I have an update on my sister, the pregnancy, and the terrible pain she had been experiencing. Thankfully, this one comes with some good news.
While we were sitting around hoping for a miracle after being in despair, one of my sister’s friends called her completely out of the blue. I don’t know what made her call that particular day, but I’m incredibly grateful she did.
She could apparently hear the pain in my sister’s voice and immediately asked what was wrong. My sister narrated everything that had happened over the past few weeks, from the fall, to the persistent pain, the hospital visits, the fibroids, the medications that didn’t seem to help, and how she was gradually losing strength. Her appetite had also dropped significantly.
At that point, we honestly didn’t know what else to do so we had already begun discussing the possibility of ending the pregnancy because we were becoming increasingly afraid for her life. As stated in the previous post, she is about six months pregnant, the pain was becoming unbearable and, after being told at different hospitals that there wasn’t much more they could do for her, we were beginning to feel completely helpless.
But we didn’t want to make such a serious decision without getting another medical opinion, especially considering how far along the pregnancy was and the risks involved. Her friend then suggested a private hospital run by a friend of her father’s, who is also a doctor. She told us she trusted him and gave us the address so my dad drove my sister there.
The hospital was tucked away in a rather remote area, and finding it was an adventure in itself. Even though it was listed on Google Maps, getting there wasn’t exactly straightforward. But when we finally arrived, the place looked clean, organised and, thankfully, like an actual hospital should.
According to the reviews we had seen, the doctor was known to be friendly and good at what he did. And after everything we had experienced in the previous weeks, we desperately needed someone who would actually sit down, listen and try to figure out what was happening.
My sister waited for a while before he arrived. When he eventually examined her, he told her that there would be no need for an evacuation. I think that was the first time in a while that we felt like we could breathe. He assured her that, based on his assessment, the situation could be managed. He took his time with her, spoke calmly and explained what he was seeing rather than making her feel like she was inconveniencing him by being there.
He also ran scans and the baby was alive and doing okay. The problem was that the baby wasn’t growing as well as expected, which he attributed to the fibroids. He also believed the fibroids were responsible for the severe pain my sister had been experiencing. So he prescribed some medications, which she took to the hospital’s pharmacy.
There, she was given an injection and some medication and some minutes later, the pain stopped.
When I got home from church that day, I had gone specifically to pray for my sister’s health and the safety of both her and the baby. I walked in and saw her looking better. I cannot properly explain the relief that washed over me. After days of watching her struggle, losing her appetite and strength, seeing her finally sitting without that terrible expression of pain on her face felt like someone had switched the lights back on in the house. I was ridiculously happy.
What surprised me even more was how affordable the visit was. She spent approximately ₦70,000($52) at the hospital for the consultation, scans, medication and treatment. After everything we had been through, I honestly expected the bill to be much higher. But beyond the money, what made more sense to me was the difference in how she was treated. And this is where I have a little issue with the healthcare system, particularly health insurance.
Most of the hospitals we had visited before this one had seen my sister through insurance. At some point, she was even dismissed rather rudely and told that they didn’t know what else they could do for her. I don’t want to generalise and say every hospital treats insured patients this way, because that wouldn’t be fair.
But our experience made me wonder whether some facilities handle insured cases differently. Because when someone is in severe pain, losing strength and clearly frightened about what is happening to her pregnancy, the last thing she needs is to feel like she’s being rushed through the door because her treatment is covered by insurance. If there are limitations to what a particular insurance plan covers, patients should be told clearly. If certain hospitals cannot handle particular complications, say so and if a referral is necessary, refer the patient.
Don’t leave someone who is already terrified feeling like nobody knows what to do with her. There is already enough fear in being sick. One shouldn’t have to add “nobody seems to care” to the list.
For now, though, I’m choosing to focus on the good news. My sister is doing much better, the baby is still there and we have finally found a doctor who gave us something we desperately needed after all those frightening days. He gave us hope backed by an actual medical assessment. I don’t know what the next few months will look like because we still have the fibroids to deal with, and the pregnancy will need to be monitored carefully. There are still things to worry about but at least we’re no longer sitting around feeling completely helpless.
And I’m incredibly grateful to the friend who randomly picked up her phone and decided to check on my sister. Sometimes, you don’t know that someone’s simple phone call is about to change the course of an entire day. You don’t even know you’re the answer to someone’s prayer. At this point I think that was the miracle we had been waiting for.
Thank you to everyone who left kind comments on my previous post and gave me hope. Your words, encouragement, and support meant more to me than you know. <3