A Big Ordeal - A Shot in the dark

Naomi reached out for her daughter's soft, silky tiny hands, and stroked them gently while she was feeding her. It's been a week since Albana arrived in this world and when Noami first held baby Albana in her arms, her feeling of love for this bundle was instant and innate. 

Naomi had been suffering from excruciating cramps in her stomach for the last two days. She thought paracetamol would help but the pain and symptoms persisted and continued feeling feverish, cold and couldn't contain her body from shaking. 

After her husband, Roberto, returned from meeting Zulema for an update on their asylum applications, he saw Noami's face, a greyish sweaty colour.

“Are you feeling ok? Honey, you really look pale. You’ve been feeling like this since Thursday and now it's Saturday. I think we should call the ambulance.”

“You're right, I don't feel ….. ” and before Naomi could finish the sentence, she fainted. 

He knew his wife needed medical attention quickly. He ran to the Hotel reception and asked Mercedes to call for an ambulance. He ran to his in-laws, knocked on their door, he quickly explained what happened and asked them to look after baby Albana.

When the ambulance arrived, Roberto jumped in the ambulance with Naomi who was taken on a stretcher, to the hospital. He was worried that his wife was drifting in and out of consciousness. He had a gut feeling that there was something seriously wrong with his wife. In the ambulance the auxiliary nurse was trying to keep her awake. Her temperature was rising to 40⁰C, and her blood pressure dropped significantly indicating she was fighting a massive infection.

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctors who were waiting at the entrance, took her into one of the ER cubicles and did the usual tests to see what was causing the infection. She was immediately put on a drip with antibiotics to stop the infection. Roberto never left her sight. 

A few hours had passed, and the doctor who assisted in Naomi’s labour, came to talk to them since the antibiotics they had available weren't stopping the infection. Naomi was sleeping, besides being too weak to be part of the conversation. 

“Let's go outside and I'll explain. The cause of Naomi’s infection was due to some remains of gauze left behind when we stitched the incision up after she gave birth, and we don't have the right antibiotics to stop the infection.

Your wife is in great danger, she has sepsis, and the treatment we are planning to follow is a shot in the dark.

There's one hospital in the whole of Argentina that has it and is in Mendoza. Unfortunately, there is a storm brewing so they can only send the helicopter after the storm has passed. We are trying to keep her alive in the meantime.“

“A shot in the dark!? What are you saying!! 

Let me tell you something, if my wife dies due to your negligence you will have to answer not only to me but also to the UN.

Naomi was awakened by Pedro's shouting. He went to her enraged by the doctor’s diagnosis and sat next to her.

“Darling sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. The doctor who is treating you is the same one who delivered our daughter. Because of his negligence, carelessness and incompetence you're ill and on top of that they don't have the antibiotics to treat you. A hospital in Mendoza is sending the medicine tomorrow morning, so now try to sleep.”

Pedro didn't tell Noami the full story but he had faith the helicopter would get to the hospital on time.