Transgenders go under the knife to shed flab

Almost six months ago, Yana (29) weighed 120 kg. Morbidly obese for her height, the excess fat was creating hindrance in her work and forcing her to compromise with her quality of life. But Yana ignored the frantic warning signals her body was sending till she fainted one day at work.

Yana is a transgender and earns her living dancing at functions (weddings, child birth etc).

“My weight was fast becoming a problem. I often found walking difficult and was breathless all the time. My work demands great flexibility, endurance and fitness. I am a kinnar, so primarily; I earn my bread and butter through dancing. Dancing and running around the traffic signals of busy Delhi roads performing is my full-time profession. But my excess weight was becoming a problem,” says Yana.

She adds that things became so bad that she would feel weak throughout the day and her joints started swelling. “That is when I went to a doctor.”

Laparoscopic obesity and gastrointestinal surgeon Dr. Tarun Mittal at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital says that when Yana came to them she was in a bad shape.

“Usually, when a patient is not able to lose weight by diet and exercise or has diseases related to obesity like diabetes, hypertension, raised cholesterol, snoring, joint pain, etc, we perform obesity surgery (bariatric surgery),” he said.

“Yana knew that more than her genes, her sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy food habits were to be blamed for her severe case of obesity. Also with no time to diet/exercise Yana had also started manifesting signs of some major diseases linked-up with obesity. Surgery for her was a good option,” said Dr. Mittal.

Surgery became an option for Yana. Her friend, who is also a transgender, too educated her about the various medical options.

“Many of my friends had opted for the surgery and they had got good results. The clincher was my friend who had undergone the (weight reduction) surgery four months before me and had got good results,” said Yana.

Now post-surgery, Yana has lost 35kg. She claims she could not have managed it without medical intervention. “Today I am 85 kg and am back to showing off my dancing skills,” she says.