Siamese twins: Bhutanese sisters still want to be close



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Sisters Dawa and Nima Pelden, 15 months, flew nearly 6,000 miles for the life-changing operation. They were born together in the stomach.

Nursing coordinator Kellie Smith, who works in the twin infirmary of Melbourne Children's Hospital, told reporters on Thursday that the two were never far from each other.

"We tried to sort them out a bit," Smith said, according to Channel 7 of the CNN affiliate. "But they can blend in and keep their legs always entwined."

The nurse added that the ward staff initially tried to put the twins in separate beds, but "they did not like it at all."

"They're together in a bed and just happy playing with each other, and it's really cute to see," added Smith.

"They also like their mother. They are always looking for her mother and she is never far away."

The 15-month-old twins flew nearly 6,000 mlies to Australia for the life-changing operation.

The girls followed the "path we defined for them"

Pediatric surgeon Joe Crameri said the girls were well six days after the operation.

"The girls have largely followed the path we've set for them," he said, according to channel 7 of the CNN affiliate.

"As with any surgical procedure, there have been some bumps on the road, and there are some discomforts that we are still softening – but with all the resources we have here at the Children's Hospital … we are making good progress in the current time."

Pediatric surgeon Joe Crameri said the twins were returning to normal life by eating again and starting to move.

Crameri added that the sisters were "returning to a more normal life".

"They are back to eating, and they are starting to move around and the areas that we fix on the wall of the belly appear to be holding the tension very well."

Siamese Bhutanese twins separated after six hours of surgery.
The delicate procedure, conducted Nov. 9, took more than six hours and involved about 25 surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists, according to CNN 9 News affiliate.

The twins were born by caesarean section last year and are believed to be the first twin of Bhutan. In addition to problems with mobility and comfort, the twins were recently losing weight, which worried doctors, said Elizabeth Lodge, CEO of Children First Foundation, a non-profit organization that funded the operation last month.

The girls' operation was estimated at about $ 180,000 (A $ 250,000), according to 9 News.

Delicious to take care of & # 39;

The nursing coordinator, Smith, said that Nima and Dawa were a delight to care for and that their personalities were shining.

Megan Collins, another ward nurse, agreed the pair were in a good mood.

"They are loving interacting with the nursing staff," Collins said.

The operation was estimated at about $ 180,000 ($ 250,000), which was raised by the Children First Foundation.

"Now we're blowing bubbles and giving them a lot of compliments, they love it when we're watching Wiggles – they do little hand-dance moves like that," Channel 7 said at a news conference. .

"It's great to see them apart, but they're still very happy to want to be close to each other."

Difficult surgery

Siamese twins occur once every 200,000 live births, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. About 70% are female and are always identical twins.

Twin facts

Scientists believe that Siamese twins develop from a single fertilized egg that can not separate completely when it divides.

"The success of the surgery depends on where the twins are attached and how many and which organs are shared, as well as the experience and skill of the surgical team," according to the Mayo Clinic.

They were formerly known as "Siamese twins," a name that originated with Eng and Chang Bunker, Siamese twins who were born in Siam (now Thailand) in 1811. They never separated, they lived until the age of 63 and appeared in travel exhibitions. Chang and Eng were married and had a total of 21 children among them.

While surgery to separate twins united in the abdomen and other parts of their bodies may face complications, the twins joined in the head run a much greater risk.

The case of two American boys who gathered at the top of their skulls drew world attention in 2016, when doctors successfully separated them after 27 hours of surgery.

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