Laxmi Finds Rest After Four Nights of Pain

Laxmi Chitod, a 20 year old from Dhadgaon, Nandurbar, dreams of becoming a doctor. She lives with sickle cell disease and has already undergone one hip replacement surgery. Her other hip bone is deteriorating, and along with her daily hydroxyurea dosage she now needs IV tramadol to manage her pain.

Her father, Vijay Chitod, is a healthy carrier of sickle cell. He is the only caregiver for both Laxmi and her mother, who also has sickle cell disease and recently underwent hip replacement surgery. With no formal support system, he is caught between caring for two loved ones while managing household responsibilities.

During her recent crisis, when pain kept her awake for four nights, Laxmi reached out to Parag, our Programme Manager. With the support of our outreach team, her father, already burdened with caregiving duties, was counselled about pain management and the use of morphine. It was decided to take her to Chinchpada Christian Hospital (CCH) for pain management. The journey to CCH is not easy, as families have to travel 120 kilometres between Dhadgaon and Navapur through difficult terrain. KeSVF ensured all arrangements were in place and Laxmi was accompanied by her father and nurse Kavita. Our nurse stayed with Laxmi at CCH, while her father had to resume work and attend to his wife.

On admission at CCH, she was immediately attended to and morphine was included as part of her treatment. Gradually her pain reduced and she was able to sleep. By the fifth day of admission, her pain had finally settled.

This relief was possible because of Dr Ashita and her team at CCH, and because of the dedication of Kavita, Yateen and Dasharath. Both Laxmi and Dr Ashita have also featured in our YouTube series on sickle cell disease created for the Collector’s Office, foregrounding patient and caregiver voices, and healthcare providers’ perspectives. Despite her challenges, Laxmi continues to participate in life with courage. She even joined the Independence Day celebrations at CCH.

Note: This case narrative and accompanying image have been shared with informed consent.