Patient stories

Liza's story

Well, what can I say, as you can tell from my before pictures I was a big girl.  For as long as i can remember I had a weight problem.  When I was a little girl my family used to say "oh it’s ok its puppy fat she will grow out of it" but I never did, in fact when i got to secondary school I was so overweight my parents found it difficult to find a school uniform that would fit me.  The other kids used to tease me and generally make fun of me.  When i left school and went to college the bullying never necessarily stopped, it came in another form and I was just made to feel insecure about myself.  After having my daughter, when I was quite young the weight just piled on.  Again the insecurities just increased, I wouldn’t say I was a withering flower and I suppose I was very confident on the outside and a little inside but if I am being honest, still a little insecure and maybe a little unhappy.  Over the next few years my weight would just yoyo, I was an emotional eater, things changed in my life, relationship problems i became a single parent you know the way things can go, I would lose weight, gain weight, lose some more and put on even more than I lost, I am sure many of you appreciate this. 

I suppose the next chapter in my life was when I went back to college, I needed to get some qualifications (left school early without doing any exams) in order to go back to work, I did not want to rely on the state and give off the wrong signals to my daughter, and of course I had aspirations of moving away from the area I was living and just generally providing a good life for us.  I was pleasantly surprised when I went all of the students in my class had just left school and were very mature I never had any derogatory comments to speak of, yes I would get the odd comments from time to time from some of the lads but it wasn’t nearly as bad as at school. This is where I made a turnaround in my life, I became more confident and I suppose this helped me to come out of my shell so to speak.  After college I got a job straight away I was really chuffed, however I was very very surprised when people at work started to make comments and made me feel small, I felt as though I wasn’t taken seriously most of the time.  My colleagues (mature people and I say that lightly) were actually worse than school children.  Mind you as I said I was never a withering flower and I tried not to let it get to me. To be honest, it made me more determined to try to make it in the industry (I was in telesales) I would make up for this with my bubblyness and it worked you know, with friends and family the people that mattered.  I tried not to show how i really felt. I wouldn’t mind, but at this time in my life I wasn’t actually that big lol! I was probably at a size 20/22.  So anyway I had many jobs (sales as some of you know is a revolving door), each one of them had their own office bullies as I call them, I also had loads and loads of interviews over the years and I know for a fact the reason I did not get half of those jobs is because of my size.  Same as the reason I never got promoted in some companies.  They say there is no discrimination in the workplace but there is

Anyway we are getting there, sorry if I am boring you all I am getting to the reason for my having the weight loss surgery I promise!  Just over 10 years ago I met my husband.  Bless him, I went from being a single mum with hardly any money to spare, to this man wanting spoil me, of course who was I to argue.  We ate out a lot we had takeaways, pizza, curry, Chinese, macky d's, you know how it is. Then the weight really piled on, before I knew it I had looked in the mirror and didn’t recognised the person looking back at me, the face was the same, well I had a few more chins and my face was a lot rounder but yes, it was definitely me.  Over these 10 years I have had many embarrassing moments I can tell you:  Broken chairs, people thinking I’m pregnant oh and don’t forget the fair ride at Drayton Manor! I was asked to get off.  I was mortified, I remember one time I was in a local club this was the night Michelle Mcmanus won the X factor, well you can imagine me with dark hair; just as the DJ announced the winner over the mic, I was going to the dance floor and yes, he did, he said "oh I thought Michelle was with us here tonight” I was mortified (don’t get me wrong Michelle is a lovely girl, but he drew attention to me).  Yes I did diet, my word I don’t think that there is a diet, pill or so called miracle cure out there that I haven’t tried, he he I even tried the sliming patch.

So, I decided after looking in the mirror that enough is enough, I just remember thinking to myself if I carry on putting weight on at the rate I was I can’t see myself reaching 40.  I thought that I would possibly eat myself to death i was tired of my aching joints as well, I had to do something.  I remembered seeing an American documentary a few years before about some really obese people who were about 50/ 60stone having the gastric bypass and thinking at the time I am not that big and thought I would not be able to have it.  So this was just after Christmas 2005 I got on the net and started to have a look around, at this time I was nearly 24 stones and a size 32 clothes. I did not tell anyone, I wanted to do the research first to see if I could have the operation.  As I was doing the research I found that maybe it’s not out of my reach.  So I read everything (I am one of those people who like to be sure) so I read some more.. My word there is a lot of information, but it is needed.  I decided this is it this is what I want; Dr Dillemans name came up time and time again.  I spoke to my husband and told him what I wanted to do and that I wanted to go to Bruges, he was a little worried and thought it a bit extreme. 

After I took him along with me to a local support group meeting for weight loss surgery, he was happy and supported my decision we did a little more research.  The price here in the UK was just so out of our reach, yes I tried to go through my doctor but the wait was ridiculous and they just said all that I would be able to get is a gastric band which I just knew would not work the best for me.  So I decided to book with Dr Dillemans, this was 2½ years ago now, I was in Belgium before I could blink it really was that quick and easy. I was there for just over a week, in which time I had my tests done and had my pre-op assessment and then had the operation.  I was of course very nervous and at some point during the run up to my operation i was convinced something would go wrong, but I had nothing to worry about, with regards to pain etc there really was not much at all, but saying that I have quite a high pain threshold, but still it was bearable and just before I left the hospital the Dr weighed me I could not believe it i had lost nearly a stone in a matter of days I was overjoyed. 

I often say to people that this operation is a life changing operation, to me it is a life saving operation and as I said I have lost well over 8½ stones and come down to a size 18 and I feel fantastic. Some people lose 10 stones even some lose less depends how much you have to lose in the first place.  I never wanted to be a size 10 it’s just not me, Now that I have lost all of that weight I have a bit of tidying up to do should I say, so my next mission is to have my plastic surgery. Next year I’m off to Malta and I am having a tummy tuck and arm lift and then later in the year I am back there to have a breast uplift so yes, do watch this space, there will be another story warts and all (I don’t mind) I will be updating you all with my new pic’s of the new me.  By that time I will probably  be a size 16 maybe even a 14 - who knows.  I just know that I am buzzing.