A Nigerian woman who went to Dubai for her treatment of gall bladder praised the doctors who found that she was having a rare condition in which her major organs are on the opposite side of the body.
Patience Okoduwa arrived from Lagos to Dubai to find a treatment for long-standing abdominal pains, but her tests detected the congenital condition, which affects only just one in 10,000 individuals across the world.
In patients suffering from situs inversus totalis, the organs in the abdomen and chest are found reversed or in a mirror image of their actual position.
It is also associated with many other issues like lung problems and congenital heart disorders. The person with this problem also poses a challenge for doctors performing surgery.
Okoduwa, aged 39, found no solution to her health problems, forcing her to travel to Dubai’s Medeor Hospital for other solutions.
A specialist radiologist at the hospital, Jaswant Ahuja, said that medical advances in the country are the reason due to which her condition could be identified.
“We have made technological advances in sonography, like MRI and CT scan, enabling us to identify these anomalies,” he said.
“During the scan, I found transposition of the organs. The gallbladder and liver, normally located on the right side, were seen on the left side of the stomach. The heart was also located on the right side.”
Ms Okoduwa and her husband Emmanuel were surprised to know about this diagnosis.
“I have experienced three C-sections in the past. Over the years, I have visited several big hospitals for gallstones. I am surprised that no one has been able to notice this till we came here,” Ms Okoduwa said.
The couple were so overwhelmed by the doctor’s support in Dubai that they planned to buy an apartment in the emirate to make it their forever home.