Testimonials
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| Before | After |
My surgery was on 29th October 2008. I was almost 22 stone. I am writing today, just a little over 8 months post op and I weigh 10 stone 10 lbs.....wow. I was a size 30 and I am now a size 12.
I was very nervous before my surgery, as is expected. However, I knew I desperately needed the op as I was dying due to severe obesity. I had no quality of life, no energy, endless medical conditions associated with obesity, no social life or holidays etc. Life was pretty miserable.
When I first met Mr A and Louise, my dietician I knew instantly that these people were going to help save my life. I felt so much at ease and trusted them 100%. I was told the pros and cons of the op, even though to me there were no cons because this surgery is so, so much safer than it ever was.
I followed the liver reducing diet 2 weeks pre op. It isn't easy but you have to do it, simple as that. I had my op and went home the day after. The first 3 weeks were pretty bad for me as I was in a lot of pain but I now know looking back it was muscle healing. I wasn't due to see Mr A for 6 weeks but because I felt poorly I rang Mr A's secretary, Lesley and she sorted me out an appointment immediately. Mr A examined me and there was nothing much wrong, just natural healing. Don't go into this thinking you're not going to have pain, you probably will. However, believe you me, it soon goes.
The first few weeks I concentrated on getting fluids and protein in.You will not be interested in food at the early stage but get your fluids in. Louise will give you a step by step instruction of what you can and can't eat. Follow this if you want to succeed. For the first 6 months, food never really enters your thoughts. Obviously, you have to eat but you probably won't feel hungry so you have to eat food high in protein, vitamins etc. Enjoy the 6 months because slowly but surely your appetite does come back, not the way it was before but it does. This is when the hard work starts. I am a food addict and I have got my addiction under control thanks to this fabulous op and the fantastic Mr A and all his team.Yet you...the patient have to put hard work in, you need to exercise, which becomes easier day by day with every pound you lose. You need to change your outlook on food completely. If you're not prepared to do these things then this op is not for you. I now eat to live, not live to eat. I have such a fantasic life now. I love clothes, shopping, holidays, concerts...the list goes on. My family and friends are so proud and pleased and I know I am so lucky to have had this op.
I owe my life to Mr A, Louise and all the team. It isn't a walk in the park everyday, some days can be tough especially at the time of the month. Mother nature doesn't understand gastric bypass surgery...lol. But when I think about the foods I used to eat, I take a quick look in the mirror and smile beause no way am I ever going back to 22 stone.
Good luck to all who are thinking of having surgery. It is the best thing that I have ever done.
Andrea French
My weight problem began when I was 20yrs of age following a difficult time in my personal life. ….when I look back over the years I believe this is when I began to use food for comfort…food was my comfort blanket, when I felt down and depressed chocolate would always make me feel better. I listen to some accounts of overweight people being the "fat" child that was bullied at school they had never been thin. I sometimes wonder if it is worse to have never known what its like to be thin or to have been thin and then become grossly overweight because of life events as I did. I was slim and attractive at 18yrs old (although I never remember feeling slim and attractive inside) I won a few beauty competitions in my teens. As I piled on weight through my unhappiness I began to hate myself , and developed a real self loathing…….how could I let myself put on so much weight and get like this? My weight became my safety net, my barrier that kept me safe from the world so even though I hated myself inside I put a smile on my face and told myself I was ok being fat and I was always the sort of person that never let my weight stop me doing the things I wanted to do. Years went by and weight went on, I was fast approaching 50yrs old and my health was now beginning to suffer, my blood pressure was sky high, My arthritis was at its most painful and I needed a knee joint replacement, I was border line diabetes and after nursing my mother through the complications of diabetes until her death this terrified me. I realised my weight was becoming potentially life threatening and I was very frightened of what the future held…if I even had a future. In the past I had tried every diet ever invented and I have tried every prescribed, over the counter and internet diet pill that I could get hold of, some worked some didn't but nothing kept the weight off and every time I put the weight back on I would add a few extra pounds. I knew I had to do something if I wanted to be around to see my grandchildren.
I decided I wanted weight loss surgery; my GP was very helpful and understanding she referred me to Mr Agwunobi. I was very nervous of my first appointment I didn't know if I would be judged, I was embarrassed that I had let myself get severely obese. I had researched on the internet and read lots of literature and decided that I wanted the adjustable gastric band as I felt it was the right operation for me and my particular eating habits, obviously I would take guidance from my consultant.
I went to my appointment with Mr Agwunobi; I was excited and scared at the same time. He was truly amazing and very knowledgeable, I had no need to worry or be embarrassed Mr Agwunobi soon put me at ease and allayed all my fears, He is a lovely gentle man, he explained the operation in great detail, (and even drew me a picture of the band and the procedure) he listened to my list of questions and answered them all. We had a long chat about which of the weight loss surgeries would suit me best and Mr Agwunobi and I came to the decision together that I would have a gastric band.
