Thursday, April 25, 2024
Shafiqul Islam was at a loss. For almost a decade, the 50-year-old man had suffered from consistent weakness, irregular bowel movements, loss of appetite and weight loss. Shafiqul had somewhat adapted to this deep state of discomfort and suffering. However, at the end of last year, concerns grew as his bowel habits became increasingly erratic, unusual and unable to hold it.
Shafiqul had expressed his concerns but many brushed it off simply as signs of indigestion. Some even claimed he may be suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. However, Shafiqul had the eerie feeling that something was amiss. Generally, he would have booked a ticket and flew to a foreign country to find a cure for his ailment. However, because of travel restrictions imposed due to the raging Covid-19 pandemic, going overseas for treatment was not an option.
Just when Shafiqul felt like he was doomed with this perpetual suffering, an acquaintance suggested he book an appointment with Dr Mohammad Farid Hossain at Evercare Hospital Dhaka. Having exhausted all his options and unsure what to do next, Shafiqul did as his friend had suggested and sought Dr Farid’s consultation.
“After running necessary diagnostics and evaluations, Shafiqul Islam was diagnosed with a case of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Coli with adenocarcinoma of lower rectum and severely dysplastic caecal growth. Simply put, he had numerous polyps in various sizes in his colon, rectum and signs of cancer in his lower rectum.” recalls Dr Farid.
Shafiqul Islam was initially disheartened by the diagnosis but Dr Farid, along with Evercare Hospital Dhaka, were a beacon of hope for him among the darkness. Shafiqul was informed that while there were risks associated as there generally is with any surgical procedure, a successful surgery would remove the malign growths and hopefully reduce his constant suffering. With full faith and confidence in Dr Farid and Evercare, Shafiqul decided to go ahead with the surgery.
On February 24, 2021, Shafiqul underwent Laparoscopic Panproctocolectomy with Ileostomy. After a total of six and a half hours of surgery, Shafiqul was extubated and shifted to the ward on the very day of the surgery. The post-operative period is crucial when it comes to the recovery of a patient and thankfully, there were no complications in Shafiqul’s case. It was the first ever documented successful surgery of this type in the history of Evercare Hospital Dhaka. In fact, it may be the first ever successful Laparoscopic Panproctocolectomy surgery to be documented and published in Bangladesh. The doctors, staff and everyone else involved from Evercare Hospital Dhaka pulled off quite the challenging task of successfully performing this minimal access surgery i.e. Laparoscopy / Keyhole Surgery (Surgeons do not open up the abdomen with a big cut.)
All the staff and doctors involved in the case worked diligently to ensure he was fully taken care of and Shafiqul was discharged on the 4th day since the operation, after which he needed chemotherapy. “I will forever be grateful to Evercare Hospital Dhaka and Dr Farid for their dedicated service. After 10 long years of suffering, I am finally able to embrace this new lease on life and it is all thanks to them.”, says Shafiqul Islam.
With an aim to transform healthcare in Bangladesh, Evercare Hospital Dhaka is paving the way in providing world-class medical services through remarkable medical miracles like that of the case of Shafiqul Islam.
