Pune: Amita Rajani (42), a resident of Vasai, Palghar district, who pre-operatively weighed 300 kg, has successfully undergone a weight loss surgery.
Pune-based Dr Shashank Shah, a renowned bariatric surgeon and founder of LaparoObeso Centre, helped her during and after the surgery. After four years, Rajani now weighs 86
kg.
Rajani was a normal baby, weighing three kg. But by the age of six years, she started putting on weight.
At 16, she weighed 126 kg and could not perform regular activities with ease. This took a toll on her self-esteem too.
Leading endocrinologists from India and the UK were unable to find the cause of her obesity.
Rajani’s misery continued as she piled up a whopping 300 kg and was unable to step out of the house. She needed
constant assistance even to help walk and for daily activities. She would need oxygen support intermittently. She was given special nursing care. For eight years, she was confined to bed.
Later, she visited Dr Shashank Shah, who examined her for bariatric surgery. That was the only time she stepped out of the house. Rajani was not just diagnosed with super morbid obesity but also deranged cholesterol, kidney dysfunction, Type II diabetes and breathing problem.
Before surgery, she had to prepare for two months. A separate ambulance was arranged, where the door was removed and a six-and-a-half-foot sofa was fitted to take her to the hospital. She was put on a tailor-made diet and a special bed, clothes and a weighing machine was arranged in the hospital. Her surgery was divided into two stages.
In 2015, she underwent the first stage metabolic surgery, which was a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy at LOC.
Later, her condition started improving and she lost weight and could walk on her own. In 2017, a second surgery - gastric bypass was performed on Rajani at the centre, who now weighed 140 kg.
So with these two metabolic treatments and her efforts, she lost weight.
Dr Shah said obesity is is the mother of all diseases and more common in women than men.
“This is because women have physiological reasons for weight gain like pregnancy or menopause while men are subjected to abdominal obesity. Significant abdominal obesity can give rise to chronic life-threatening disorders like cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. Also in women, being overweight is emotionally
disturbing,” said Dr Shah.
He added that every fifth person in India used to be overweight, but now every third person is overweight. “Obesity is a disease of metabolism induced by the environment and substances, which disrupt or injure the endocrine system. In some cases like Rajani, these disturbances are extremely severe. But today, after four years of surgery, she is free from health issues like diabetes and blood pressure. Her kidney functioning is normal. She has been asked to stick to her diet as well. Now, we are in a process to get her case registered in the Limca Book of Records,” Dr Shah added.
A joyous Amita Rajani said now she is independent and can move freely. “I can wear clothes of my choice and live life the way I want to,” she said.
