Woman’s Finger Swells To Football Size

Thirty-six years old Afroza says she was born with a lump on her ring finger that was unusually thick, but as she grew older, the lump grew on her entire palm thickening her fingers.

Afroza Begum from Bangladesh lives in constant pain and distress due to a rare medical condition that has caused her right hand swell to the size of a football.

She said: "I've had this ever since birth, I was born with the condition. I think I had it even when I was in my mother's womb. It was small but eventually it started growing. Now the blisters grow on my hand and they itch badly - but it never hurts."

The hand swelled so fast she couldn't afford treatment, she had now been referred to a plastic surgeon but she can't afford the fees.

"I want to get treatment but it is beyond my capacity," she said.

"The blisters are only growing bigger and now they bother me."

Despite the condition, she manages to complete everyday chores with just one hand - including cleaning, and sweeping.

She has begun suffering from blisters on the palm, which often burst – resulting in painful sores.

While she sought help from several doctors at local healthcare in her village, she was always left disheartened when no treatment provided any relief.

While she had no symptoms, some doctors thought she had a problem with her bones and sent her for x-rays but the results showed there was no issue with the bone structure.

When no doctor could help her, they advised Afroza to take her case to advanced hospitals in Dhaka, the national capital. But she says she has been unable to make the visit to specialists because of their high cost, which she and her tailor husband cannot afford it.

Husband Bilal Hossain, 40, said: “It hurts me when I see her crying in pain but I am helpless. My income and expenses on children’s education doesn’t allow me to spend on her treatment but I want her to get rid of the lumps.