TESTIMONY TO KENYANS
ABOUT MY ENCOUNTER WITH DR. MURALI MOHAN.
FROM PASTOR. BENARD OKOKO
After elaborate but necessary procedures in Kenya including Nairobi Hospital, it dawned on me courtesy of A&K Global Health Agency in Nairobi that I could take my son Edward Abraham Okoko to India BGS Hospital in Bangalore for an operation at the cranial base of his skull to remove a growth and corroded vertebral bones caused by Spinal Tuberculosis, I had three troubling issues;
1. The distance and if the boy will manage travelling before and after the delicate operation that touched on spine.
2. The first hand expertise monitoring after the operation into recovery. Who would I consult in case of challenges for medical and procedural advice given that the doctor and the patient would be thousands of miles apart?
3. And obviously if my son would get a doctor who could feel for him despite the financial challenges that could stall procedures.
I write this testimony to thank God for Dr. Murali Mohan S. He did not begin and end his work at the theatre. The moment Edward became his patient he has been close to our family until now two years down the line. My wife Mary and Edward confesses the doctor and his team were very keen on every detail about Edward’s health both in hospital and outside. His attention brought hope to Edward. He had a way of dispelling despair, he comes so close.
He gave me an open platform for communication through direct email and through this we have always been able to share recovery progress and procedure recommendations including MRI reports and drug dispensing with the assistance of our family physician (Dr. Ishamel Gafna) here in Kenya.
With Dr. Murali, distance is not the issue neither do we run financial strains, it’s about life and he is always reasonable. My daughter in high school now wants to be a doctor of this type. May God continue to use you to touch lives like you have already done to our family.
Whenever the brain tumor arise from a very eloquent ( functionally very important region) of the brain, It pose significant challenge to the safe maximal surgical resection of the tumor.
In Awake surgeries, the patient is taken into confidence, counselled adequately and fear of operating room alleviated. The patient is given medications to numb the pain, but they remain conscious to interact with the surgical team and also perform motor acts / talk.
This allows precise functional mapping of the brain, helping the surgeon to remove the tumor safely without leaving behind serious deficits.
Awake surgery for Brain Tumors!
Youngest child across the globe to have undergone surgical stabilisation of the cranio-vertebral junction.
Dr.Murali Mohan S
Brain & Spine Surgeon
10 year old with Spinal Tuberculosis
The infection had destroyed 5 vertebral bodies from the root of the neck, up to the thoracic vertebrae right behind the heart...
Surgical challenge was to reach the region. A modified minimally invasive technique was used to reach the infection site from the neck, without opening the chest. Infection was cleared completely, the destroyed bones were reconstructed with titanium implants.
This is the first case in surgical history where implants have been placed in 5th thoracic vertebrae, right behind the heart from a cervical (neck) approach.
Patient Experience & Testimonials
Head Injury: patient experience
Time is brain! & Brain is Life!
Head injury are devastating to the individual, the family and the society! Prevention is better than cure. However, in the event of Head Injury, Timely intervention can do miracles.
TIME is Brain
Cerebral Aneurysm - cherry like dilatation of the artery within the brain is a serious, life threatening condition. Treatment includes Surgery and Endovascular Neuro-intervention. When the neck of the aneurysm is wide, often surgery remains a good option.
Back problems have increased in great proportions among the general population across the globe. It has not spared any community or race. The lifetime incidence is as high as 80%, which is the percentage of individuals, who would suffer from back pain sometime in their life. Low back pain is one of most common disorder that has been cited as a reason for absence from work, according to most statistical studies. Since they involve the working population to a large extent, they are associated with economic burden not just secondary to medical expenses, but largely from absence at work and hence, the reduced productivity.
And in 2016 I went to Bangalore. There I met a team of very professional doctors who convinced me to option for surgery. and I went through surgery. The head doctor was neurosurgeon Dr Murali Mohan S. The surgery was a great success. Dr Murali Mohan and his surgical team did an excellent job. It has been 1 year and 05 months since the surgery and the humping pain has been significantly reduced. I am able to carry out my daily routines without much trouble. Now I am proud to say that I am working as a teacher for higher secondary students. I have accomplished a lot thanks to the great doctors specially Dr Murali Mohan. I share a video of my experience which I think would be great contribution and an inspiration for other scoliosis patients like me. Once again thank you Dr Murali Mohan and his team for all that you have done for me'.
A condition that fuses the spinal bones together and at times the hip joints as well. This results in forward curvature of the body, restricting the mobility severely. As the person stoop forwards, they fail to establish eye contact, resulting in decreased communication with others, gradually they withdraw from active social life!
Surgery can correct the deformity and give a second chance at life!
12 yr old student, with spinal deformity: She was diagnosed with kypho-scoliosis defomity secondary to hemi-vertebra.
Surgery for congenital birth anomalies resulting in deformity needs a very different approach as the abnormal bone has to be completely removed while preserving the neurological functions and achieving a good deformity correction.
How not to abuse our Spine?
1. Eat healthy. We can’t survive on junk and fast food. We need nourishment to maintain good strength in our bones and muscles.
2. Regular Exercise & physical activity. Walking for 30 to 45 minutes a day is recommended. This physical activity has to be in addition to the regular work, a person does. Brisk walking is better than jogging / sprinting.
Avoid Obesity. The height of an individual would decide the body weight that can be supported. Obesity increases the load and burdens the spine. This would quicken the degenerative process in the spine.
3. Concentrate on Posture! (a) Sitting: We need to use the full seat of the chair, such that the back is supported. While sitting, it is important to maintain all the curvatures of the spine. The foot has to be supported. The knee should be at the same level or below the hip level. It should not be reverse!(b) Standing: While standing, the feet should be shoulder width apart. Knees locked and all the curvatures of the spine should be maintained. The shoulders should not be shrugged in. The shoulder droop would again directly affect the spinal curvatures.(c) While at work, make yourself comfortable and adopt postures that would cause least strain to your spine. Prolonged bending postures would result in damages to spine.
4. Tobacco, either smoking or chewing would prevent and prolong the healing process in the degenerated discs and bones. It is prudent to quit smoking. Smoking is not just harmful to your heart and brain, but also significantly weakens your spine.
Craniostenosis or Craniosynostosis is early closure of skull sutures, which restricts the growth of the brain, apart from causing deformities.
Early surgery of skull expansion avoids brain damage. Cosmetic correction is as important as the child's psycho-social development is lot dependent on the cosmesis.
Ankylosing Spondylosis
Story of Ms H, a 24 yr old teacher from Maldives, with scoliosis ( spinal deformity)
'ln 2006 I was diagnosed with scoliosis. For the next ten years I went through different forms of treatment from different places. at first I went to Trivandrum and put on brace for 2 years. next I went to Coimbatore. After that I went through local medical treatment. but no avail. I have been through a lot during those 10 years and was hoping for a cure or at least a relief from the excruciating pain. I had not given up.