Surgery to cure typhoid!

In a rare case, a 28-year-old had to be operated upon after he developed ulcers during the course of treatment

Surgery to cure typhoid!

In a rare case, a 28-year-old had to be operated upon after he developed ulcers during the course of treatment

Padam Roka, 28, was disappointed and shattered as he could not fulfill his passion for cooking, which was also his only source of income. Roka, being a caterer by profession, had a special eye for food, but sadly, due to illness, he could not pursue his passion.

Relieved: Typhoid patient Padam, after his operation, at his residence
in New Delhi. PIC/Rajeev Tyagi

Roka was initially diagnosed with typhoid, which took sometime to recover. Later, pus started to form in his abdomen, which led to his intestine getting enlarged. "Initially, I had fever, which continued for 10-12 days. After that, I went to a local clinic, thinking of it as seasonal fever. But later, even after taking proper medication and precautions I was not able to recover," Roka said.

When regular treatment did not help, Roka was immediately referred to Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, where it was found that he had an ulcer in his intestine, leading to perforation, but after recovering from perforation, there was bleeding. Doctors say such cases are one in a million.

"It is one of the rarest problems one could ever have. Initially, it all started with a severe fever. No one could ever imagine that this could lead to such a situation. During the initial investigation, we found that his haemoglobin was normal, but suddenly, on the seventh day, his haemoglobin suddenly began to drop along with his blood pressure, leading to excessive bleeding," said Dr Randeep Wadhawan, additional director and head of department, bariatric and gastroenteritis surgery, Fortis, Vasant Kunj.

The doctors had to then operate upon him. Interestingly, it is an extremely rare situation where a typhoid patient is being operated upon. "We did CT Angiography to stabilise him. His blood pressure was so low that we had to drug him to bring it up to normal. We operated on his abdomen and cured all ulcers," added Dr Wadhawan.

This being the second surgery in a week for Roka, it was quite a risky task for doctors to perform. But they took it up to bring him back to good health. "The surgery took two hours. He lost eight units of blood, after which he was kept in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for three days," the doctor said. Roka is now in good health, with a few precautions that the doctors have asked him to take.u00a0"I have been asked not to lift heavy weights. This apart, there are no restrictions. I can happily enjoy cooking," said a cheerful Padam.