Mme CeToute, a 38-year-old woman, arrived at the Clinic of Hope earlier this year with severe shortness of breath, weakness and a massively swollen abdomen. She thought the problem started a year earlier after the birth of her last child.
An ultrasound of her abdomen showed a large amount of fluid making her appear pregnant although she was not. The exam showed no pelvic tumor, no evidence of liver disease or any other condition to explain the abdominal fluid.
After evaluating her chest, we found she was in heart failure, probably caused by a serious rare disease involving the heart that can occur after delivery. All the fluid that had accumulated in her abdomen was caused by her heart failure.
Several people who were with her were very fearful and thought she was going to die. But we said, “No, she is not going to die.” She was placed on a special combination of heart medicines and she slowly improved.
A month later, Pastor Delamy, Miss Fredeline and Belina visited Mme CeToute’s home in Gros Morne about 30 minutes away. They wanted to be sure that she was still taking her heart medicine and she did not have the money to travel to the clinic. It was obvious that she was still taking her medicine as directed.
A few months later, she came to the clinic and had no fluid in her abdomen!
A recent visit to the Clinic of Hope showed she was in excellent condition. Even though she still struggles financially she brought three eggs and mangoes each for Pastor Delamy, Miss Fredeline and Belina and expressed thankfulness for the care she received from the staff at the Clinic of Hope.
Bon Dye Bon! (God is good!)
By Dr. Joe Markee, HFH board member
House call
Gifts of thankfulness
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