healthmedicinet

• Duangjay Samaksamam from Thailand suffers macrodystrophia lipomastosa
• Rare condition causes vast build-up of fat deposits in both arms
• Experts believe she is the only person in the world with the condition from shoulder to fingers in both limbs
• Simple tasks cause the shop owner huge amounts of pain
• At 25 she underwent the first of a series of operations to try and treat it
• But fat removed has grown back leaving her with permanently swollen arms
• She said: ‘Doctors said the only solution was to cut off my hands if I wished to walk around freely. But I don’t want to do that’

By
Lizzie Parry for MailOnline

Published:
06:43 EST, 3 September 2014

|
Updated:
09:10 EST, 3 September 2014

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A Thai woman is thought to have the world’s biggest hands – weighing almost one-and-a-half stone each. 

For more than 50 years, shop owner Duangjay Samaksamam, from Surin Province, Thailand, has suffered from an extremely rare and painful affliction that leaves her limbs permanently swollen.

Experts believe the 59-year-old is the only person in the world to suffer the rare condition macrodystrophia lipomastosa from shoulder to fingers on both arms.

It causes vast build-up of fat deposits to be distributed across her arms and hands. 

Duangjay Samaksamam, from Surin Province, Thailand, is thought to have the world’s biggest hands, with each weighing almost one and a half stone

The 59-year-old has the rare condition macrodystrophia lipomastosa, which causes vast fat deposits to distributed across her arms and hands 

Moving can be very uncomfortable and even the simplest tasks, such as washing and combing her hair, are extremely difficult for Duangjay.

Embarrassed by her condition throughout her childhood, she spent the first 20 years of her life as a recluse ashamed of the way she looked, meaning she never went to school.

But she was forced to come out of hiding at the age of 20 to earn a living in order to care for her elderly parents, and take over running the family grocery shop.

Duangjay has caught the attention of medics all over the world and many have attempted surgery to decrease the swelling but, to date, none have succeeded.

She said: ‘My hands are so heavy I can barely lift them to comb or shampoo my hair, it’s very difficult. Getting dressed is also very difficult and painful.

‘Some doctors said the only solution was to cut off my hands if I wished to walk around freely. But I don’t want to do that.’ 

Growing up she struggled to come to terms with her oversized hands – for which there is no cure – and spent most of childhood avoiding people, skipping school and hiding in the family home.

‘My mum told me that I was like this since I was born. I became afraid to go out or go to school, so I never learned to read,’ she said.

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