Patient Stories--Knee Injury & Physio

Knee Injury!!!

(photo credit:  http://www.byllp.com/en/knee-injuries/)

Wow, if you've ever injured your knee,  you know that it can be disabling!

If you haven't, man, you don't know what you're missing! Seriously, it's nothing to laugh about.
When everything is going well, you take your knees for granted.  When you injure one or both knees,
you realize:  http://thoughtcatalog.com/brandon-gorrell/2014/03/10-problems-only-people-with-knee-injuries-understand/

Your whole life is affected. 

Here is an overview:  http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/knee-problems-and-injuries-topic-overview

That website also has many links with such topics as Exercises, Dos and Don'ts,
a Sports Injury Quiz, Healthy Aging, and Joint Health Tips.  Check it out!

Here is Subritra and her husband.  Look at that smile!
Why is she smiling?  Read on!

One day Subritra was out collecting food for her animals, like women do every day in Nepal.

As we have all done at one time or another, she slipped and fell.
There was a sharp pain in her knee!  Ouch!  It somehow seemed different from other times she had fallen.  However, life goes on and Subitra limped painfully home.
Her family helped do some of her chores so she could rest her knee, but it soon became apparent
that a visit to the doctor was in order.

For ten years she went from hospital to hospital looking for relief.  TEN YEARS!  However, her days were filled with hopelessness and frustration.  When you're a busy wife and mother, having constant pain
while you take care of your family can be physically and emotionally draining.

http://blog.muellersportsmed.com/what-to-do-during-and-after-your-knee-injuries

http://www.drdavidgeier.com/signs-knee-injury-serious/

Eventually, after the above mentioned ten years had gone by, Scheer Memorial Hospital
became the next hospital in line! 

Dr. Prameed Pilli, orthopedic surgeon, diagnosed PCL.

What is PCL?  Read here to find out:  http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00420


Yes, as you may have imagined, her injury, old though it was, needed to be operated on.
After surgery, Dr. Pilli sent her home with instructions to rest until it was time for physical therapy.

Yes, Physical Therapy is important!
Read here for information:  http://www.burke.org/blog/2015/10/10-reasons-why-physical-therapy-is-beneficial/58

and here:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160645.php

Here is our Physical Therapy, or Physiotherapy, team,

and our Physiotherapy Department.

Mr. Dinesh Chataut, head of the Department of Physiotherapy, seen here with the now happy couple,

put Sumitra on an intense physiotherapy program.  Even though it was understandably
painful, Sumitra knew it would be the best course of action, and she faithfully stuck
to the program.

You know the saying:

(photo credit:  youtube.com)

It's true!

 Also:

(photo credit:  pinterest.com)

Yes, if you noticed Subrita's smile, you'll know why!  Her persistence paid off!
Determination is worth it!  She finally feels like her old self again!  Her family is glad to have Sumitra walking around the house and doing her chores with a smile on her face instead of a grimace!

Do you fix your own brakes?
If not, don't fix your own medical problems!  See your doctor, and when advised,
see your physiotherapist!  http://www.idahopt.com/dont-fix-your-own-brakes/
You many accidentally make things worse if you don't know what you're doing!
 

Exercising incorrectly could also cause knee pain.
http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/7-workout-routines-secretly-causing-knee-pain

Come in for a consultation!  What can it hurt?

Read this photo credit:
 http://fitstopphysicaltherapy.com/2015/05/6-signs-that-you-need-to-go-see-a-physical-therapist/

Physical Therapy is not only for adults!

Read this photo credit:  http://ptsolutions.com/the-importance-of-pediatric-physical-therapy/
for information.

Again, come in if you have questions.
Thank you for reading this!
 We also really thank our supporters who keep our hospital running!
THANK YOU!

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!

Earthquake--Part 16: Preemies, Part 2

Welcome!  We hope you're having a nice day.

Our news:
Yes, we still have earthquake stories.
Yes, we are still having aftershocks.
Yes, the country is still in crisis due to a fuel blockade.
Yes, as always. we appreciate prayers!!!
Yes, we also appreciate the support of our donors who give us the ability to help those in need.
Yes, we are thankful to the Lord for His blessings!

