A complex case that almost ended fatally
The story of Marcela A.’s suffering began a good five years ago. A loop of colon twisted (volvulus) and had to be removed. Surgery at a hospital on the coast resulted in a serious complication. The statements suggest that the seam on the connector came undone. Two more interventions followed in Ica and in Lima.
Marcela suffered from increasing abdominal pain since the beginning of 2021. The circumference of her belly increased dramatically in size. But the stool emptied only in small quantities. Proper nutrition became impossible and she emaciated to skin and bones.
The plight of the Quechua Indian woman, of course, affected the whole family. Her husband and eight children had every reason to worry about Marcela’s life. Finally, her relatives brought her to the Diospi Suyana Hospital. Radiological examinations revealed massively distended loops of colon. In the colonoscopy, Dr. Karla Aguilar found a narrowing in the area of the previous surgery.
This week, Dr. Lukas Steffen and Dr. Olga Koop relieved the colon by creating an artificial bowel outlet. Now the patient can eat and regain her strength. Then, in three months, the stenosis of the colon is to be removed.
Marcela and her whole family are grateful. The long journey from the city of Puquio in the state of Ayacucho was worth it. She is alive and has a future again.
An editor’s note: In September 2003, Mission Doctors John and their children drove from Lima to Curahuasi. During the journey of almost 1000 kilometers, they also passed through Puquio and took a short break there. A conversation developed with some passersby on the street. When the people heard that the travelers in Apurimac wanted to build a hospital for the Quechuas, they said, “Why don’t you build the hospital here in Puquio. We need urgent medical help!” In the entire mountainous region of the Peruvian Andes, medical care for the Quechuas is inadequate.
