Livingstone doctors to the rescue
Woman healed after 20 years of pain for R350
AFTER 20 years of desperate health struggles, hundreds of thousands of rands in medical bills and no answers, a Seaview woman was finally diagnosed and successfully treated at Livingstone Hospital – all for just R350.
Elaine van der Linde, 59, was suffering a debilitating and baffling array of symptoms.
“She constantly felt like she was having labour pains and no one was able to tell her why.
“I was at a stage where I thought I was done for. I was in excruciating pain every day,” she said.
Over a 20-year period, Elaine saw countless doctors who all told her that her white blood cell count was elevated and there was no explanation for her condition.
And when her husband, Lewis, lost his job their savings could no longer cover contributions to their medical aid.
In desperation she turned to “Dr Google” where she discovered a paper written by Livingstone Hospital doctor John Black and realised he specialised in rare diseases and difficult diagnoses.
“We sent a wishful e-mail describing her symptoms and to our utter surprise and elation, got an instant reply. He arranged an appointment at the Wellness Clinic a week after our communication,’’ Lewis said.
She was admitted to hospital for tests in April this year.
“He spent three hours just asking a battery of questions and advised us that this would be a process of elimination. He called for extreme patience in advance.
“He was the first doctor who really listened to me,” Elaine said.
“Then one day Dr Black said he thought I might have a fistula [a hole between two organs] between my colon and my vagina.”
The doctor said it could have been caused during any of the births of her five children or by a bout of bilharzia she suffered when she was younger.
The tests indicated that this was indeed so and Elaine was scheduled for surgery with Dr Richard Vogel.
“Those two gave me back hope. They gave me back my life,” Elaine said.
“We are elated and so grateful for the extreme professionalism and care of these dedicated heroes,” Lewis said this week.
“These doctors work under extreme conditions and are more often than not criticised instead of being acknowledged and praised for their dedication.
“Livingstone Hospital, being a teaching hospital and seeing hun- dreds of patients a day, coping with staff shortages and desperate souls, is in our opinion an absolutely incredible institution,” Lewis added.
“Yes, the facilities are old and you have to make yourself or loved ones as comfortable as possible,” Elaine said. “Yes the aftercare in the wards is difficult and at times testing.
“These unsung heroes, nursing staff do what they can with what they have. A challenge indeed.”
Elaine said they also wanted to single out Dr Grant Delport who looked after her while she was at the hospital.
“One night while I was waiting for surgery, I was in so much pain I couldn’t take it anymore.
“I sent an e-mail to Dr Black that read: ‘Please help me’.
“He phoned and told me to go to the hospital. This was where Dr Delport helped us.
“I saw him every day and he is a very caring doctor. Even when you could see he was very busy and running around all day, he would take a minute to come and ask if I was doing okay,” she said.
With her surgery a success, Elaine is well on her way to a full recovery.
Of Dr Vogel’s work she said, “Of all the surgeries I ever had, this is the neatest scar I have. I wanted to tell him if he wasn’t a surgeon he would be one hell of a seamstress, but my husband said he wouldn’t like that.” Elaine, who is due to become a grandmother for the tenth time, said she was now looking forward to each new day.
Lewis can still not believe that the hospital bill came to a mere R350.
“You know, one night in desperation I took my wife to the casualty unit of a private hospital in town. They covered her with a warm blan- ket. They were very polite and nice but they told me I would need R80 000 up front to just get her admitted.
“I paid R350 for everything they did for us at Livingstone.
“It was R35 per visit and R80 for the surgery. I have never been happier to pay R350 before in my life.”
Eastern Cape Health Department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the department was extremely proud of the doctors’ achievement.
“It is proof that we have well-trained doctors who have the capacity to turn sorrow into a story with a happy ending.
“We are also very happy for the patient who suffered for many years and almost lost everything to get cured,” he said.
If you have a story of hope from an Eastern Cape hospital, e-mail Estelle Ellis on ellise@timesmedia.co.za