Now, for today, we bring you another earthquake story.

If you were able to read http://scheermemorialhospital.blogspot.com/2015/11/earthquake-part-15-preemies-part-1.html, you will already be aware of the fact that under stressful situations, pregnant women are susceptible to giving birth prematurely.  If you missed it, you may want to check out some of the interesting links in that post on this topic.

Here is story of Munamai, Shakti, and their darling son.

April 25, 2015, had started out as a normal spring Saturday for the young couple.
Shakti had gone to his tailor shop to work.

This is not his tailor shop, but it is similar, like many tailor shops around the country.


Pregnant Munamai stayed at home with the other ladies in the family.
They went about their daily housewifely chores, as housewives do everywhere.
These pictures are not of their house, but it was similar, like many houses in Nepal.

Shakti came home for lunch.  Here is a typical Nepali meal.

(Click this photo credit:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal_bhat for information.)

Back at his shop, Shakti surveyed his work station and started back on the project he had been working on before lunch.  Suddenly, to his horror, just before noon, a loud boom sounded

(Listen here:  http://www.planet-science.com/categories/under-11s/our-world/2012/03/can-you-hear-an-earthquake.aspx)

and the earth started quaking and shaking and the buildings started falling down.  Like everyone in Nepal, his first reaction was, "This can't be happening."  However, it was happening and he ran to his house as fast as he could and with bricks falling on top of him, he rushed inside.  He found Munamai on the ground, bleeding from the mouth, and grasping for something to hang onto.  Without thinking, he threw himself on top of her and covered her body while the roof caved in on his slender back.

Here is their real house:

As you may have heard, it wasn't just one earthquake and that was it.  It keep going and going,
and in fact, as mentioned above, aftershocks are still continuing.

If you want to see the frequency, check out this website:
http://seismonepal.gov.np/index.php?action=earthquakes&show=past&page=5

This link is to Page 5, which is actually the first page.  (Go back to the earlier pages to see the most current aftershocks.)  You can see how often there were aftershocks above 4 on the Richter Scale.  Of course, there were, and still are many, under 4, which are not listed.  Here are some of the times for those of you who don't have time to look:  11:56, 12:23, 12:30, 12:41, 12:53, and so on.

OK, back to Shakti and Munamai's story.

During the first brief lull, Shakti pulled himself off of Munamai.
"How are you Honey?"
"I don't know," Munamai said as she held her hands on her tummy where her precious cargo was.
At that moment, as if to say, "I'm OK Mommy and Daddy," the baby kicked for the first time!

Yes!  The baby was OK!  They hugged as best as they could in their difficult circumstance.

However, they were trapped inside and in grave danger.  Some of Shakti's relatives were also trapped inside with them.  They tried to dig themselves out, but it was impossible.  They would need help.

Shakti shouted, "HELP!  WE'RE TRAPPED AND MY WIFE IS PREGNANT!  HELP!"

During the continued aftershocks, many of them very strong, all able-bodied villagers and policemen, knowing their own lives were in danger, started digging out trapped people from every building, even as the aftershocks continued tearing down their village and life as they knew it.

This is not their village, but it was one of the many that was completely destroyed.

Getty Images photo credit:
http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/damaged-houses-are-seen-in-a-village-from-an-indian-news-photo/472320112
Click the photo credit link to see more pictures of this heartbreak and many brave people.

After four hours, Shakti, Munamai, and the others in the house were rescued.
This picture is used with their permission.



One of the relatives, obviously not pictured here, was dead.
When Munamai heard the news, she fainted.

The whole village waited for help to come.  Their food supplies were buried.  They tried to wrap up the injured with cloths the best they could.  Two days later some medical personnel arrived along with food and water.  You can only imagine how relieved they were.  Everyone had been very concerned about Munamai and the baby.  If she became dehydrated, it could be devastating.

After knowing his wife was fed and had water, Shakti made his way to the village where her parents and family were.  Three of them were dead.

