World’s heaviest woman finally arrives from Egypt in the wee hours of Saturday to undergo bariatric surgery at Saifee hospital
As Eman Ahmed, the world’s heaviest woman, is under observation at Saifee hospital in the city, bariatric surgeons say that the road to a healthier life could be a long one. The 36-year-old suffers from various complications including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hypothyroidism, severe obstructive and restrictive lung disease, and gout. She is also at a very high risk of pulmonary embolism.
Eman arrived in the city from Alexandria at around 4 am on Saturday.
“These surgeries are not emergency surgeries but planned ones. Ideally, a person should be able to walk before the surgery. Administering anaesthesia during the procedure is one of the biggest challenges,” said Dr Shashank Shah, bariatric surgeon at Hinduja Healthcare, Khar. Last year, he operated on UK based Zachary Smith who was 310 kg, and Vasai-based Amita Rajani, who weighed around 300 kg before surgery. Both patients subsequently lost over 170 kg.
Eman’s team of doctors is led by bariatric surgeon Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, who will announce her future course of treatment on Monday.
Dr Lakdawala said, “Eman is currently under observation. For the next 48 hours, a team of doctors will be conducting a routine body check-up and will do a complete body profile test before we determine the course of action.”
“A special gene study will also be undertaken for the 91 different types of genes isolated with obesity related syndrome,” he said. Eman may need a couple of bariatric procedures at optimal times to achieve best results, he said. The team of doctors includes a cardiologist, a cardiac surgeon, an endocrinologist and a chest physician.
Leading bariatric surgeons say the treatment would have to first begin with intensive physiotherapy. “Such patients normally tend to be deficient in nutrition. She (Eman) will probably need another two to three months to lose enough weight to stand on her feet first,” said Dr Jayshree Todkar, Secretary, Obesity Surgery Society of India. “The surgery is done in stages. The first step could be to bring her down to 350 kg and then the weight reduction target could be raised,” she added.
A crane was used to lift the customised bed with wheels carrying Eman out of the truck. The bed was then placed on a specially constructed platform on Saifee hospital’s first floor.
The room has been designed to accommodate Eman and was put together after the BMC authorities razed to ground the specially constructed operation theatre at the hospital citing lack of permissions.
At present, doctors are closely monitoring Eman’s condition to ensure that she remains stable.
Dr Lakdawala had also started an online fund-raising campaign for her treatment. The entire cost of treatment is estimated to be around Rs 50 lakh, and so far the campaign has raised Rs 6.76 lakh.
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 "Eman Ahmed")
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