‘MAKE ME THIN AGAIN’
Obesity is on the rise and for some, it’s a case of diet or die. For those that can’t lose weight, there’s extreme surgery at the hands of the Fat Doctor
PhotosLucy Collins leans forward and takes a sip from a small glass of water. As she settles her 27st bulk back in her chair, she smiles. "I feel thinner already!" she jokes. At 27, Lucy is morbidly obese and has just had a potentially life-saving operation at the hands of Dr Shaw Somers, nicknamed the Fat Doctor by his patients.
Making women thin again is the Fat Doctor's mission. He's performed more than 2,000 gastric band and bypass procedures at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, West Sussex, the NHS' largest obesity clinic. About 800 patients a year will go there for surgery, most of them female. "Women want to change, while men put up with their obesity and die because of it," Dr Somers states.
On the day we visit, there are six hugely overweight patients recovering from the surgery they hope will make them slimmer. They each sip at 10ml cups of water - which is all their new stomachs can handle.
The ward has been adapted to cope with its super-size patients - there are specially widened chairs and strengthened wheelchairs to accommodate their frames.
While their movements are slow, Dr Somers bounds between the beds, checking on his patients. In their eyes, he's a god - and he's received hundreds of thank-you letters from patients whose lives he's transformed.
Lucy is one such patient. The mum of two had a BMI of 54 - that's 29 more than the healthy level. She had her op yesterday and her stomach was reduced by 90 per cent, to about the size of an egg.
After trying - and failing - every diet plan going, she believes this is her last chance. Now she physically can't eat to excess. Losing weight is a given.
Lucy's size meant she was at risk of heart disease, a stroke and diabetes. Like the 6,000 obese people in the UK who underwent this extreme weight-loss operation last year, she hopes it will make her thin and change her life.
"I knew if I didn't do something I'd die," she says. "I wouldn't be here in five years. I wouldn't see my children grow up."
Lucy's weight gain began when she was just five. "My parents gave me healthy food, but I craved crisps and chocolate," admits the council admin officer from Littlehampton, Sussex.
"The bigger I got, the more I ate. By 15, I weighed 14st. At school I was bullied and called 'thunder thighs'. I shrugged it off but it hurt. I never exercised because I couldn't bear anyone seeing me in gym gear."
Lucy carried on overeating. She met her partner Paul while at school and had their first child, Olivia, when she was 23. After that, her weight ballooned.
"I tried Slimming World, Rosemary Conley and even diet pills, but I hated the side effects - the stomach cramps and always having to rush to the loo," she says.
After the couple's second baby, Max, was born in 2007, Lucy reached 27st.
Three months later, she and Paul, 28, an IT manager, got married. When Lucy saw how enormous she looked in her wedding photos, she realised she had a stark choice - diet or die.
"I knew I had to do something," she says. Her GP referred her to Dr Somers.
On the day of her gastric bypass operation, she was given a general anaesthetic, then with a Phil Collins CD playing quietly in the background, Dr Somers got to work.
He sliced through Lucy's skin and fat and pushed her muscles aside to get to her stomach. Then he stapled it so that it was about four times smaller and connected it to the lower part of her digestive system. She'll never be able to overeat again.
It sounds simple, but it's anything but. Lucy's treatment cost the NHS £10,000 and started long before she made it to theatre.
She had consultations with a dietician, a specialist nurse and a surgeon, and like many NHS patients, had to diet to prove she could lose weight independently. Lucy only managed to lose a few pounds, but it was enough to qualify her for surgery.
"People like Lucy are addicted to food, and once they're really obese, telling them to eat less and exercise more simply won't work," explains Dr Somers, 47.
After four hours of surgery the previous day, Lucy is now sitting up, recovering.
"I feel fantastic," she says. "All I have is a slight ache in my stomach. I'll never be able to eat normally, but I'm happy because I'll be able to see my kids grow up."
Lucy, who used to love snacking and polishing off her kids' leftovers between eating large meals, will now live on puréed carrot and chicken, smooth yoghurts and soups. After six months, she'll be able to eat child-sized portions of normal food.
"It sounds extreme," says Lucy. "But I have no regrets."