He went back to tell the news to his wife and comfort her as best as he could.  Along with the rest of the village, they slept outside and tried to decide what to do.

Then the landslides started.

(photo credit:  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/25/world/asia/nepal-landslide-evacuation.html)

It was time to leave their beloved home and village where everything they knew and loved was gone.
It wasn't any easy decision, but there was no choice.  There was nothing to show where they had started their marriage with all their hopes and dreams except for rubble.

They found a room in Bhaktapur, down the road, and decided upon Scheer Memorial Hospital.
Munamai came for prenatal check-ups.  Now hypertensive, she went into labor one month early
and needed an emergency C-section.  The brave young couple welcomed a precious baby boy into the world, who ended up spending 16 days in our neonatal intensive care unit.

This is one of the many areas of the hospital that relies on generous donations!
THANKS!

After about a month, the baby was declared well enough to go home, and the family went back to their new home in Bhaktapur, to begin a new life from all they had ever known.  They know that we wish them, and all of our patients, all the best.

At this time, we must thank all of our supporters without whom we could not operate.
We could not offer the necessary medical help that is so desperately needed here.
You will never know how much your kindness helps those in need.
Their gratefulness, and ours too, knows no bounds.

THANKS!

If you'd like to donate, please go to our website:  http://scheermemorialhospital.org/
and click "Make a Donation."  You will find the tax deductible instructions there.

THANKS!

Prayers are greatly appreciated too!

Have a nice day.

Earthquake--Part 15: Preemies, Part 1

Earthquake--Part 15:  Preemies Part 1

What did preemies have to do with the earthquake?
Plenty!
Read here to find out more:

http://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/fears-grow-for-nepals-pregnant-women-after-quake/

and here:
http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/on-health/2015/05/15/pregnant-women-newborns-greatest-risk-nepal-following-earthquake/

and here:
http://www.myrepublica.com/the-week/story/20947/dealing-with-reproductive-health-during-the-post-disaster-phase.html

Yes, these problems existed for months after the earthquake and for each couple and their families involved, it was a very big issue to deal with as you can imagine.

Here is a little darling baby girl born recently and her parents.

She was born at 33 weeks.

To find out more about premature babies and their births, read here:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_preterm-labor-and-birth_1055.bc

Back to our story:  This precious tiny baby was not only a preemie, she was born in an ambulance!

After the trauma of the earthquake, the family carried on as best as they could.

To see a picture post of how people still are coping, head on over to
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-25/six-months-after-the-nepal-earthquake/6878770
where you will find an ABC Australia news article from CARE International's
Brian Sokol in which he shows you life in a village in Dhading District,
which is typical of many places in Nepal.  You can imagine how life is for pregnant women.

Two times this young mother came in for prenatal checkups.  We commend her for that.  Not all pregnant women make it to a prenatal visit.  In 1991, 15.4% of pregnant women had prenatal care.  In 2011, it was 58.3%!  Great news, but still a ways to go!  This information came from
http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/nepal/pregnant-women-receiving-prenatal-care.

Click below to read this interesting and informative article from The Atlantic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/what-pregnancy-is-like-in-nepal/277287/

"Our" preemie you see above was the second baby for her young mother, named Maya, who as you
know by now, found herself traumatized in her early pregnancy.  One day, after her second prenatal visit, she started having quite a bit of pain that did not let up, and then she started bleeding.  Her husband called for a taxi and his mother joined them for the ride.  It was a very difficult moment for the young family.  You can only imagine their distress.  The taxi driver stepped up to the plate and drove as quickly as he could while keeping the car as steady as possible.

Along the way, Maya screamed, "The baby is coming!"  Her husband screamed, "Stop the taxi!"  The driver immediately pulled over.  Grandma took over and delivered the baby.  She had eight children, six of whom lived.  She had helped at other births, like many Nepali women do.

This interesting story from National Public Radio has lots of pictures:
(Hold your cursor on the picture to read about each one.)
http://www.npr.org/sections/babyproject/2011/08/01/138825328/birth-in-rural-nepal-the-most-dangerous-day  

As soon as Maya's daughter was born, with the placenta still inside, Grandma wrapped the baby in her shawl and the driver took off as quickly and carefully as he could.  Upon arrival at our hospital, Maya was quickly taken care of

 and Little Nanu (baby girl) was put under pediatrician Dr. Arun Gupta's care.

