New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) Two brothers, who faced social stigma and suffered from health issues such as sleep apnea and hypertension due to obesity underwent bariatric surgery at a private hospital here, which they said proved to be life changing.

Manvinder Singh Gujral (43) weighed 205 kg, while his 38-year-old brother Manpreet Singh was 168 kg, doctors at the health facility said.

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They were suffering from obesity-related diseases, including obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes and hypertension, and had gained more weight during the 2020 Covid-induced-lockdown, Vivek Bindal, head at the Max Institute of Minimal Access, Bariatric and Robotic Surgery, said.

After their surgery in March, Manvinder lost 20 kgs and Manpreet got rid of 17 kgs, he said, adding that due to their weight, the brothers faced a lot of social stigma from family and friends.

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They avoided social gatherings and faced difficulty in performing daily chores as well, said Bindal, who heads the institute of the Max Super Speciality Hospital in Patparganj.

“The elder brother, who had a body mass index (BMI) of 79.9, was suffering from obesity for the last 25 years. He weighed 135 kg in the beginning of 2020 and gained a whopping 70 additional kilos during the coronavirus lockdown,” he said.

On the other hand, his younger brother Manpreet was suffering from obesity for the last 20 years and weighed 168 kgs at the time of surgery, Bindal said.

"This had started affecting our mental health. I used to feel sleepy for 14 to 15 hours a day and had diabetes too. However, the bariatric surgery has brought drastic changes in my life,” Manpreet said.

Bindal said that for the past two-three years, the brothers were trying to seek solution for their excess weight.

"Both of them tried dieting, several ayurvedic medicines to lose weight but that did not reap desired benefits,” he said, adding that Manpreet's condition was severe as he was suffering from liver cirrhosis too.

"That created complications and required immediate attention. Manvinder had diabetes, hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea. We performed robotic bariatric surgery on Manpreet while Manvinder underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery and cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal)," Bindal said.

Talking about the challenges, he said that the surgery team had to manage the enlarged liver in case of Manpreet and multiple life threatening co-morbidities, difficult laparoscopic access and complex ergonomics in the twin cases.

"To operate on these super obese patients using minimal access technique was only possible through robotic enabled surgery," Bindal said.

"The brothers underwent the surgery last month and were on a liquid diet for nearly two weeks. Later, they were on a light diet for one-and-a-half months,” he said.

Bindal also cautioned against excessive consumption of processed foods and said that sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of obesity and also causes adverse consequences including Type II diabetes, hypertension and cardiac problems in children as well as adults.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)