Why does this 57-year-old Cebu woman have an abnormally enlarged stomach?

A 57-year-old woman from Barili, Cebu has been suffering from an abnormally enlarged stomach, which made her weigh 180 kilos.

According to the latest episode of “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” “Eva”, not her real name, had to be rescued by almost ten members of the local government unit and transferred to an ambulance.

“Eva” resides in the house of her sister, Norma. She has slim arms and legs despite her bloated stomach.

“Tiyan lang ang lumalaki tapos ‘yung mga binti, ‘yung mga braso, malnourished na,” Norma said.

[“Her belly kept growing, but her legs and arms became malnourished.”]

She added that “Eva” rarely speaks, and tends to be forgetful.

“May mga bagay na parang nakalimutan niya,” Norma said, adding that her sister spends most of her time and also sleeps in the kitchen because she finds it difficult to go upstairs.

[“She has a tendency to forget some things.”]

“Eva’s” niece, Leah, added, “‘Pag umihi siya, hindi na siya pumunta ng CR. Doon na lang sa tabi na malapit lang doon sa kanyang higaan. Tumindig siya mag-ihi.”

[“When she needs to pee, she doesn’t go to the bathroom anymore. Instead, she would just pee near her sleeping area.”]

Despite her condition, “Eva” can still take care of herself. She can bathe herself and wash her own clothes, which are mostly stained with blood.

“Ito ‘yung underwear niya na ginagawa niyang pads. Makikita n’yo na may dugo pa rin. Araw-araw ‘yan,” Leah said, saying it’s not normal that she still bleeds at her age.

[“She uses her underwear as pads. There’s always blood on them every day.”]

They said that “Eva” doesn’t complain about her condition, but they know that she is physically suffering.

“Matutulog siya po patagilid. Hindi siya patihaya na matulog. Sa tingin namin baka sa paghinga niya. Nahihirapan siya,” Leah said.

[“She sleeps sideways. We think she has difficulty in breathing.”]

Eva’s younger years

“Eva’s” other sister, Virginia, said that “Eva” is the prettiest among them and that she always took good care of her body.

In the ’80s, “Eva” got a job as a maid in Manila and later met a seaman.

“Gusto niyang manganak, kaso hindi sila nagkaanak,” Virginia said.

[“She wanted to have her own children, but she never had them.”]

Eventually, “Eva” and her boyfriend broke up.

She went back to Cebu in 2008, and that’s when they started noticing the lump in her stomach.

“Maliit pa siya pero matigas siya na parang buko ng niyog. Napagkamalan niya noon na buntis siya. Kada taon po, lumalaki nang lumalaki ang kanyang tiyan,” Leah said. “100% sure na hindi siya buntis kasi wala naman siyang kinakasama ba’t mabuntis siya?”

[“At first, when her belly started growing, we thought she was pregnant. But it only kept getting bigger.  By then, we were sure she wasn’t pregnant because she wasn’t seeing anyone.”]

For 16 years, “Eva” couldn’t get her condition checked due to insufficient funds.

Eva’s diagnosis

To help “Eva”, KMJS extended financial assistance.

And with the help of members from the Rural Health Unit and Barili MDRRMO, “Eva” was taken to a hospital.

“Eva” underwent a CT scan and pelvic and abdominal ultrasounds, where they found out that her stomach was filled with water because of her condition called ascites, a buildup of fluid in the stomach that may be caused by a liver disease.

“Everything is normal except for the blood, it is diluted, that’s what we call anemia,” Dr. Olivia Alve Dandan said.

It was also discovered that “Eva” has an ovarian mass, which is feared to be malignant or cancerous.

“Dito sa ‘ting ultrasound, nakita natin na may mass probably galing sa ovary niya which meron ding possible na 73% malignant which means may tendency na cancer but hindi natin masasabi na 100% kasi iba-biopsy pa natin siya. Usually, the mass, unknown ‘yun na cause, it could be hereditary,” Dr. Dandan said.

[“In the ultrasound, we saw a mass, probably originating from her ovary. There’s a 73% chance it’s malignant or cancerous. But we aren’t 100% certain because we still need to do a biopsy. The cause of the mass is usually unknown. It could be hereditary.”]

She also explained that the vaginal spotting may be coming from the ovarian tumor.

“We have to remove the fluid first before matanggal ‘yung mass. Probably operation.  As much as possible, we have to do something sa mass niya. We will not wait na it will complicate pa,” Dandan said.

[“To be able to remove the mass, we have to remove the fluid first. We have to do something about it. We will not wait for her condition to have other complications.”]

“Panawagan ko po na sana matulungan po kami para sa operasyon.” Leah said.

[“We hope you can help us fund our aunt’s operation.”]

For those who wish to help “Eva,” please deposit to:

LEAH FLORES ROSALES
008850214656
BDO
CARCAR CITY, CEBU BRANCH

—JCB, GMA Integrated News