Gastric surgery is becoming more common in the UK, but it's not without its risks. The mortality rate is about one in 200 for a gastric bypass operation and one in 500 for a band, although it's a lot less with Dr Somers and his team. In one in 100 cases there's some sort of complication, which can delay recovery.
"But you have to remember that the health risks of carrying so much weight are much greater than the risk of surgery," says Dr Somers. "When you're that big, it's a matter of life and death. The people who come to us have tried diet and exercise and it just hasn't worked."
His attitude explains why for Dr Somers, these surgical procedures are just another day in the operating theatre. He carries out surgery on around 10 people a week.
"People tend to ask for bands because they've read about them," explains Dr Somers. "But they're not suitable for everyone. The band works well for people who eat too much at mealtimes. It's not so great for snackers as it won't stop smaller things like chocolate and ice cream going through - a bypass works better for them."
Back on the ward, his other patients are slowly recovering. But there's a hopeful atmosphere as the nurses bustle around.
Everyone here is making a longed-for change to their life. Like 46-year-old Jennifer Sanders.
"When I was young I regularly did karate. I'm 5ft 2in and back then I weighed less than 8½st. But I stopped exercising when I had my family and began to pile on the pounds," Jennifer, a florist from Ashford, Kent, says.
"I'd have two roast dinners a week, and I loved pizza, pies and chips. I never did any sport¿ I hated looking in the mirror. I felt so ugly," she explains.
At her heaviest, she weighed 18st and was a size 24. "I began to really worry about my health. I got osteoarthritis in my knees and I was scared I'd have a heart attack. But when I read about this surgery, it seemed like a lifeline.
"My husband Quentin was against it at first - he said he'd rather have a fat wife than a dead one - but the health risks of being big were far greater than those of the operation."
She's thrilled that she'll now be able to control her eating.
"I can hardly believe it. My life is going to be so different now," she says.
Dr Somers finishes surgery on his final patient at 5pm, having started at 8am, and then visits the wards before going home.
"It's wonderful to see how people's lives change after this surgery," he adds.
"It really does transform them. It's a fabulous job."
We'll keep you posted on Lucy and Jennifer's progress.
THE SUCCESS STORY 'I love showing off my body now'
Beth Burkill, 37, an HR administrator from Chichester, West Sussex, had a gastric bypass with Dr Somers in March 2007. She has since lost 9st.
Now she's 10st and a size 12.
"I was slim at school, but when I left home and started working in a fast-food outlet, I quickly put on weight. I'd skip breakfast and have a few butter-laden crumpets at 11am. For lunch I'd have scampi or a hot dog and chips, then chocolate bars in the afternoon. I'd go to the pub most nights where I'd drink and snack on crisps, then have a kebab or more chips on the way home. I'm 5ft 7in and quickly got up to 14st and a size 18.
"I tried to diet, and took everything from slimming pills to laxatives, but nothing worked. I lived in dark leggings and baggy tops.
"In 1998, I got married and had my son John, then startedd an office job and ate more sensibly, but four years ago, my father got cancer.
I frequently drove up and down to Leeds to help my mum look after him and I was always on the motorway, snacking in service stations. Soon I was 19st and a size 22.
"One day I was looking at a picture of my mum and my nan. They're both big - my mum is a size 24 and my nan's a 30 - and I realised I didn't want to spend my life like that.
"I'd read about gastric surgery and decided it was my last chance, so I went for a consultation with Dr Somers at Streamline Surgical* in February 2007. I used my savings - £9,700 - but my husband and I both agreed it was worth the investment in my health. He knew I'd be happier if I lost the weight."
Eight months later, Beth has lost 9st, and she's lucky her skin has shrunk back with her.
"Now I have to eat little and often, otherwise my tummy feels tight and I feel sick and lightheaded until the food is digested," she says.
"Having the surgery is not an easy option - I will always have to be careful about what I eat - but it's worth it.
"My life has been transformed. I love shopping for fitted clothes in bright colours - I even wore a bikini on holiday this year. I don't want to hide my body any more."
