“Prior to the operation I was having difficulty moving, bending and walking. I was out of breath if I walked up one flight of stairs couldn’t fit on train seats, got abused in the street……………… I was also on 3 medications for high blood pressure and I was told that I was cutting my life expectancy by 12 years.
I don’t know whether I didn’t realise how much the weight was affecting me, as I had put on the weight slowly, or if I didn’t want to admit this to myself but I didn’t fully realise how much it was affecting me until I began to lose the weight. The surgery has given me a tool to get a new life and I am having an exciting time planning all the things that we are going to do. Yes some days are hard and sometimes it can be very difficult to make the right food choices but I know, that with the on going support of the weight loss team, I will continue to be successful and get fitter and more healthy. I am now off the blood pressure meds, have so much more energy, am not short of breath and move much more easily. I can now sit on train seats without the looks and I haven’t had abuse shouted at me for weeks. I did this for my health, not my looks, but having gone from a size 26 to size 14 jeans…………….. it’s a nice side effect. Have I ever regretted having the surgery? Not even when I felt ill in the first few weeks after. I would recommend the surgery to anyone else in my position but It is a major operation, with risks, and you need to work at it afterwards so you need to think about it seriously and know what you are getting into. Talk to this team, they are great at what they do, very supportive, and will help you make the right decision for you. ”