I am 78 years old and have lived in Okhaldhunga District for my whole life. I married a local boy when both of us were only 13. I have five children, twelve grandchildren and three great-grandchildren! I have worked hard for my family every day of my life and have experienced enormous changes in my country of Nepal. My family says that I just can’t sit still. Even from my bed in hospital, I am thinking about what jobs need to be done at home. I ask my son, “Have you planted the millet yet? Which terrace did you plant it in? What about the fruit trees? Are they still producing, or have they finished?”
For the previous ten years Dhan Kumari lived with a right-side groin hernia. When she was 75, her family tried to convince her to have an operation to fix the hernia. Her response to this was something like: “Life expectancy in Nepal is around 72, and here I am aged 75. I have lived a good full life. My children are married, and they also have children! I don’t need any operation.”
Twelve days before she arrived at Okhaldhunga Community Hospital (OCH), her husband passed away. The whole family entered into the 13-day period of mourning. During this time, her hernia became more painful and increased in size, and it didn’t go away, like it had in the past. Finally, on the second last day of the mourning period, the pain became so great that her family took her to the district hospital. From there she was referred to OCH.
On arrival, our surgeon, Dr Bijaya Laxmi Gurung, assessed her and diagnosed an entrapped femoral hernia. This is a surgical emergency, so she was taken to the operating theatre that very day. At operation, the femoral hernia was confirmed and her intestine was released. Within a few minutes it resumed a healthier colour. A few hours more delay and that stuck intestine could have died due to lack of blood.
After the operation, Dhan Kumari made a steady recovery and was able to resume normal eating. She and her family were happy and grateful that she made good progress. They are still deep in mourning for her husband. It is very difficult to be away from her home during this period of acute loss. Dhan Kumari and her husband had been married for 65 years.
Dhan Kumari thanks the medical and operating theatre team.