PHOTOGRAPHY: MERLE MOUSTAFA, DAVID HARRISON *STREAMLINE-SURGICAL.COM/0845 632 9800
This article has 18 comments
My Kaiser doctor & my VA doctor turned me down for surgery, I'm 5,5" 205lbs at my BMI is 34?! Is there some place I can go? I've done Jenny Craig twice & Nutrisystem twice had a Gym Personal Trainer & a Private Personal Trainer but could not afford to keep going to them. I could have paid for my own surgery but I can't get past the doctor. Is there something else I can do?!
By Frustrated. Posted October 30 2009 at 9:12 PM.
I had my gastric bypass on 15 july 2009 and have so far lost 4 and half stone and feel amazing! I cant wait to lose more and next summer is gonna be a good one for a change bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By sarah hunter. Posted October 28 2009 at 10:02 AM.
plz help i dont know where to start really. but im over weight and been ost of my life. im only 5ft tall but weight about 18stone . i tryed slimming pills weight watchers slimming world even lighterlight and lost a couple of stone but put more back on. would i be able to get any help on the nhs .
By michelle harber. Posted October 22 2009 at 9:32 PM.
I watch fat doctors all the time wishing that i could be lucky enough 2 have surgery, my doctor refered me as i have arthritist in my spine and my ability to walk far is limited im only 40 yrs old . I used 2 work was active but now i need a stick. I have a BMI of 47 yet this is not enough for me 2 have surgery. The consultant i was told was looking at referals of bmi 50 or over and i need 2 see an obese councilor, how can i when there isnt one in cornwall, 'its is being wored out'. Why if people qualify should they be turned down because of where they live and lack of facilitys to help those who want and ask for it. I still hope that my doctor will re-refer me again, and i can have a better life than i have now.
By Barbara Frost. Posted October 21 2009 at 2:37 PM.
i was having my band fitted on 8th august this year bou got pnuemonia two weeks before op date had to cancel it just got new date today the 2nd of nov and i will be having it done at st richards and shaw somers is doing the operation. i am 38 years old male who has been over weight for all my adult life i have tried diets and weight watcher everything but you lose it then it goes back on i can't wait to start enjoying life again because being nearly 30 stone you have social life. this is the best early christmass present ever.
By tim best . Posted October 14 2009 at 8:18 PM.
I read this article with particular interest as i felt i was reading about myself,Lucy's story mirrors my situation totally.I have been overweight all my life and i am 38 years old now and i feel that Bariatric surgery is the only option left for me now,i have tried every diet going and i am just weary with it all.My GP referred me for surgery in 2007 but my Primary Care Trust did not have the funding for Bariatric surgery,he recently contacted them again and the situation with funding remains the same,i have spent a long time weighing up the pros and cons of surgery and i am 100% certain that it is the right option for me,the only drawback is the cost,i simply cannot afford it myself and also my husband has just lost his job,however i will not give up on my dream maybe a very popular sunday newspaper might pay for it for me if i am lucky!!Ha Ha,you could follow my story if you like!
By Arlene Collins . Posted October 10 2009 at 11:04 PM.
yes i would have surgery but not as drastic as a gastric band but you have to be in that situation to know what you would do!... i lost my teeth when i was in my late thirties due to stress and after that i put a stone on a five weeks which was a nightmare by the time the dr found out i was three stone heavier,i have underactive thyroid by the time that was stable i was four stone up and very depressed,i tried getting finanace for lipo but i couldnt,then i did something stupid and it put me in coma.my children ages from 22 to 11 even rang extreme makeover but they never heard back it broke my heart how they tried,i sobbed in silents,i have even thought about seling my kidney,i dont know how they match them up with different people whether its tissue or blood match because i have o neg so its kind of universal,anyway i would love to have surgery and if i ever did then i would be a human billboard as i know they would i have done a good job,thanks for reading this sherry.
By sherry wellings. Posted October 6 2009 at 8:01 AM.
