A woman born with her organs on the wrong side of her body wasn't diagnosed with the rare condition for 14 years.
Olesya Kulikova, 27, suffered for years with a number of medical issues until doctors eventually diagnosed her with situs inversus totalis, an abnormality which is characterised by a mirror reversal of the essential organs.
Only one in 10,000 people are born with the condition and Olesya, from Achinsk, Russia, has spoken out to raise awareness after only being diagnosed in 2009.
She said if doctors detect it in unborn babies they will often recommend abortions and tell expectant mothers their child will be unlikely to survive past birth.
Olesya has been in and out of hospital since birth battling illnesses, such as pneumonia, bronchial asthma and intense stomach aches.
She told NeedToKnow.online: “I was 14 years old when I found out that my heart was on the right and at 18, I found out my liver was located on the left.
“In 2019, I was in hospital with pneumonia when they told me that my lungs were located in a ‘mirror’ fashion.
“Every time I go through a medical examination, I have to explain that my heart is on the right, not the left like all people.
“I don’t have tattoos, documents or jewellery which could warn doctors if I lose consciousness.
“During electrocardiograms a test [which checks the heart’s rhythm] I have to tell doctors to place the electrodes on the right.”
It's been hard to detect other health issues due to her condition and it wasn't until last year that doctors told her she was also suffering from kartagener syndrome, a hereditary condition which causes difficulties moving debris and fluid from the lungs.
She said: “Because of this, I’ve had pneumonia four times and as I have bronchial asthma too I have shortness of breath and a constant cough.
“In April I went to the hospital because I had a stomach ache and when I told the doctor about my condition he suggested that it was appendicitis.
“It turned out it was urolithiasis, also known as kidney stones.”
Olesya said: “I met a girl who gave birth to a boy with the condition and she told me that when she was pregnant, doctors said there was a chance her child wouldn’t live.
“If he did survive he would perhaps be disabled and she was later offered an abortion.
“As doctors rarely meet this type of scenario, they assumed that the baby would die - but she had a healthy baby, which I call a miracle.
“In another case, the child was born with their heart on the right and had a defect, but he underwent surgery and now has a completely healthy heart.”
Olesya is the only person in her family with the condition and doesn’t have any children of her own.
Recently, she has been naturally trying to improve her breathing by going to the gym.
She hopes to spread the message that those with the abnormality can live to adulthood and that they’re not alone.
She added: “I admit, I was embarrassed that I had situs inversus totalis - but I started to blog and people from all different countries wrote to me.
“Most people often ask questions about my health and many find me by hashtags where I offer support.
“Of course, everyone hopes that their children will live happily ever after with this anomaly and I’m convinced that we can lead a normal life.”
