Five hospitals, 7 ops, one doc who finally got it right

In one of the rarest surgeries conducted in India Sadaf Ansari Mohammed Faisal weighing 142 kg finally found relief from chronic pelvic pain that had tormented her for nearly a decade Over the years various general physicians surgeons and gynaecologists attempted to treat her but each time she was left with disappointmentHer fortunes changed after her brotherrsquos friend mentioned Dr Abhishek Mangeshikar a consultant gynaecologist and endometriosis surgeonPainful journey Sadafrsquos ordeal began in 2017 ldquoIt would hurt from the stomach downwards I couldnrsquot sit walk sleep or do any work So I went to a hospital in the Masjid area After some tests they said a cyst had formed around my uterus They operated laparoscopically and discharged merdquo she saidSadafrsquos surgery was covered under the hospitalrsquos Corporate Social Responsibility CSR initiative PicSayyed Sameer AbediThe pain returned in early 2018 ldquoI visited the same doctors and again they said it was a cyst and performed the same operation This happened twice in 2018 around eight to nine months apartrdquo she added The cycle continued with similar surgeries in 2019 and 2020However her condition never improved In 2022 she experienced severe pain once again This time she visited a different hospital in Byculla ldquoThey admitted me to the ICU kept me under observation and gave me a leuprolide injection But I didnrsquot get better so they discharged me I returned home completely disheartenedrdquo said SadafIn 2024 her pain became unbearable She visited another hospital in Charni Road ldquoThey admitted me for three days and gave me leuprolide injections On the fourth day they said they couldnrsquot treat me any further as they were unable to diagnose the exact issue They warned that attempting any surgery might risk my life and referred me to a civic hospitalrdquo she saidldquoI was taken there by ambulance because I couldnrsquot move at all I lay on a stretcher for four to five hours with no medical attention Two days later I was readmitted to the private hospital but during laparoscopy the doctors stopped midway They said the cyst was bursting internally and proceeding could endanger my liferdquo she saidTurning pointIn April 2025 a friend of her brother referred them to Dr Mangeshikar ldquoWe visited him and he just asked for an MRI After reviewing the report he said he would treat my wife at Jaslok Hospital where he is a consulting doctor It was a simple and quick diagnosis mdash endometriosis We were shocked that he diagnosed it with just one testrdquo said Faisal Ansari Sadafrsquos husbandComplex surgerySadaf was admitted to Jaslok Hospital on May 11 and the surgery took place the next day ldquoAt 142 kg Sadaf was the heaviest person in the country to undergo this type of procedure There were multiple adhesions around her reproductive organs due to previous laparoscopies Her uterus ovaries and intestines had fused together forming a frozen pelvis The excess fat also made accessing the cysts extremely difficultrdquo said Dr MangeshikarldquoShe had both internal and external bilateral cysts But using robotic surgery we were able to operate without risking her life The robotic arms could rotate 180 degrees allowing us to reach and remove the cysts without damaging other organsrdquo he explainedWhile typical endometriosis surgeries last about an hour Sadafrsquos operation took nearly three hoursFinancial strugglesldquoI used to give tuitions to students from Std I to Std XII My husband works as a delivery person at a chemist Together we earned about Rs 30000 a month Before the operation we had already spent Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh on treatments Monthly medication cost us Rs 18000 and each leuprolide injection costs Rs 3800rdquo said Sadaf Fortunately her surgery was covered under the hospitalrsquos Corporate Social Responsibility CSR initiativeLooking aheadldquoI want to return to teaching Itrsquoll take time but after this surgery I finally have hope We want to give our daughter a good education and for that both of us must work I also hope the TB cyst in my thigh can be removed soon but only after I recover fullyrdquo said Sadaf as she thanked her family members parents and her inlaws for being her pillars of strength throughout142 kgWeight of Sadaf Ansari Mohammed Faisal at the time of the surgery2017Year Sadaf Ansari first started feeling painWhat is endometriosisEndometriosis is a medical condition where tissue like the lining of the uterus endometrium grows outside the uterus mostly on the ovaries fallopian tubes and pelvic tissue This wrongly grown tissue reacts to hormonal changes in the same way the tissue inside the uterus reacts This results in thickening of tissues bleeding and inflammation which can cause severe pain It also affects the productive ability of a woman as her fertility is hamperedrdquo explained Dr Vandana Ghadge a gynaecologist