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A 49-year-old Cuban woman has been waiting for urgent heart surgery for two years as her health continues to deteriorate. The woman, who suffers from severe mitral stenosis, claims that she can no longer walk or bathe on her own, and many nights she has to sleep sitting up because she feels short of breath.
The complaint was sent to journalist Alberto Arego, who shared the testimony on social media after receiving the message from the patient, who requested to remain anonymous.
"I am currently sitting on my bed unable to sleep; it's 2:45 in the morning, but I can't take it anymore," the woman wrote, explaining the distressing situation she is in while waiting for an intervention that never comes.
According to her account, the initial diagnosis was made in Ciego de Ávila, where an echocardiogram confirmed the severity of her condition. She then traveled to Havana and was evaluated at the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, where specialists confirmed the same diagnosis and placed her on the waiting list for surgery.
Two years have passed since then.
The patient claims that her physical condition has worsened significantly. “I can't walk, I can't bathe myself, my legs are swollen all the time, and now my abdomen is too,” she recounted. She also explained that she can hardly eat and that at night she has to sleep sitting up because she feels like she might stop breathing.
The woman says she has tried to communicate with doctors in Havana to find out when she will be transferred to the hospital where she is supposed to have surgery, but she was informed that her transfer depends on her being admitted to Ciego de Ávila first, where they could only monitor her heart before sending her home again.
"I can't live like this anymore," she lamented.
In addition to her delicate heart condition, she faces another health issue: an 18-millimeter gallstone, detected after a biliary colic that required her hospitalization. As she explained, the doctors did not perform surgery due to concerns about the complications that general anesthesia could pose because of her heart disease.
"I am only 49 years old and I depend on others to do everything for me," said the Cuban woman, who fears that a sudden complication could endanger her life.
The case brings back to the forefront the long waiting lists for surgeries in the Cuban health system, a situation that many patients are denouncing on social media while their illnesses progress without receiving the necessary treatment.
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