, or take employment ridiculously far beneath their station, so that no one knows how to make the things needed in our country. That would never have been my life.

It is to weep.

BaEnki:


He was specific enough, you're kind of becoming egoist with your questions, being an MLS degree holder.

My brother why are you taking it personal now
I simply asked a simple question as such nomenclature is foreign in the Nigeria health system (he may not have studied here).
When you don't understand something, don't you ask questions?