Mumbai: The 33-year-old working woman, Diana Kruz, suffered from polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) which, among other severe medical complications, resulted in obesity. She weighed around 120kg and finally lost 38kg after a successful laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy at the Apollo Spectra Hospital, Chembur.
Her ordeal started 10 years ago when she was struggling with infertility and started to gain weight with multiple unsuccessful cycles of infertility treatment and scores of hormonal injections. In the meantime, she developed sleep apnoea, swelling in her legs and breathing issues. Owing to the worsening condition, Mrs Kruz also fell under severe depression.
Surgeon Dr Aparna Govil Bhasker said that the PCOD is a common hormonal disorder seen in women of reproductive age group. Some of the common symptoms associated with the ailment are menstrual irregularities, acne, excessive body hair growth and diabetes. Another fallout is obesity.
“Obesity is a multifactorial disease with very strong genetic and neuro-hormonal components. When it comes to treatment options, a healthy diet and lifestyle go a long way. However, if the weight is higher additional help like bariatric surgery may be needed,” she said.
Talking about the case of Mrs Kruz, the doctor said that they had a detailed consultation, conducted multiple tests, body composition analysis and then kept her on a high protein diet for a week prior to surgery. She underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy which entails the removal of the outer two-thirds of the stomach. This surgery takes about an hour to perform and the patient is discharged from the hospital within 48 hours.
“Women with obesity and infertility tend to conceive more easily after bariatric surgery. Even the results of in vitro fertilization (IVF) are much better. Today, Mrs Kruz is also relieved of other issues like sleep apnoea, breathing issues, and leg swelling. Depression has been replaced with constant joy and happiness,” Dr Aparna added.
She further said that women who undergo bariatric surgery are advised to wait for 12-18 months to conceive. This gives them enough time to recover as well as reach their weight loss target. Their food intake also gets much better after a year of surgery to be able to sustain the demands of pregnancy.
Narrating her experience prior to surgery, Mrs Kruz said her self-esteem was extremely low owing to fat shaming. She profusely thanked the team of doctors from Apollo Spectra in helping her to lead a happy life now.
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