Growing up as a transsexual is painful because of the social, physical, and emotional consequences that the individual faces along with his whole family. Unfortunately, it is a condition that is rarely diagnosed correctly or early enough by doctors. However, a lifelong tragedy was altered for the Kumar family of Kolar District on 7th July 2010, thanks to Dr. Dinakara of Vydehi Institute of Medical Science and Research Centre.
A baby boy of two days only, born to Naveen and Sudha Kumar, suffered from strange, mysterious symptoms like frantic fits, low sodium and glucose levels, abrupt breathing, etc. At birth, the baby did not cry, on closer examination, he started crying but it was not until the second day that my wife felt there was a deeper problem Naveen Kumar recalls. Unable to decode these symptoms, doctors in their first hospital, Malur, referred them to a bigger hospital.
After hospital hopping, the parents in despair finally landed in Vydehi Hospital. The doctors there diagnosed him with a rare congenital problem called adrenal hemorrhage, saving him from living his adult life as a transsexual. Difficult to diagnose, its occurrence is only 0.001 cases in a thousand, with a mortality rate of 75-80%.
Dr. Dinakara Prithviraj, consultant neonatologist at the Vydehi Hospital, said that Even if such babies survive, they will suffer repeated episodes of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Males might develop female characteristics, as the affected gland does not produce testosterone hormone essential to develop the male characteristics.
The symptoms of low sodium and glucose levels, breathing problems and paleness, often mislead doctors to think that the problem is in the brain, even though, the problem occurs in the stomach, wherein the blood collects in the abdomen. He was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at birth due to breathing abnormalities, this ruptured this adrenal gland which aggravated his problem, explains Dr. Dinakara.
Fortunately for the family, this mistake was detected on time at Vydehi Hospital. Doctors remark that although the initial tests were related to the brain, it did not stop them from the further examination which showed some mass in the abdomen area.
Thus, not only was a life saved but the future of the whole family was lifted from what could have been very dark and painful. Naveen and Sudha Kumar’s baby boy went through rigorous treatment at the Vydehi Hospital for 12 days. The hassles were worth it because the parents are happy to see a bright future ahead for their son.
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