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March 2010 |
‘I control food, not the other way round’
 WHEN morbidly obese Hayley Simpson was diagnosed with diabetes, she feared she would eat herself to an early grave. The Dartford mum of two had failed to shift the flab with countless diets, so made the drastic decision to have a gastric hand fitted. Now the 38-year-old says she feels like a new woman after losing seven stone and dropping five dress sizes.
The childminder, of Cedar Road, admits she was addicted to food when she weighed 18st 7lb and was size 26. Hayley, who has children Jake, 13, and Hannah, eight, with 44-year old husband James, said: “I thought I’d never conquer my weight and just get bigger. “I thought I was going to kill myself with my food addiction, but now I’ve got a new lease of life. “I now control food, not the other way round and I finally feel people take me seriously. I look the way I always thought I should.” Hayley was shocked into going under the knife when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago and doctors told her health was at risk.
 She fitted NHS West Kent’s weight criteria, so qualified to have the ₤8,500 surgical procedure for free. The last-resort operation, which TV and radio presenter Fern Britton admitted undergoes in 2008, shrinks the patient’s appetite with a band fitted to the stomach.Hayley’s weight has been falling off ever since the procedure, which was carried out by Streamline Surgical’s Guy Slater in Chichester in November 2008.
She now weighs 11st 7lg, is a size 16 and on target to reach her ideal 10-stone weight. Eating quarter-portion meals smaller than her eight-year-old daughter’s, Hayley now goes to the gym and cycles with her children. She says she has more energy, confidence and feels that people no longer stare at her. Hayley said: “People can’t believe how much weight I’ve lost. “My daughter says she loves her mum even though there’s a lot less of me!”
| Surgical procedure is only recommended as a last resort |
Gastric bands are usually only recommended as a last resort for those battling with their weight. Once fitted they can be adjusted externally at any time by a surgeon who controls the size of the band by adding or removing salt water (saline) from it.
The band is made tighter by adding the water, which slows down the amount of food which can pass through the stomach. Removing water makes the band looser allowing food to pass more quickly through the digestive system. Generally bands are loose to begin with, and are tightened as the patient becomes more used to eating less food.
According to the NHS website, gastric banding is available if patients meet the specific criteria set out by their local PCT, but that requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.
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