High Blood Pressure..and a Free Check!

If the words High Blood Pressure don't scare you, they should!

What's the big deal?

According to the World Life Expectancy website, Nepal's three leading causes of death, in this order, are lung disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke.  Read about it, and the other 

causes of death, here:  http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/country-health-profile/nepal

Coronary heart disease and stroke can be directly linked to high blood pressure.
For information, click here:  http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20045868

 Do you know enough about high blood pressure to be able to have an informed conversation?

If not, check this out and read the photo credit below the picture.

(photo credit:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension)

What about here in Nepal?
Yes, it's here...it's killing people everywhere.

The following article by Dr. Raja Ram Dhungana gives some scary statistics,
but also gives us some ideas on how to stay healthy!  It's worth a look!
http://mypublichealthblog.com/?p=162

This is why it's so important to know your blood pressure.
It's not called the Silent Killer for nothing!

This is an important read:
http://www.secondscount.org/treatments/treatments-detail-2/high-blood-pressure--your-health-managing-silent-k-2#.V2_VO_krLIU

This link http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=13118
has more information, plus a slide show, a salt quiz, and exercise tips.

We are pleased to announce that we were able to host a Free Blood Pressure Screening Camp
on June 8, 2016.    We also tested blood sugar
 
  (photo credit:  pinterest.com)

...and offered electrocardiograms for those who were interested.
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/electrocardiogram has lots of valuable info.

80 people were able to come and take advantage of this camp!

Four of them discovered they had high blood sugar!  What a blessing that they came!
The sooner you discover this, the sooner you can start medication and life style changes.
http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/newly-diagnosed/getting-started/10-things-to-do-when-you-find-out-you-have-diabetes#

68 folks had high blood pressure!

Imagine if they had not come by for the screening!

(photo credits:  Mrs. Susen Mole')

We thank our donors, who made who made this even possible
and our doctors and nurses who added to their work day with pleasure.

We thank all who came by and we urge those who received medicine to keep coming back
for more as needed.  Sometimes these medicines must continue for life
and be closely monitored.

If you missed this camp, you can still come by for a regular appointment
to have these tests and any others that may be necessary for you.
Our goal is to see you healthy and happy!!!

Blessings to all!

Patient Stories--Uterine Prolapse

Here is S*...

(*not her real initial)

...who is one of the ladies who has benefited from uterine prolapse surgery

at Scheer Memorial Hospital.  Her smile shows her happiness since she has been able to live her life to the fullest again, pain free--after many, many years of suffering!

Her story is typical.  She was married at age 20, and the young couple started their family right away.  Pregnancy did not keep her out of the fields.

Have you read about this?  It's an important article about pregnancy in Nepal:  http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26154092

S. had her babies, five in all, at home, and like many Nepali girls, was assisted by a neighbor.  She never saw a doctor, midwife, or even a nurse.  Again, like so many Nepali girls,
only had advice from her mother.

She felt lucky because all of her babies lived and she didn't have to go back to the field to work until 15 days after each birth.  Many girls do not have this luxury and must start working sooner.  She also didn't have to carry heavy loads on her backs, which is very common in Nepal.  whether you're pregnant or not, or even if you've just recently delivered.

Here's another very important article about pregnancy in Nepal.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/what-pregnancy-is-like-in-nepal/277287/

However, even though she was able to wait 15 days after giving birth before going back to the fields, S. did have to work quite hard, as was necessary, and she was soon experiencing pain that increased every day.  What to do?  There was only one thing:  Grin and bear it, as the saying goes.

Yes, she continued with her life, continued to have children, and continued to smile
and pretend she wasn't in pain.

It was hard to convince her husband that she needed to go to a hospital, but he finally consented, realizing that she really was always uncomfortable and in pain, and she was able to go to Kathmandu, where a "round thing" was put inside her.
http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/vaginal-pessaries
However, she still had pain.  She went back two more times for a reinsertion, but she still had pain.  Thinking that it was just her lot in life, S. learned to live with the pain.

Many studies estimate that approximately 600,000 women in Nepal suffer

from this condition.  The following article is very telling...

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/may/07/nepalese-women-stigma-fallen-wombs-prolapsed-uterus

and so is this one...

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/6/9/uterine-prolapsethehiddenagonyofnepalesewomen.html

One day a neighbor told S. about a uterine prolapse women's health team that was coming to Scheer Memorial Hospital in Banpea.  Would she, should she, try again?  Her daughter and some friends convinced her to go and see if she qualified.  "What could it hurt?  They can only say, 'No.' "  By this time, she had been living with pain for about 30 years!

"I'll take a chance and go," she said.  What happened?  Well, did you see her smile in the above pic?
Happiness happened!
She felt better immediately and is very satisfied.  Wow!  What a difference!
She now feels like a young girl again and happily does her chores!
She can even enjoy playing with her nine grandchildren now!

S. also has some advice for pregnant ladies:  Go to a hospital or birthing center.
Take advantage of Nepal's Safe Motherhood Program, http://safemotherhood.org.np/.
Make sure you get in all your doctor visits.
Talk with you friends and be supportive of each other.  REST after giving birth!
Seek medical help if you experience any problems, as soon as the problems present themselves.
Don't wait so long like I did.  You DON'T have to live with pain!

She wants to give a big THANK YOU to the women's health teams who come to Nepal!

We are blessed and happy to report that several medical teams visit us to perform surgeries to help these ladies.  Recently, two of the teams have been here.  The team members who come choose to have a working vacation and not only fund their own expenses, but also fund the surgeries.
You can see why we are so happy to be able to help those in need via their help.

One recent team was Australia's Open Heart International.  This organization, as their website states, treats, teaches, and empowers!

(photo credits:  Dr. R. Ruiz Diaz)

To learn more about their work, see videos, read their blog posts, and see their photo galleries, check out the Nepal section of their website (or also check out their other projects):
http://www.ohi.org.au/think-our-locations-nepal/

If you are a qualified medical professional, with interest in joining one of their teams,
click here:  http://www.ohi.org.au/volunteer.html


We were also recently blessed by the presence of Centura Global Health Initiatives Women's Health Team who performed the same surgeries.  Read about their work here:
https://www.centuraglobalhealth.org/cgh/projects/nepal/

(photo credits:  Dr. D. Watson)

On their website, there's also a place for qualified medical professionals to click who are interested
in joining one of their teams.  Their next visit to Nepal will be in October.

We want to thank all the medical teams who come here again:  THANK YOU!!!

We hope to see you again soon!