A couple of recent patients have stuck in my mind, so I thought I would share their stories.
The first woman labored at home for three days. She was finally taken to her local health post, which are scattered throughout Nepal in an attempt to fill in the gap of lacking medical care, mostly in rural areas. The level of care provided at health posts varies widely as they are staffed by medical personnel with less training than a nurse. Some have great experience and care about their jobs while others have very little experience and/or care so little that they don’t even show up to work. At this woman's health post was a skilled birth attendant, who attempted a vacuum delivery, which means a suction cup was applied to the baby’s head to pull it out while mother pushed and contracted. The baby did not come. When this happens in the hospital, the woman receives an emergency cesarean section.
The family assumed the baby was a lost cause at this point but cared enough to want to save the mother’s life, something that does not always happen here. It was now dark outside, which meant finding a vehicle was even harder than usual. The cost of a night “ambulance” regularly doubles, and with the lack of fuel due to the border blockade, the cost has now tripled or quadrupled. They finally found one to hire and arrived to our hospital TWELVE hours later.
Miraculously, the baby was still alive. An emergency c-section was done, and both mother and baby ultimately did well! What a blessing that the baby was unusually strong and that the family cared so much about mom and baby that they put forth an incredible amount of effort to get them to the hospital. Such care for a Nepali woman cannot be assumed. We are thankful for the Lord's protection.
The second story is a woman who successfully delivered at home. However, she was suffering from severe headaches, and unbeknownst to her and family, she also had high blood pressure. She was debilitated, but the family used local medicine and witch doctors to try and heal her. Five days after delivering, she started to have seizures. The family still entrusted her care to the locals, saying that she would die if taken to a hospital. Finally, the next day, one family member insisted she be brought to our hospital. She was completely unconscious on arrival and diagnosed with post-partum eclampsia. We gave her the appropriate treatment, and she slowly recovered.
Three days later she had an episode of psychosis and was given a second diagnosis of post-partum psychosis.
We all thought it very strange that she would have two such severe diagnoses. Even one of our non-Christian residents, who descends from a famous witch doctor in Nepal, said he felt a deep fear when present with the patient. It dawned on us that something spiritual, rather than just physical, may be going on in this woman’s body. Our social services department was already involved in her emotional care, including prayer and the introduction of the gospel.
In less than 24 hours, the woman completely recovered from the psychosis, an unusually quick turn-around time. She spontaneously told one of our staff that she was meant to arrive at our hospital in particular and that she had undergone a “deep change.” Although not clear if she fully understood and accepted Jesus before leaving our hospital, it was clear that she and her family had been positively impacted by the Lord’s love and care for them.
Please continue to pray that, in the midst of our attempts for physical healing, the Lord would also be at work for spiritual healing.
The first woman labored at home for three days. She was finally taken to her local health post, which are scattered throughout Nepal in an attempt to fill in the gap of lacking medical care, mostly in rural areas. The level of care provided at health posts varies widely as they are staffed by medical personnel with less training than a nurse. Some have great experience and care about their jobs while others have very little experience and/or care so little that they don’t even show up to work. At this woman's health post was a skilled birth attendant, who attempted a vacuum delivery, which means a suction cup was applied to the baby’s head to pull it out while mother pushed and contracted. The baby did not come. When this happens in the hospital, the woman receives an emergency cesarean section.
The family assumed the baby was a lost cause at this point but cared enough to want to save the mother’s life, something that does not always happen here. It was now dark outside, which meant finding a vehicle was even harder than usual. The cost of a night “ambulance” regularly doubles, and with the lack of fuel due to the border blockade, the cost has now tripled or quadrupled. They finally found one to hire and arrived to our hospital TWELVE hours later.
Miraculously, the baby was still alive. An emergency c-section was done, and both mother and baby ultimately did well! What a blessing that the baby was unusually strong and that the family cared so much about mom and baby that they put forth an incredible amount of effort to get them to the hospital. Such care for a Nepali woman cannot be assumed. We are thankful for the Lord's protection.
The second story is a woman who successfully delivered at home. However, she was suffering from severe headaches, and unbeknownst to her and family, she also had high blood pressure. She was debilitated, but the family used local medicine and witch doctors to try and heal her. Five days after delivering, she started to have seizures. The family still entrusted her care to the locals, saying that she would die if taken to a hospital. Finally, the next day, one family member insisted she be brought to our hospital. She was completely unconscious on arrival and diagnosed with post-partum eclampsia. We gave her the appropriate treatment, and she slowly recovered.
Three days later she had an episode of psychosis and was given a second diagnosis of post-partum psychosis.
We all thought it very strange that she would have two such severe diagnoses. Even one of our non-Christian residents, who descends from a famous witch doctor in Nepal, said he felt a deep fear when present with the patient. It dawned on us that something spiritual, rather than just physical, may be going on in this woman’s body. Our social services department was already involved in her emotional care, including prayer and the introduction of the gospel.
In less than 24 hours, the woman completely recovered from the psychosis, an unusually quick turn-around time. She spontaneously told one of our staff that she was meant to arrive at our hospital in particular and that she had undergone a “deep change.” Although not clear if she fully understood and accepted Jesus before leaving our hospital, it was clear that she and her family had been positively impacted by the Lord’s love and care for them.
Please continue to pray that, in the midst of our attempts for physical healing, the Lord would also be at work for spiritual healing.
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