I was scrolling through FB yesterday when I came across Telesesel’s breaking news:
BREAKING NEWS: Dan en kominike lapres sorti kot Lorganizasyon Rezyonal Anti Dopaz Losean Endyen, 3 atlet Seselwa dan Lev Pwa in ganny sanksyonnen pour dopaz. Sa i Cyrous Farabeau kin ganny sanksyonnen pour 3an, Romentha Larue kin ganny sanksyonnen pour 3an e Assania Rose in ganny sanksyonnen pour 4an. Plis detay tanto 8:30 dan nou bilten Sports Plus.
Telesesel
The above paragraph basically states that 3 Seychellois weightlifters were tested positive for “doping” and they have been suspended because of this. Here is Seychelles News Agency’s take on this:
Three Seychellois Weightlifters Suspended After Failing Doping Tests – Seychelles News Agency
This kind of news isn’t new to Seychelles, other Seychellois have tested positive in the past. What makes this piece of news quite interesting is that one of the above mentioned female athlete who was suspended decided to take to FB to reply to Telesesel’s post. This is what she explained:
Sanmenm tultan sport sesel pu dn grenn akz zot pa zanmen protez zot atlet wi mw ti servi exandrolone me pu en rezon mw ti dislocated mw lebra desir mw ligament Dan en konpetisyn…en Dr prive k ti dnn mw prescription latizann e ler zot ti Vin teste mw m pa ni ti p train mw pa ni ti p al zwe dezil mw ti menm dn en lakok mw ti menm Dr ek sa agent k mw a provide mw papye first pu Fer t.u.e I ti dr mw k Fer mw test apre ler result I vini ma provide..Me pu zot lenformasyon mw lasante I mon priyorite sport Sesel I knn u ler u byen ler u p Fer sikse me ler u gany injuries u en grenn,but mw mon knsyans I kler zot in redwir 1an lo mw ban akz mw panse mw Annan mw papye prescription zot mw pa p pran stres personn I will be back soon e pli for k zot p espekte.merc
Romentha Larue
Allow me to translate to colloquial English:
This is why sport in Seychelles will always be in sh*t because they never protect their athletes yes I used exandrolone (I assume she meant oxandrolone) but for a reason I dislocated my arm and tore my ligament during a competition... a private doctor was the one who gave me the prescription medication and when they came to test me I wasn't even training and I wasn't going to the Island Games I was even in a cast and I even told the agent that I will provide my papers first to do everything and he/she told me to do the test first and then after the result comes back I will provide..But for your information my health is my priority Seychelles sports know you well when you do well and when you are successful but when you get injuries you're sh*t,but my conscience is clear they reduced 1 year from my suspension because I assume I have my prescription papers I am not taking anyone's stress I will be back soon and stronger than expected. thanks
To date, her comment has already received hundreds of likes and a good number of comments in support. It is expected, as she represents Seychelles on an international front and it is patriotic to support such athletes. I don’t know what happened, I wasn’t there, and there is a very real possibility that she was indeed sitting on the side healing from an injury when the surprise dope testing happened.
However, there are a few things that does not make sense to me. I have been to the doctor with a torn ligament, it’s painful and I don’t wish it upon anybody. The doctor wrapped my ankle with a compression bandage and sent me home. I asked him “what am I supposed to do now?” and he replied “keep your foot up, don’t walk around at all if you don’t have to” he then told me if I follow his instructions, I would be good as new after a month of taking it easy. He was right, that ankle is still good as new to this day.
My mother’s been to the doctor for an elbow dislocation. Her arm was placed in a cast, she needed a dose of morphine (opioid) administered intravenously, and she was given diclofenac (NSAIDs) to control the pain but I was present while she was healing and she only took Panadol (paracetamol / acetaminophen – analgesic & antipyretic) whenever the pain was difficult to bear. After the cast was removed, the treatment was followed with physiotherapy. Yes, there was muscle stiffness because she was in the cast for a while, yes she had to work through the trauma so she could have probably used some level of psychological intervention as well but doctors here don’t take a holistic approach to health at least for now. At no point did the doctor prescribe anabolic steroids.
