Joelle

Gastric Bypass Surgery Patient

“I finally feel like me again!”

“My weight problem stems from insecurities, emotional upheaval and stress. My life was becoming seriously troubled by my size and I reached the stage where I had to do something. After years of battling with the problem with no success I thought I’d just have to accept being overweight as part of who I was.

“When I heard about Streamline Surgical through work it seemed to finally give me an option. I work in a doctor’s surgery and one of our patients had had a band fitted and she took me to her support group and I met other Streamline Surgical patents. I also saw the ‘Fat Doctor’ on TV and thought Shaw was lovely; I had no qualms about putting myself in his hands. After a consultation and other appointments with the Streamline Surgical team I underwent the surgery.

“When I was born I was quite the opposite of overweight. I was only 2lbs 8ounces and lucky to be alive. That’s when the problem with my weight started. My parents really fed me up as a child because they were scared of losing me. I was only ten when I attended my first slimming club and was horribly bullied throughout childhood because of my size. By the time I was 21 I was married and had managed to control my weight at about 12 stone, but after having my children my weight started to pile on again. As well as the normal pressures of being a mum my daughter had serious health problems and was in and out of hospital for years so I wasn’t concentrating on myself. From then on my weight was constantly fluctuating. My portion sizes were a big problem for me, I would eat meals twice the size of my husband’s.

“Everything was an effort. Going up stairs was difficult, and I’d be out of breath from the smallest exertions; I had to get colleagues to run errands for me. I hated the thought of going outside and started to make up excuses to not go out. I decided to stop smoking and it was then that I noticed how bad my breathlessness was and I was diagnosed with a narrowing of the heart valve. Not only was my weight jeopardizing my happiness but also my health.

“I’ve had a great deal of emotional stress in my life and often turned to comfort eating to deal with the problem. For about 15 years my family and I have been through quite a lot of upheaval and I turned to food every single time. I wasn’t coping; I said to my husband that if I didn’t do something I was sure I would die.

“Streamline Surgical was the help I desperately needed. Since then I have lost seven stone. I was so relaxed throughout the whole process; everyone was absolutely wonderful and made me so at ease.”

“I can now walk into a room with my head held high without worrying what people think of me. I can walk to work, paint my toenails and get in the bath. I feel like me again!

“I get loads of compliments and some people don’t even recognise me. My family has been so supportive. I’m a different person and I’m always smiling now. I have plans to do a Race for Life in the future, something I wouldn’t have even dreamed of doing before.

“Having this surgery was the best thing that ever happened to me, I talk about it all the time and recommend it highly - I’d shout it from the roof tops if I could! If you’ve tried everything else then surgery is definitely for you. It’s helped me so much, after a long struggle I finally love myself again.”

Joelle is 55, from Bornewood, Hertfordshire she had a gastric bypass with Streamline Surgical in October 2008 rediscovered the real her.

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