Compare Gastric Band Surgery in France gastric band prices ‘I worried my weight would kill me’ I remember from an early age being described as someone who was ‘big boned’. A lot of obese people say they began to gain weight early in their childhood, and while I don’t remember anything significant happening or being said to me, I do remember knowing I was different to my friends. It was only really when I hit my late thirties that my weight started to have an impact on my health. As an agri-mechanic, I was always on the go but it was when I started my own agri-machinery business 12 years ago that I became sedentary and I put on even more weight.It was 2003 when I first experienced chest pain which led to the first stent. I also had my gallbladder removed that year. My left knee was replaced in 2009 due to my job and excess weight. Then in 2012, I had a mild heart attack and from then until 2013 I had a further three stents put in. I’ve tried every diet going over the years, I cut out entire food groups, went to weight-loss classes and even tried liquid diets. Some of them worked for a while but I could never sustain them and would end up giving in to my cravings and gaining back the weight I had lost, plus a few more pounds for good measure. As the years went on, my weight continued to creep up to the point where I had developed sleep apnoea and prior to my operation I was wearing trousers with a 44-inch waist and 5XL shirts. As a father of three teenagers, I started to worry that my weight could kill me, the thought of leaving my wife and children devastated by a death which could have been prevented terrified me. I eventually went to see my GP for help, I didn’t know where else to turn and she knew I had tried desperately to lose weight for a long time. My GP had recently been to a talk with a bariatric surgeon and she asked could she refer me to a clinic, I had a good feeling about it. A few weeks later I went to see them and after taking a detailed health summary, they said they thought I could be a candidate for weight loss surgery. Over the next six months, I met the surgeon who would perform the surgery, a number of times. I also met with an endocrinologist who evaluated my liver function, also a psychologist who helped me face some demons and prepared me for a new way of life as well as dieticians. They equipped me with the tools to ensure my surgery would be a success, taught me about healthy food options, and showed me how to re-wean myself on to solid food post-surgery. The surgery was booked for April 24 and two weeks beforehand I had my pre-op assessment. I stepped on the scales and to my horror I was 150kg. I never owned scales at home, so I never really knew how much I weighed. The next two weeks were spent on a high protein liquid diet designed to shrink my liver which was tough, of course, but I was so motivated to succeed that I never even considered giving up. The surgery, called a Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, is non-reversible and removed about 75pc to 80pc of my stomach, leaving a narrow gastric sleeve and the surgical procedure is done laparoscopically meaning only five or six small incisions were made into my stomach and the surgery was performed using a video camera and long instruments that were placed through the small incisions. I was in the hospital for five days in total and during that time I did have some discomfort and pain, but I recovered well. I took two weeks off work in total and to be honest, I really did need that time to recuperate. When I was discharged from hospital I went home with a detailed list of what I could and couldn’t eat and I stuck to it like glue. It has been six months since my surgery and although I still don’t own a set of weighing scales, I know I have lost 33kg from my frequent appointments with dieticians. It’s fair to say that my life has changed dramatically. Obviously, the weight loss has been a huge part of that but during an appointment with the consultant
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