Man with elephantiasis unable to undergo surgery because of his 241kg weight

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG

Massive problem: Sheikh Nafiq (second from left) discussing Ahmad Khalid’s condition with Dr Pok (right) at UMMC.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Ahmad Khalid Salleh, 39, could not seek treatment for elephantiasis on his right leg because he is unable to get his 241kg weight down to a safe level for surgery.

No doctor dares to carry out the conventional stomach bypass (Roux-En-Y gastric bypass) to enable him to reduce food intake and hence, weight loss, because it is deemed too risky for an obese person.

However, a relatively new method called single anastomosis gastric bypass or mini-gastric bypass, which has fewer complications than the conventional method, is available at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).

UMMC consultant surgeon Dr Pok Eng Hong said the mini-gastric bypass would address Ahmad Khalid’s weight problem and they could ultimately treat the parasitic infection that caused the extreme swelling (lymphatic filariasis).

“Ahmad Khalid needs to reduce more than 100kg before we can treat his leg,” he said yesterday, following Umno Youth community complaint bureau’s highlight of the case.

Ahmad Khalid, who quit working as a telecommunications salesman due to his condition, lost 23kg following a low-calorie diet at UMMC.

Dr Pok said a mini-gastric bypass would be carried out on Jan 9.

“We will create a small tube in the stomach to reduce food intake. The food will go straight into the small bowels,” said Dr Pok, who learned the technique from Taiwan.

UMMC, the pioneer of the method in this country, has carried out the procedure on seven severely obese patients this year.

Dr Pok said patients must follow a special diet and take multivitamins their entire life as their food intake and nutrition would be limited after the bypass.

If patients adhere to the diet and exercise programme, they could achieve almost all of the weight they need to lose within one-and-a-half years to be close to their ideal weight, he said.

Ahmad Khalid said he had difficulty walking because too much tissue would cover his foot.

He said it all began two months after a jungle trek in 2009. He had fever for a month and from then on, his leg began to swell and he was diagnosed withlymphatic filariasis.

Ahmad Khalid said he would need RM10,000 for the surgery despite having some welfare funds and aid from the Subang Jaya Zakat Centre.

Umno Youth community complaint bureau chairman Sheikh Nafiq Alfirdaous said they had been highlighting Ahmad Khalid’s problem but no hospital had taken up the case until UMMC came along.