If you haven’t been living in Stone Age, you would know all about (once) the world’s heaviest woman, Eman Ahmed, 36-year-old Egyptian who weighed 500 kg when she landed in Mumbai for her weight reduction treatment at a local facility. She was brought to Saifee Hospital from Egypt.
The internet sensation was incapable of moving about due to a paralytic condition in her right leg and right arm. When she was brought to India in an Egypt Air cargo plane from her home Alexandria, a crane was arranged by the officials to lift her along with her bed.
Admitted since February, Eman recently underwent the much-awaited bariatric surgery. Here are some key developments:
- Firstly, hats off to Mumbai's doctors for pulling off such a crucial operation within just a month’s span and for setting a world record for doing that. Eman was under the supervision of leading bariatric surgeon Dr Muffazal Lakdawala and his team, who performed a Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on Eman.
- Prior to the operation, Eman was restricted the amount of food intake and had been on a strict liquid diet regimen at Saifee Hospital, due to which she shed at least 100 kg.
- After the operation, she is expected to reduce approx. 150 kg in future. Obviously, she will not be allowed to have food that could have an effect on her health and a specific diet chart is ready for the Egyptian. She currently weighs 350 kg.
- Mid-Day reports that Eman who once couldn’t move an inch from her bed, is now grooving to Arabic music while lying on her bed at Saifee Hospital.
- Eman stopped stepping out of her house for 25 years due to life-threatening obesity. But Mumbai doctors assured that they can cure her so Eman had to give it a shot.
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- The surgery went off smoothly and now Eman is capable of hoisting her upper body slightly.
- Eman always has her sister Shaimaa Ahmed company. While she was being prepared for the bariatric surgery, which is having a knife cut through the stomach for the shrinking bypass procedure done, Shaimaa never left her sister’s side. Even now, she is playing music for Eman.
- The team of 13 specialists (physicians, anaesthesiologists) is on constant watch for her health parameters now.
Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, the bariatric surgeon, said, "We have already collected her blood samples to ascertain functions of her vital organs -- liver, kidney, heart and lungs, etc. We have also conducted a gene test to understand if there's an underlying reason for her low metabolism. The reports will help us plan the next line of action."
- Dr Lakdawala added, "We already have the best of the brains in the field of bariatric surgery from America, England and Australia consulting with us on this case. Our first priority will be to save Eman's life." According to the doctor, when he responded to the letter requesting him to treat Eman, she told him in full faith, "I trust you and so does my family."
"The family was contacted by many doctors from across the world, but they bestowed their trust on me. I will ensure that she gets healthy. And for this single case, the entire world has come together, which even brought the government machineries of two countries (India and Egypt) together," said the doctor.
- For further improvement, doctors are conducting a special gene study on the patient for obesity-related syndrome.
- When asked about the possibility of multiple surgeries, Dr Lakdawala explained "When we examined her in Egypt, her creatinine and blood pressure levels were high and our team's first task was to regularise them so that she could be airlifted to withstand the six-hour flight to India." He added, "Once we get clearances from the respective teams monitoring her health, we will conduct a laparoscopic procedure to clip her stomach. Post-surgery, on the basis of her prognosis and time taken for recovery, we will discharge her and will call for the second surgery after a year."
- While having an approved anaesthetist's fitness certificate was the most challenging task for the team, bariatric surgeon Dr Sanjay Borude told Mid-Day,
"While the overall fitness of a patient is taken into consideration, the role of the anaesthetist team will be crucial and challenging. And, if the claim of the patient being 500 kg in weight is true, then it will be a very challenging task for the team. The primary task of the anaesthetist will be to put the patient to sleep by providing higher doses of anaesthesia, maintaining all her parameters during the surgical procedure and getting her out of the anaesthesia effect. And the dosage of anaesthesia drugs in such cases will be five to six times than otherwise used for a regular patient."
- A specially constructed room with special intensive care unit is arranged for Eman on the first floor of the Charni Road hospital. The room is equipped with all life saving equipment and other facilities too, if required. These include portable ventilator, portable defibrillator, oxygen cylinders, intubating laryngoscope and other safety drugs in case of an emergency.
- Eman's sister has also been accommodated in a special room where they will spend another three to six months.
Here’s wishing good luck to Eman. Hopefully, we will soon see you walking on Mumbai's roads.
Feature Image Credit: Mid-Day
Also Read: Egypt’s women’s volleyball team competes in hijabs; loses match, wins fans
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