Bangkok, August 26: Overjoyed that she got to leave her flat for the first time in three years, 40-year-old Amnuayporn Thongprapai, who weighs 247 kilograms, said she was confident that doctors a Central General Hospital would help her walk again.
Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, who was present while the woman was being helped out of her flat, said the Khan Na Yow district office had contacted the Social Development and Human Security Ministry asking that the woman be given a disability permit so she can be entitled to welfare benefits.
The district office also arranged for scholarships for her children Sathaporn, 15, and Sakulsak Charoensap, 14.
Sukhumbhand said an initial check on Tuesday revealed that Amnuayporn had two tumours on her right leg, bedsores as well as high blood pressure. Her obesity is caused by a thyroid disorder.
Amnuayporn, who used to do wash clothes and cook for a living, kept gaining weight over the past four to five years until she hit 280kg in 2006.
In order to take her to hospital yesterday, Bangkok City workers put Amnuayporn on a metal plate that could carry a tonne of weight and then transferred it on to a hydraulic lift, which was temporarily installed outside her balcony. Then a small crane was used to transfer her to the ambulance, which took her to the Central General Hospital.
The entire operation took an hour to complete, and by 12.45pm Amnuayporn was admitted into the hospital. Initial check up showed she weighed 247kg.
Deputy Bangkok Governor Dr Malinee Sukavrejworakit said doctors would put her through blood tests to see if she had any metabolic disorder, check her hormone levels and see if she has diabetes, bone and joint condition as well as a mental disorder.
The hospital has put a special medical team, chaired by the hospital director and advised by Malinee herself, in charge of the case. The patient will be put through a special 800 kilojoule diet as well as exercise.
The treatment should take at least one year and doctors will decide if a bariatric surgery is necessary to restrict the capacity of the patient’s stomach, Malinee said.
–Agencies