Strange swelling that causes woman to sit up all night

Esther Otieno whose stomach has been swelling for the last eight years. [PHOTO: MAUREEN ODIWUOR]

When you see her from a distance, she appears to be pregnant with triplets but on a closer look, she is too old to be expecting. Pregnancy would, however, have been a blessing for 56-year-old Esther Otieno from Kamwana village in Nyakach District of Kisumu County - because she has never had a child.

Her stomach has been protruding since 2002 and the condition has paralysed all her activities; although she can move her limbs, see and hear, she is incapacitated and cannot fend for herself.

The condition began when her husband, John Obong’o, was still alive. Esther remembers a painful swelling in her stomach whose weight increased as the days went by.

“My husband was alive then and he gave me the support I needed, even though he was just a peasant farmer and could not afford much. He took me to New Nyanza Provincial Hospital in 2005,” says Esther.

An X-ray revealed that her liver had a problem and needed to be cleansed, something that could only be done at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.

“I was referred to Eldoret but I could not go since we were penniless and could not even afford the fare,” says a dejected Esther.

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Her brother-in-law, Vincent Dudi, says, “We resolved to take her to Tenwek Hospital where Sh40,000 was required to commence treatment but we had no money.”

Her husband organised a fund-raising, which raised only Sh3,000. He passed on in 2011, leaving her to deal with the condition on her own. She now has problems sleeping, as the pain is sometimes unbearable, forcing her to sit up all night.

“My only hope lies in God. If I get help to go to the hospital, I will be healed. I may be weak physically but my heart is strong,” she says.

Kisumu District Hospital’s consultant physician, Parmar Sanjeev, says since the condition has affected her abdomen, it is difficult to know what the actual problem is.

“Considering her age and the duration of the condition, my advice would be that she gets admitted at Kisumu District Hospital, and then we can see how to help because treatment here is affordable,” says Dr Parmar.

Esther is, however, wondering how she will clear the hospital bills since she is currently being taken care of by good Samaritans.