HE wanted to be healthier so he could have a closer relationship with his young son.

Instead, he now faces a huge medical bill, and claims to have health problems and also lost his job.

Sam (not his real name), 44, was a driver with a construction company earning $1,500 a month, and has been the sole breadwinner of his family.

He and his wife have a 7-year-old son who entered Primary 1 this year.

Sam weighed 175kg, and his Body Mass Index was 51, an indication of super-obesity.

This made it hard for him to engage in activities with his son, such as swimming - something Sam was keen to do.

So, last November, Sam consulted a doctor at a polyclinic, who prescribed him some medication and advised him to lose weight.

He was referred to Alexandra Hospital, where he was given an appointment to see a doctor, and was put on a weight-management programme.

But Sam said that he had not lost any weight even after a month, so two medical procedures were suggested to him: lapband surgery and laparascopic sleeve gastrectomy.

He chose the latter as he learnt from the doctor that the weight loss would be more constant and permanent with that procedure.

Still, Sam was worried that the recovery process would take too long and the time taken off work would mean a loss of income.

RECOVERY TIME FACTOR

However, after learning from the doctor that it takes an estimated three weeks for a full recovery, he decided to go ahead with the operation.

On 15 Apr, he underwent the procedure.

It took 5 1/2hours instead of an estimated 1 1/2hours.

Associate Professor Pang Weng Sun, chairman of the hospital's medical board, told The New Paper that operations can take more or less time with different patients, and 1 1/2hours is just an average estimate.

The day after the operation, Sam claimed that his doctor informed him of a small leakage in his stomach.

He claimed he was told that during the operation, 'the stapler gun misfired and there is a small hole'.

Sam said he was also told that it would take another two weeks to heal.

Dr Pang said he had reviewed the case and did not think there was any mismanagement.

He added that while other doctors in private practice are able to perform laparascopic sleeve gastrectomy, Sam's doctor is the most experienced in this procedure in Singapore.

The doctor is also a senior consultant who teaches medical students.

Two weeks later, Sam said he went for a CT scan. He was told to take a blue dye solution orally instead of injecting it, as is the norm, he said.

The technician told him that this was because his kidneys were failing, he alleged.

He said that the technician even asked him, 'Are you going for dialysis?'

Sam said he had not been told of any problem with his kidneys before this.

Dr Pang said his problem was temporary and the kidneys are now fine.

He was also told that there was a pocketful of fluid directly under the hole in his stomach.

He was initially told that the fluid was pus, but later told it was mucus, he said.

A tube was inserted into the side of his body to drain the fluid.

Though leakage is uncommon, it is a known complication of sleeve gastrectomy, Dr Pang said.

'SECOND OPERATION SUGGESTED'

Sam was also upset that his doctor had suggested another operation to close the hole.

He said: 'The doctor said, 'We will put a plug to plug the hole and use super glue to secure it'.'

Sam did not clarify this further because he was in shock, he said, but his wife was worried about the kind of 'plug' and 'super glue' the doctor wanted to use.

Dr Pang said the operation is a known procedure that is widely practised.

When we visited Sam last week in hospital, we could still see the tube draining the mucus into a bag that he had to carry with him everywhere.

The self-confessed food lover said that he has not had solid or blended food since his admittance to the hospital.

He often gargles his mouth with fruit juice or water and spits it out to prevent his mouth from becoming too dry.

He also does it to get some 'taste' in his mouth.

Sam, who is still in hospital waiting for his wound to heal, now weighs 148kg.

While he is happy with his weight loss, he said that he has been told that such drastic weight loss over a short period of time is 'not good'.

He claimed that he was unable to walk more than a few steps without feeling dizzy.

Sam said that the sleeve gastrectomy itself cost about $2,000, but his wife estimated that the hospital bill has already hit $15,000, after subsidies.