Gastric Band Stories
With obesity increasing in the UK, so are weight loss surgeries. The most popular weight loss surgery in the UK is the laparoscopic gastric band. Below is a success story of the surgery, and one story where things did not go according to plan.
Success Story - Charlotte Smith
Charlotte was not always overweight, infact she was a size 8 when she moved to America to become a nanny aged 18. Four years later on returning to the UK her dress size had increased to a 16. Childbirth, depression and a period of yo yo dieting followed which saw Charlotte’s weight continue to increase.
Charlotte enlisted the help of BUPA who agreed to perform laparoscopic gastric band surgery. After going to the consultation and meeting the surgeon her surgery was planned for two months later. Following the surgery, Charlotte has lost all of the excess weight she was carrying and is now a happy and healthy 9 stone. She is really happy that she had the weight loss surgery and recommends it to anyone wanting a better life.
Unsuccessful Story - Joanna McDermott
As a young girl Joanna McDermott was always on the heavy side. By the time she was 16 she weighed 13 stone and when she got married at 24 her weight increased again to 16 stone. A year later her mother died and her weight just ballooned from then on. The weight gain made Joanna increasingly depressed, and upon visiting her doctor he warned of the possible health complications she would get were she not to start losing the weight. Joanna tried numerous diets, and all were unsuccessful or ended up with her piling back on the pounds. Surprisingly Joanna’s doctor said that she did not meet the criteria for weight loss surgery on the NHS, even though by this point she had a body mass index of 47, putting her in the seriously obese category.
Joanna then decided to pay £8,500 to have a gastric band operation privately. Joanna researched the surgery online and then went for a consultation, she was so happy at the consultation that she booked immediately for the surgery. The operation went well and Joanna started to follow the diet provided to her. In the first six months after the operation the weight began to fall off. Then Joanna started to experience problems.
Pureed food was becoming a problem for her to keep down, and everything she ate was coming straight back up. Anything Joanna ate made her feel nauseous and she stopped leaving the house for fear she would be sick. Although Joanna continued to lose weight she could not keep down a full meal, she also went through periods where she could not even drink fluids. The strain of her illness eventually brought an end to her marriage and due to being so ill she was signed off sick from work. The only food Joanna is able to keep down is melted chocolate which is starting to increase her weight again. Joanna now wishes she had stuck to losing weight the conventional way.