Dr. Arun made the following statement,  "Nanu weighed 1.4 kg. (3.09 lbs.) and had RDS--Respiratory Distress Syndrome."  You can read about this condition in this Medicine Plus article:
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001563.htm

Dr. Arun continued, "She had no energy to breastfeed and was on tube feeding until she weighed
1.5 kg.  She continued to progress, much to the delight of her family, and those of us taking care of her.  We are happy to report that she is now at home and enjoying a happy babyhood!"

Thanks to the generous support of those who make donations, we were able to provide medical service to Little Nanu and are able to provide medical service to all of our patients,
most of whom need financial assistance.

If you have helped, we thank you again!

If you would like to help, here is the link to the donation page on our website:
http://scheermemhosp.org/Donate.asp

Of course, the best help anyone could give us is to keep us in your prayers!

Stay tuned for Premmies, Part 2

Now...

(photo credit:  clipartbest.com)

Earthquake--Part 12: Help me!

Earthquake--Part 12:  Help me!

Hello and thanks for visiting our news blog.

Thanks to all of you who have been supporting us through prayers and also donations.

You will never know how much your support is appreciated and needed.

It's now six weeks post-earthquake, and we still have about 20 earthquake victim patients.  Yes, they are healing, but for those still here, the process is a slow hard road.

They are all beautiful and brave and we cheer at each step forward!

We salute their family members who stay by their sides, and no matter how they're feeling,

always show a strong face.

This sweet little sweetheart, Soniya, age 8, seen here with her mother Sunita, 

is one of our now long-term patients.

That picture was taken a few weeks ago.  This picture was taken very recently!

Look at that beautiful smile!  She's almost ready to go home!

However, she has no home to go to.

Like many people in Nepal, her house was destroyed during the April 25 quake.

Perhaps you have heard of Sindhupalchowk.

This is where Soniya is from.

If you saw our previous guest post by Dr. Angela Basnet

about her trip to Sindhupalchowk, you will know how devastated the area is.

(If you missed the post, click here.)

These pictures are from that post.  (Thanks for the photos Dr. Angela.)

This Huffington Post article by Amrit Sharma (Thanks!) has pictures of the area and even a video:
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/amrit-sharma/humans-of-sindupalchowk_b_7244422.html

For Soniya, her family, and in fact, everyone in Nepal, April 25, 2015,
started out as any other Saturday.

Many people were outside, which was a blessing.  The grown-ups were working and the children were playing.  Soniya had gotten her hands dirty while playing, and being a child who likes to stay clean, she ran inside to wash her hands.

Suddenly there was a loud noise and the earth and everything in sight started intensely shaking and rolling.  The buildings started collapsing.  Disbelief and realization set in.  People scrambled and shouted for their loved ones even as they tried to run to them as the earth rolled beneath their feet and dust rose into the air as buildings fell.  As Soniya's family gathered together, hugging and tearfully checking for everyone, they noticed that she wasn't there.  OH NO!  Where was she?  How could she not be here?  As they looked at the crumbled house, they didn't allow themselves to think she could be inside.  They started calling her name and asking neighbors if they had seen her.  The neighbors joined in to help look and call her name, even as the earth continued shaking.

Suddenly someone heard a faint cry.  "Help me!"  "WAIT!  I hear something!"  Everyone stopped and listened, yes, even as the earth continued trembling.  There it was again:  "Help me!"  A shout went up!  It was Soniya's voice!  She was alive!  She was alive!  But, oh no!  The beautiful sound of her voice was coming from inside the collapsed house.  Oh no!  Surely it wasn't so, but it was!  There was an animated conversation about how best to get her out.  Neighbors joined in and the men started going over their plans about how to proceed.  It would be a serious, dangerous, but necessary endeavor.  Suddenly her sweet voice shouted out:  "DADDY, STOP TALKING AND GET ME OUT OF HERE!"  