I had my gastric band fitted laparascopically on the 5th November 2008, I received 5* treatment and apart from a little discomfort straight after the operation I felt extremely well and went home the next day, everything went smoothly but I knew it would because I was in the such capable hands. I started my weight loss journey at 18stone 2lb I lost some weight on the pre op diet before my surgery, it is now 7 months since my band and I am now 14stone 2lb, I have lost 4stone in total and 60% of my excess weight. Losing weight has definitely made a positive difference to my life, it's made me more self confident and I have a lot more energy. Ideally I would like to lose about another 3 stone and with the help and support of Mr Agwunobi's team I know I will reach my goal. Weight loss surgery is not the easy way out some people think it is, and anyone that thinks Weight loss surgery is a "quick fix" or a "magic wand" needs to think again and do more research, it is not, the band is just a tool that you have to work with and you have to learn how to use it to your best advantage and its success is dependant on lifestyle changes and commitment. Having the band fitted is just the beginning and the support and care you receive during your weight loss journey is just as important. Mr Agwunobi and his team are a tremendous support to me, the aftercare provided is second to none. Whenever I have any questions or doubts Mr Agwunobi's secretary Lesley or the dieticians are there at the end of the phone or in clinic. I have regular check ups and If I have any problems and it's felt necessary I can see Mr Agwunobi in his clinic at my request, whenever I have felt I needed a band adjustment a quick phone call to Lesley or the dietician team and an adjustment has been arranged in the radiology department as soon as possible. There is also a support group for Weight loss surgery patients held at the hospital once a month. The group provides a great opportunity to compare notes with other weight loss surgery patients. Getting the right support and after care after surgery is as important as choosing the right surgeon. I have never felt alone or neglected since having my band fitted by Mr Agwunobi.
To say thank you just doesn't seem adequate praise for getting my life back and being given this fantastic opportunity, I still have a way to go but with the support from Mr Agwunobi and his team I know that this time ALL my excess weight will come off and STAY off.
Glynis Bieganski 06/06/2009
After being heavy for over twenty years,and been an insulin dependent diabetic for about the same length of time, not to mention trying the hundreds of dreadful diets out there. I decided it was time for serious action, so after lots and lots of research i came up with the idea of surgery, either a gastric band or a gastric bypass, after a lot of conversations with my partner, my diabetic nurse, and serious research i took the plunge and went to see my surgeon, Mr Agwunobi, who gave me sound advice, i went ahead and had a gastric band, it has changed my life completely, the first few weeks my weight dropped of and then continued at a healthy, steady pace, its not all plain sailing you have to realise that although the stomach cant hold big portions of food, it takes the brain a while to take this in, but in time i have totally re educated myself as to what i eat, three months after my op i had gone from a man taking twelve tablets a day and two injections of insulin to taking three tablets a day and no injections for the first time in twenty years my sleeping pattern changed i was sleeping for 6 to 8 hours a night after being a person who was up every two hours to use the bathroom my energy levels soared and doing things became not only easy but fun, the team at the Alexandra Hospital, Mr Agwunobi, dietitians [constantly at the end of the phone ] have all played a massive part in this, regular weigh ins,encouragement, care and attention, i seriously cannot praise them enough. I now weigh in at about 14 st 12 ,before my op i weighed in at 19 st [ish] i am a happier healthier person my weight has been pretty stable for about 12 months now, sometimes maybe if i am on holiday or maybe its Easter or Christmas i might put on a couple of pounds, but now i can be in control of my weight because i can also shift that extra weight. i will never be that person again who walked in Mr Agwunobi's office 18 months ago, because now i am a new man with a new attitude to food and i have Mr Agwunobi and his team to thank for that, its not a decision to take lightly but for me it was the best decision of my life.
A MANCHESTER
"After having a son in 1992 my weight ballooned to 127kg by 2007. At this point, I decided to opt for weight loss surgery, as we had been trying for a baby for 12 years. The main reason why we couldn,t conceive was because I have Polycystic Ovaries (PCOS) and I was overweight. The fact that I have PCOS and an underactive thyroid made dieting difficult. I had tried many diets but always got disheartened when the weight didn't come off. In July 2007 I saw a fertility consultant who advised that my chances of conceiving safely was to get my weight down to 95kg in order to improve the chances of the fertility drugs working. I felt that my only option left after several dieting was weight loss surgery. I discussed this with the Consultant and I decided that I would have the gastric lapband.
As the date of the operation approached I started to worry about how my new lifestyle would affect me and how I would overcome the cravings for certain foods. On the 28th November 2007, Mr Agwunobi carried out the surgery and everything went well. As the months went by, I found that my eating habits completely changed. I had more energy and I didn,t have the cravings like I used to.
In May 2008, I went back to see the fertility consultant as I had got my weight down to 95kg. He prescribed the fertility drugs which I was to start taking for three months from July 2008. At the beginning of September 2008 I found out I was pregnant. In April 2009 I gave birth to twin girls. It's now June 2009 and I weigh 95kg.
Without the lapband and the help and support of Mr Agwunobi, we would probably never have had our beautiful twin girls. The lapband has truly been a life changing experience for my whole family and I am a lot healthier and have the energy to look after and play with our girls".