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I have been traveling back and forth to Santo Domingo. Had appointment for one of my patients on Monday. Since Easter weekend is not a good time to be on the roads, I went to get gas on Friday. We left for Santo Domingo on Monday at 3AM to arrive for the 8AM appointment. We made good time, arriving at 7AM. The last time we left at 4AM and got caught up in traffic and arrived at 10 30AM, missing the 8AM appointment and having to wait last. Was a long day, returning at 11PM.
Well, Olga is a 28 year old mother who was feeling poorly due to caring for her very sick mother and also thinking she was pregnant, ending up bedfast from exhaustion and feeling short of breath. She went for a checkup and was referred to a cardiologist in Puerto Plata. Dr. recommended the normal electrocardiogram and echocardiogram. She was diagnosed with two damaged heart valves saying she had suffered from tyfoid fever. Olga was referred to Santiago to a clinic that has doctors coming from the U.S. for open heart surgeries. She had gone 3 times and the dominican doctor was never able to see her. The fourth trip he just quickly took her records without reading them, told her she would be put on the list when the doctors come again and that she needed to deposit $100,000 pesos in the clinic account ¨to pay for the doctor´s expenses¨.
Olga was referred to me since the family does not have the resources to come up with this kind of money. I called my contact in Santo Domingo to see if I could get her into the adult program. With a lot of perseverance, Olga is my first patient in the adult program. We´ve had two appointments (two trips to SD). First trip, Dr. R prescribed medicine and ordered a ¨complete echocardiogram¨. We had to return in 2 weeks. Monday (second trip) Dr. R was able to view the results of the echo and was told her valve damage was due to having rheumatic fever, probably as a child, damaging her heart valves. Olga is to continue with her medications, change her diet to fruits with fiber and more vegetables, reduce her caffeine intake, ordered not to eat anything fried and lose 3 to 5 pounds. Dr. R wants to see her again in 4 weeks. The next group of adult cardiologists come in May to perform open heart surgeries. She and her family are very grateful for my help.
I have had many people coming to me to help their elderly family member who has a heart condition since many people know about my contact in Santo Domingo with the kids. I learned last year that a program was getting started for adults but I never enrolled any of the adults.
This case with Olga I felt was different, she is young, a mother of a very intelligent 8 year old and has a whole life ahead of her. She is feeling a little better, knowing she has hope for a healthy future.
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