How did a beautiful 23 year old Vietnamese woman turn into an old lady in a matter of days? Now 26, Nguyen Thi Phuong will finally receive help from the medical profession but doctors have no ready answer as to why she aged 50 years in just a few days.
She has her own theory as to what could have happened - she thinks it's got something to do with her life-long allergy to seafood. In 2008 she had a very bad reaction and was so itchy, she couldn't stop scratching, even in her sleep. Because she and her husband were too poor to go to the hospital, she went to the local pharmacy to buy some medicine instead. The doctors think this could be the problem as traditional medicines are often spiked with corticoids which could have triggered the rare skin disease mastocytosis. The couple said they don't remember what the medicine was or which pharmacy they got it from.
As her body takes on the appearance of a 70 year old woman, her menstrual cycle, hair, teeth and eyes are not affected in any way. The loving couple have been together for seven years and their dreams of having a child are fading as her condition doesn't improve.
Her husband is a carpenter and she works in a cashew-nut processing factory and between them, they make about $200 a month, which is not enough for an examination at a major hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Wouldn't you think that living in a Communist country where everyone is supposed to be equal, free hospital cover would be available to everyone? (Sarcasm)
But help is in sight - on the 2nd October, two doctors examined Phuong for free and she will be referred to the Dermatology hospital if they can't agree, although mastocytosis seems the likely diagnosis.
Watch the video
No comments:
Post a Comment