The Samdech Techo Voluntary Youth Doctor Association (TYDA) on February 17 successfully removed a bullet that had been lodged in a man’s brain for over 30 years.
Sim Sokchan, vice-president of TYDA and a specialist in neurosurgery, identified the patient as Hul Siden, 35, a resident of Trapaing Krasaing commune in Phnom Penh’s Kamboul district.
He said Siden was recovering from an operation at CMMC Jeremiah’s Hope in Mittapheap commune of the capital’s Prampi Makara district.
At the outset, the TYDA medical team had Siden’s head X-rayed and found one bullet lodged in the right side of his brain. They explained to him that it was possible to conduct cranial surgery and remove the bullet, though – like all surgeries – the procedure was not without some danger.
“And thankfully we succeeded,” Sokchan told The Post on February 21.
“You may have already known some information about TYDA, in that we conduct general medical check-ups for people. If there is a serious illness, we will refer them to other hospitals in Phnom Penh for treatment,” he added.
Sokchan recalled that on February 12, TYDA’s medical team, led by its president Pech Chanmony, were visiting people in Kamboul district. Siden was there and while meeting with them, he had a seizure and went into convulsions due to the bullet affecting his brain.
Citing Siden’s mother, Sokchan said that when he was three years old a bullet fired from an unknown source hit his head, and he was unconscious and in a coma for two weeks.
She said that after he regained consciousness, he frequently suffered from serious grand mal seizures that would wrack his body with convulsions.
The mother said she had taken him to one private clinic for treatment, and they prescribed him medication to help with the seizures. But even when he was on large doses of three strong medications, he would still suffer from seizures and the medication made him drowsy and unable to study or work.
“Hopefully in the future, we will be able to eliminate the medications if he does not continue to have seizures. So far – four days after the surgery on February 21 – he hasn’t had any seizures yet and his condition seems to be improving. He is not nearly as drowsy either,” Sokchan said.
“I think the procedure worked out well and we performed the operation with a team that was entirely made up of Cambodian doctors,” he added.