"That's our Sonia!  Of course Sonia darling!  We're coming!"

For two hours, her brave family and neighbors pulled the collapsing bricks out of the way.  Yes, the earth kept rolling with aftershocks and yes, the men's hands became scratched and bloodied, but as she started crying their strength was renewed and they never slowed down.

Finally, finally they made their way to her.  She was completely trapped from the waist down.  By that time, she was barely conscious, but still alive!  "She's alive!" was the cry that went around the whole village!

They wrapped up her bleeding little body and carried her for an hour to the nearest clinic, which had collapsed too and was now a busy outdoor clinic under a tarp.  The clinic workers told them she needed to get to a hospital as soon as humanly possible.

Her uncle, who was known to be an excellent motorcycle driver, immediately volunteered to take her to the nearest taxi stand, which was a 20 minute drive away.  She was tied to her brave uncle's body and he took off.  This was no easy task, because the earth was still trembling and the road, such as it was, was barely passable.  They transferred to a taxi at the taxi stand and the brave driver sped away as fast as he could to get the injured child to the hospital.  It was an hour and 40 minute harrowing drive.  At about 10:00 p.m. she finally arrived at our hospital. 

The next morning she had the first of four surgeries with Dr. Shashinda Bhuju, right, general and urology surgeon, and Dr. Ramon Ruiz Diaz, left, anesthesiologist and pediatric anesthesiologist.

 

Dr. Bhuju explained her injury as a large and severe degloving injury.  What is that?
This Wikipedia article gives a brief explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degloving

Click the blue highlighted word avulsion, and read about skin avulsions to learn more.

Her treatment included the following (articles from Wikipedia):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debridement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgical_suture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_grafting

Post surgery, still can still manage a smile!

It's been a long hard road, but little Soniya has been up to the task!
After physical therapy, her doctors expect a full recovery.

When Dr. Bhuju asked her what she wanted to do when she would be able to leave the hospital,
she replied, "I want to go to school!"

When schools around the country (those which were able anyway) opened on May 31, 2015,
Dr. Bhuju gave approval for Soniya to attend Esa Memorial School,
the primary school on our campus.

Here she is waving, "Hello!" with her new friends (in the front in a black dress) at school!

What joy!  She can't run yet, but she can participate in many activities
and she will run again all in good time!

She felt good enough to take a walk recently with her mom and Mrs. Susen Mole',
the wife of Dr. Dale Mole', our CEO.

We're all so thankful for her progress and also for the progress of all our patients!
We are blessed to be able to participate in their healing.

We are also blessed by the love, care, and concern we are feeling from around the world.
Please keep praying for Nepal as we are still experiencing aftershocks.

This website has the aftershock updates:
http://www.seismonepal.gov.np/

Thank you and have a nice day!

Patient Stories--Miscarriage, gestational diabetes, and triumph!

Gestational Diabetes, Miscarriage, and Triumph!

First of all--What is Gestational Diabetes?

(photo credit:  http://www.diabetesinfo.org.au/about-diabetes/what-is-diabetes/types/gestational-diabetes)

The above article is very interesting and informative.

The rest of the pictures on that page give us more details.  

(Thank you diabetesinfo.org.au)

What about Nepal?  Does this condition occur here?

YES!

To read one study about it, visit this page:

http://www.jaypeejournals.com/eJournals/ShowText.aspx?ID=689&Type=FREE&TYP=TOP&IN=_eJournals/images/JPLOGO.gif&IID=65&isPDF=YES


What is Miscarriage?  It's another word for heartbreak.

Having a baby is one of the most joyful and normal passages of life.
Little girls play with their dolls and dream of the day they will become a mother.

(photo credit:  shutterstock.com)

Thankfully, for most women, there are no complications and every moment is happy.

However, this is not the case for all women.

To read about the heartbreak of miscarriage, we direct you to this article by Dr. Singh, an
associate professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the Patan Academy of Health Sciences:
 http://www.hamrohealth.com/Information/all-you-need-to-know-about-miscarriage.html
(Thank you Dr. Singh.)

