Family strives to stabilise woman with skull bones preserved in her stomach
Beatrice Nduva is a worried mother. Her daughter Rose Mbula Nduva was on Monday admitted at Naidu Hospital in Thika after she developed feeding complications.
The mother who has been Mbula’s caregiver noticed a change when she stopped taking liquid food that was previously being administered using a spoon.
She with the help of other family members took her to Naidu hospital where she was admitted.
A General Practitioner at Naidu Hospital, Dr Sam Mwangi who received Ms Mbula told Nairobi News on Tuesday that she had improved.
“We received the patient yesterday (Monday) at 10am after relatives complained that she was not feeding, we established that she was dehydrated and had bacterial infections in the bed sores (wounds) that developed as a result of her being bed ridden for long,” said Dr Mwangi.
He added Ms Mbula stopped feeding because after the accident she was left in a semi-conscious state and even the brain that co-ordinates the feeding function is in that state.
Dr Mwangi stated that the bed sores were as a result of being in immobile for months and that her semi-conscious state also affected blood flow in some parts of the body.
NOTICEABLE CHANGE
“The bacterial infections are as a result of home care which is sometimes unhygienic and could also result to infections on the sores,” he added.
Ms Mbula has been under the primary care of her mother Beatrice Nduva at their home in Kilimambogo, Ol Donyo Sabuk and a visiting nurse who carries out weekly therapy.
“We have inserted a Nasal Gastric tube that we are using both to feed her and administer medication, she is currently on antibiotics and there has been a noticeable change within the 24 hours she has been at the facility as she can now smile and even lift her hands,” said Dr Mwangi.
The Doctor stated that Ms Mbula will be on assisted feeding until she is reassessed by a neurosurgeon, a process Naidu hospital will initiate by writing to Thika Level 5 to obtain a referral to Kenyatta National Hospital.
Ms Mbula has also lost alot of blood and is being administered with haematinic dose that increases the amount haemoglobin in the blood.
According to Dr Mwangi, no hospital in Thika has a neurosurgeon hence the need for a referral to the national hospital.
Naidu Hospital on its part will continue nursing Ms Mbula by feeding her, administering antibiotics and dressing her wounds until she is referred to Kenyatta National Hospital.
The hospital’s proprietor Dr. Ranganathan Naidu told Nairobi News that his facility will do everything in its power to stabilise the patient.
“We obtained the patient’s history from the Indian hospital that first treated her and hope to contact them for more information. Naidu Hospital will stabilize the patient for free as she awaits reconstruction surgery,” Dr Naidu said.
Ms Mbula’s mother Beatrice Nduva told Nairobi News that it has been heartbreaking for her to see her daughter in poor health.
PAYBILL NUMBER
“I long for the day she will recover even though for now we are working on stabilising her condition before seeking advice on the surgery,” said Mrs Nduva.
Nairobi News highlighted Mbula’s story last week after relatives appealed to the public to help them raise Sh700,000 required for reconstruction surgery and Sh300,000 for plane tickets to India where she was first treated and other expenses.
The family on Tuesday obtained a Paybill number after an overwhelming response from readers who wanted to help raise the amount.
Funds can be donated through Paybill no 170499, account number 0090165095838 registered as Rose Mbula Nduva Medical Fund.
Ms Mbula was reported to have fallen down a skyscraper while working India and the Kenyan High Commission got in touch with her family proving the scanty details of her accident.
The doctors who received her at Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center in New Delhi carried out an emergency surgery to stop the heavy bleeding from her head.
They then removed her skull bones and preserved them in her stomach, and later assured her kin that they would be retrieved and used to reconstruct her skull.
The skull bones that were preserved in her stomach are part of the frontal bone and both parietal (side) bones.
Her brother in-law travelled to India where after waiting for two months for her to regain consciousness he was allowed to bring her back home.