There were nights I sat quietly in my room feeling frustrated because I couldn’t understand why my body suddenly felt older than my age.

And trust me… I tried EVERYTHING.

I bought almost every popular painkiller I could find.

I took:

Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Naproxen, Voltaren, Arthrotec, Celebrex, Tramadol.

Sometimes I combined medications because I was desperate for relief.

I spent huge amounts of money moving from one pharmacy to another across Kumasi. Some pharmacists would confidently recommend expensive drugs and supplements, promising me that “this one is very powerful.”

But after a few hours… the pain would return again.

Stronger.

At one point, I was taking painkillers almost daily just to function normally.

And deep down, I knew it wasn’t healthy anymore.

My stomach started reacting badly to some medications. I would feel weak and dizzy sometimes. Yet the pain itself refused to leave.

I remember one particular day very clearly.

That day broke me emotionally.

I had an important meeting to attend. I woke up early, dressed up nicely, and prepared myself mentally. But immediately I stood up from the bed, a sharp pain shot through my knee down to my ankle.

I nearly fell.