Still going strong at 100 despite hip surgery

MUMBAI: Sharing light-hearted banter with his physiotherapist, Shivganbhai Senghani reminisces about how his mother lived to attain the age of 103 and grandmother - 102. He too appears to be going strong at 100: he was back on his feet two days after undergoing a surgery for a fractured femur on Saturday. So, what is the secret of his good health? "It is all God's grace,'' he said.
On Friday, the Ghatkopar resident was sitting on a chair at home when the leg gave way.As a result, Senghani fractured the neck of his femur. He was rushed to L H Hiranandani Hospital in Powai and doctors scheduled him for surgery the following day. "Senghani is only the second 100-year-old I have operated upon in my 26 years of practice,'' said orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ajay Thakkar.
According to him, most body reserves diminish by this age. "There is always a risk of multiple organ failure during surgery,'' Dr Thakkar said. However, in Senghani's case the fact that he does not have a history of cardiac problems or diabetes and blood pressure helped. "For his age, he is surprisingly fit,'' said anaesthetist Dr Laxmi Kamat. Senghani was admitted to hospital only on one earlier occasion for pulmonary tuberculosis.
"The most challenging task for us was to anaesthetise him,'' she said. Dr Kamat added that they had to administer spinal anaesthesia along with analgesics. "The fibrosis is as hard as bone in people his age. I used a thicker 23-gauge needle instead of the regular 26 gauge one,'' she said. Throughout the hour-long surgery, Senghani was conscious and kept talking to the medical staff.
Father of four, Senghani was able to sit and stand for a while on Sunday itself, a day after his surgery. "By Monday, he was walking with the help of the walker,'' said physiotherapist Roli Dave.
According to Dave, Senghani will need four weeks of physiotherapy to help him regain mobility. The former builder is all set to get back to normal life, walking and watching his favourite channel.