(There are actually many other informative health articles on this website.)

Our patient story for today is the story of Saraswoti & Som Prasad,
and it could be the story of countless other couples.
We thank them for allowing us to tell their story.
It is their hope that other couples going through what they did will not give up!

They never gave up, and after lots of heartbreak, they finally experienced triumph!
They are now the proud and happy parents of a handsome and healthy baby boy!

However, their story is not the usual story.
They had a long and hard uphill battle before they got their happy ending.

Their message to other young couples who may be experiencing one or both
of the problems they experienced (yes, they experienced both of the above)
or any other fertility problem is this:

NEVER GIVE UP!  YOUR SORROW COULD TURN TO HAPPINESS AND JOY!


(photo credit:  pinterest.com)

Look at their precious glorious triumph!


They want their story to be told so they can encourage other young couples
who may be going through the same difficulties they went through.
It's helpful to know you are not alone--whatever your health issue is!

(photo credit:  twibbon.com)

As all young couples do, Saraswoti and Som looked forward to starting their family.
They were young and healthy!
The fact that something MIGHT go wrong never even entered their minds.
No one they knew had ever had trouble conceiving and carrying a child to term.
It's just a normal part of life, right?

Not always!

For Saraswoti and Som, as well as countless other couples,
it was not going to be an easy task.

Conceiving was never a problem for the young couple.
However, three times they suffered a miscarriage.
THREE TIMES!

During these heartbreaking moments, they had to rely on each other
and their families and friends.

(photo credit:  weheartit.com)

If you or any of your loved ones are going through this, don't suffer in silence.
Be there for each other!

This excellent article gives you advice on how to cope and what to say, etc.,
when loved ones experience this.
http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-loss/supporting-others/

You will read about the loss the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.
are feeling too.  This heartbreak effects the whole family.

After each miscarriage, Saraswoti and Som picked themselves up and carried on.


(photo credit:  pixgood.com)

When her fourth pregnancy was confirmed, they were hopeful,
yet naturally nervous.  She felt fine and the couple settled in to enjoy the pregnancy.

In her seventh month, during a routine blood test, her doctor in Kathmandu
announced she had gestational diabetes!

WHAT?!?!?

How could this be?  She felt fine!  Yes, her father had contracted Type 2 Diabetes at age 65,
but he was the only one in the family with diabetes!  She had no symptoms!
Yes, often gestational diabetes has no symptoms!
This is why it's so important to go to prenatal check-ups!!!

Now it was time to study and take action!  Here is another article about this disease:
http://www.medicinenet.com/gestational_diabetes/article.htm

At this point, her doctor in Kathmandu told her to find a doctor closer to home
to help her manage the diabetes.  Here is where we come in!

Dr. Lavona Pilli, one of our OB/GYNs, became her doctor.  Dr. Lavona put her on a special diet
along with medications for gestational diabetes.  She followed Dr. Lavona's instructions to the letter!  This is something very important to note!  Had she not been serious about following
her doctor's orders, the outcome might have been very different.
To read about the diet and medications, we refer you to the above medicinenet.com article again.

During her eighth month, Saraswoti had to start giving herself insulin injections every day.

(photo credit:  lookfordiagnosis.com)

It was a small price to pay for the health of her precious little one still growing inside her womb.
Saraswoti felt strong, and the young couple came in every third day for a check-up with Dr. Lavona.

Right on time little Babu (little boy!) made his entrance into the world!
He was perfect and healthy and so very handsome!

Like many before her, and many after her, Saraswoti's gestational diabetes
disappeared right after she gave birth!  She could now concentrate on just being a mom!
Som could now concentrate on just being a dad!

Grandma could enjoy the pleasures of being a grandmother!


Babu slept through Mommy's post-birth check-up with Dr. Lavona!

He finally woke up as it was time to go home.

Goodbye Babu!  We'll see you next time!
We're so glad you're here and so is your brave family!

Please don't hesitate to come in for a consultation with one of our OB/GYNs
if you have questions about this or any female condition.
That's what we're here for!

Blessings and see you next time!