Had it not been for the second opinion at the last minute, a 29-year-old woman would have been “buried alive” as her family made all preparations for last rites after doctors at a leading private hospital opined that she had only half an hour left.

Shahina Begum, a resident of Goripalya near Mysuru Road, was unconscious for hours and was rushed to a well-known private hospital last week. Doctors who examined her declared that her condition was critical and opined that she had a very short time left to live. Her disheartened family began preparations for the funeral. Shahina was taken back home from the hospital to spend her last few minutes with the family.

Family members called the workers at the burial ground and it was decided that she would be buried after namaaz at 5 pm, said Shaik Ateeq, her brother. “We asked the family members to have food. We had also put a shamiyana in front of our house. We had to perform a ritual of dressing her up with different clothes and that was also done,” Ateeq told Deccan Herald.

It was at this stage that Dr Tanvir, the family doctor, arrived on the scene and turned it around. Shahina ’s father Mohammed Baig, a shopkeeper, said: “We had given up all hopes. That was when Dr Tanvir came. What followed was a miracle for us. He told us she could survive and that was all we wanted to hear.”

Shahina was then shifted to Shekar Hospitals for treatment. Now, she is conscious and on a semi-solid diet, on the road to recovery. She is likely to be discharged this week, her father said.

Speaking about her condition, Dr Tanvir, Intensivist, Shekar Hospitals, said she has almost recovered. “She was unconscious for a really long period. This happened because her sugar levels were extremely high. Shahina had a condition called Diabetic Ketoacidosis,” he explained.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City / Bengaluru – DHNS, October 15th, 2015