Eman to return home in 2 to 3 weeks

Next goal for docs who performed stomachstapling on 500kg woman is to get her fit enough to fly

Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, the nearly 500-kg Egyptian woman who underwent weightloss surgery at Mumbai’s Saifee Hospital on Thursday, is likely to return to her home in Egypt in two to three weeks.

Thursday, incidentally, happened to be World Kidney Day, which was used this year to spread awareness about the link between kidney diseases and obesity.

“She will most likely return home at the end of the month. We have communicated the necessary protocols to her sister and local doctors will share her blood report and health status reports with us regularly,” said a hospital official.

Doctors at the hospital said that Eman, who weighed over 500kg, underwent a procedure called laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, in which about 75% of the stomach is removed, leaving a narrow gastric tube or ‘sleeve’.

No intestines are removed or bypassed and the procedure takes an hour or two to complete.

Doctors said Eman has so far lost about 120kg through a combination of diet, physiotherapy and surgery.

“We are happy to inform all well-wishers that the medical team of Saifee Hospital has successfully performed the surgery on Eman Ahmed. She had an uneventful surgery and anesthesia course,” said a hospital official.

Doctors said that Eman is now on a high-protein and fibrerich liquid diet.

“The next goal for the medical team is to correct all her associated medical problems and get her fit enough to fly back to Egypt as soon as possible,” said a doctor.

Dr Hemal Shah, head of nephrology at the hospital, said over 200 doctors from across the

country who were at the hospital for a World Kidney Day event witnessed how kidney function in obese individuals could be improve with laparoscopic weight-loss surgery.

“We presented Eman’s case

to the doctors as an example of how weight reduction can improve kidney function,” said Dr Shah.

“Obesity is a major risk factor for kidney problems. It not only increases the risk of diabetes,

hypertension and chronic kidney disease, it can also lead to end-stage renal disease, or kidney failure,” Dr Shah added.

The kidneys of obese individuals have to work harder and filter more blood than normal to

meet the demands of their increased body weight.

Eman, with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 250 and an extremely low metabolism rate, was at high risk of kidney failure, doctors said.

Around 200 people have so far contributed more than Rs 21 lakh to pay for Eman’s trip back home.

Because of her special requirements, she needs about Rs 80lakh for the journey.