Going back to what doesn’t make sense to me:
- At no point would I expect the doctor to prescribe oxandrolone or any other anabolic steroid due to a torn ligament or dislocation. I could expect to be prescribed corticosteroid which helps reduce inflammation caused by a torn ligament. Corticosteroids are not commonly prescribed for long-term use. So the question is: why was she prescribed an anabolic steroid? Was the doctor aware that she was a competitive weightlifter? More importantly, why did he choose to give her an anabolic steroid for her torn ligament / dislocation, were there no alternatives? One of the effects of anabolic steroids is promoting muscle growth. But here are reasons why doctors may prescribe oxandrolone:
Doctors use these drugs to help treat delayed puberty, and improve muscle mass and strength in people who have conditions that reduce muscle tissue. Some doctors prescribe it for testosterone supplementation therapy to improve mood and sexual performance in older men.
WebMD – https://www.webmd.com/men/anabolic-steroids
Here are some of the possible side effects of the drug:
WebMD – https://www.webmd.com/men/anabolic-steroids
- Acne
- Oily skin
- Ankle swelling
- Problems peeing
- Breast enlargement in people assigned male at birth
- Reduced breast size in people assigned female at birth
- Worse sleep apnea, if you have it
- Decrease in testicle size
- Vaginal dryness, burning, itching, or bleeding
- Changes to your period
- High blood pressure
- Blood clots
- Heart issues, including heart attack
- Stroke
- Liver damage
- Short stature (if you’re an adolescent)
- Male-pattern baldness
- Aggression
- Mania
- Delusions
- Major depressive disorder.
And here are the possible complications caused by the drug:
- Tumor growth in the liver
- Peliosis hepatis (blood-filled cysts on the liver that can rupture and cause internal bleeding)
- Atherosclerosis, which causes fat deposits inside arteries to disrupt blood flow. When blood flow to the heart is blocked, a heart attack can occur. If blood flow to the brain is blocked, a stroke can result.
- Weakened immune system, which increases your risk of infection and illness
What kind of doctor would prescribe oxandrolone for a torn ligament & dislocation, to a national / competitive athlete and especially to a woman, knowing that the risks far outweighs the benefits for a case such as a torn ligament & dislocation?
2 . Was she well aware of what she was taking? If she was, did she know it was banned in her sport? If she knew what she was taking, she understood the side effects and possible complications, knew that it was banned in her sport, then she is clearly at fault. If she didn’t know what she was taking, but took the drug anyway despite not knowing why she was taking it, then she is partially at fault because what person takes a medication without knowing what it is, without asking your doctor what it is, and knowing full well that there are medications that are banned in sports, especially with the knowledge that other peers have been previously suspended due to doping. Her doctor would have known how she was injured, only an untrained doctor wouldn’t ask a patient the question of “how”. He would have also known that this “designer drug” should not be taken by this patient.
If she was taking oxandrolone to prevent muscle atrophy due to being immobilized in a cast, there is no way she was prescribed this method of treatment. The global standard is physiotherapy (exercise therapy) after the cast is removed especially to a healthy, young woman.
3. Why did she choose a private doctor? There are a few reasons why people in Seychelles would choose to go to a private clinic instead of the public clinic/hospital. A quick reminder that public clinic/hospital is free of charge. The meds they have are either free (I never had to pay for them) or there is a very small, highly subsidized fee). The first reason is because you don’t want to wait at the casualty for too long. The second reason is that you believe private is better than public. The third reason is because private doctors will give you the prescription you want – and they will have the meds in stock. Which one could it be?
To close, I think what saddens me most about this whole thing is when she made the comment above about her health is her priority. Did she say that because she genuinely meant it, completely oblivious to the dangers of taking anabolic steroids not only to her body but to her career and reputation, or did she say it to convince the population reading Telesesel’s breaking news that what she was taking and her reasons for taking anabolic steroids where entirely plausible?