‘Op’ provided a weighty problem
 WEIGHING in at a whopping 70 stone, he was dubbed Britain’s fattest man.
But thanks to a top Basingstoke surgeon Paul Mason is turning his life around. Consultant bariatric surgeon Shaw Somers, who practices at BMI The Hampshire Clinic in Old Basing, led the team that treated the 57stn Ipswich man.
A Channel 4 documentary on Wednesday last week put the pair into the spotlight as it followed the course of Paul’s treatment. Paul reached his size by chomping through 20,000 calories a day– eight times more than the recommended amount of 2,500. But after Mr Somers performed a gastric bypass operation in 2010, reducing Paul's stomach size and limiting his food intake, his patient was able to shed over 20 stone and regain his mobility
Mr Somers, who lives North of Winchester, said: “In my time as a surgeon, I have seen some similar cases, but his was by far the most extreme case. “I generally take most cases in my stride, but I will admit I was quite taken back by his weight and how he was still in relatively good health – his heart was still good and he didn’t have diabetes.”
In the programme, Paul explained about his pre-surgery eating habits, which saw him snack on more than 30 chocolate bars and 70 bags of crisps. Mr Somers said that the documentary was important in highlighting issues around rising obesity and addiction. He said: “The documentary highlighted the looming health issues faced in the UK. Every day in my practice, I see the devastating impact obesity can have on people’s health and quality of life. Paul had his reasons for turning to food, but because food addiction is not seen as dangerous as drugs or alcohol people do not class it as a real illness.” And he defended performing the operation on tax-payers money. He said that Paul was costing the country up to £100,000 in welfare support.
Mr Somers has worked at the Old Basing practice for over two years and has more than 24 years experience as a surgeon. He now plans to expand his role in Basingstoke by performing NHS operations at the private clinic. He performs over 300 gastric bypass operations a year, but presented the same challenges as Paul’s operation.
He said: “While a man of Paul’s size did surgically present its challenges, the biggest challenge was mechanical which the whole team managed perfectly.”
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