I am proud to say that I am a Shaw Somers patient - I had a gastric bypass about 18 months ago at St Richards. He and his team are absolutely amazing and I couldn't have wished for a more caring and supportive team. I have halved my weight, from 29.8 stone to 14.5 stone and I still am losing, albeit much more slowly now. I have no regrets whatsoever. Having said that, every person is different and every weight loss journey is unique, some people have more complications, some less. I consider myself extremely fortunate that I don't have many side effects. It is not however, a panacea, and not the "easy fix" that some people may think. The bypass is only a tool and is as good as the person who uses it. I still have to make wise food choices and it is still easy sometimes to "fall off the wagon", even if the consequences can leave me feeling poorly. I would say that if someone is considering this operation, then research, research and research so you are aware of all the changes that will happen to you, both physically and emotionally - your life will change!
By Michelle. Posted October 6 2009 at 5:56 AM.
My doctor refered me to the hospital for the Lap Band which I was over the moon as I could see a light at the end of the tunnel. I have a BMI of 43.8 which ment I qualified for the surgery. I had my hospital appointment on Friday 2nd October 2009 at which time I was told I no longer qualified as the PCT had but the BMI up to 45. I was also told that if I lived 10 miles away from were I do I would qaulifiy so it is a post code lottery again. I am now very disapointed and upset as I am back to square one.
I attended a BOSPA meeting on Sunday and was talking to a few peolple who all said put on another stone. I don't want to do that as you still have to lose it which will take longer again.
I have yo yo dieted all my life (I am now 41). I do not have the money to go private. If I did I would have the operation tomorrow as I know I could lose the weight and keep it off as once I was slim I would not want to back to how I am now.
At present I do not have any heatlh problems but I now I will if this carries on as I am getting a few chest pains and diabeties runs in the family in older years.
I have a 3 year old daughter who has so much energy and wants me to run around with her which I am unable to do as I get so out of breath (which she does not understand). I will not go swimmig with her as I am too embrassed to wear a swimsuit. I am missing out on so much of life that I think what is the point of living as I am not really living I an exciting.
By Julie Fletcher. Posted October 5 2009 at 9:13 PM.
I have been trying for a gastric band on the nhs. 2 doctors have sent in letters on my behalf but I have had no reply. I am obese, my body mass is 44, I am 62yrs old and have had a weight problem all my life. I would just like the chance to talk to someone and put my case. Time is running out age wise, just once in my life I would like to be a normal weight to go in shops and buy clothes of the peg.
I have osteoartritis in my back. severe neck spondylosis, and cronic pain in my foot, pain appears to be getting worse as I age, I do not sleep as pain in foot and hips keep me up, cannot sleep on right side as neck pain worse on the right side, plus I was retired at 51 with severe RSI to right arm. I am under doctors at watford general hospital but no one listens to me.
I would just like a chance. I live and have to cope on my own I cannot afford to get any worse because I live alone I need to be able to cope. I want to cope and to live.
Thank you.
Linda.
By Linda Carvey. Posted October 5 2009 at 5:46 PM.
I read the gastric band article with interest. Yes, I would have this operation to lose weight however, having tried every diet known and only succeeded with the Lighterlife diet until it came to returning to normal foods, I have not been successful in losing weight. I have spoken several times to my GP but it appears that the operation is only available to severely overweight people on the NHS and also all articles seem to focus on younger individuals.
I am nearly 60, 5ft 6in tall and weigh 14st 5lb. I'm retired and therefore unable to spend in excess of £8,000 on myself. Until recently, I weighed 15st 7lb but have again been given slimming tablets by my GP but given that I have tried these before, I do not hold out too much hope. Any suggestions, I really would like to be a size 14 or 16.
By Gill Wells. Posted October 5 2009 at 5:19 PM.
I am a 55yrs old I have always been obese since I can remember tried every diet you can imagine yes I can lose some weight
By gina plummer. Posted October 5 2009 at 3:49 PM.
I read this article because Jennifer is a friend. We both had RNY surgery this summer, her in the UK and me in Texas. It has been such a Godsend for me. I've lost over 50 pounds so far and hope to lose 80 more. I don't have to pay for fills like my friends who had a lap band, and don't have that foreign object in my body.
I have been overweight most of my life, and while other things have worked temporarily, this will be the first thing that's great for my health and permanent. I have already gone from taking two types of insulin and three different pills to just one pill for my type 2 diabetes. I have no doubt that in the near future, I can drop that one. I would recommend gastric bypass RNY to anyone who needs to lose a significant amount of weight.
By Sidney. Posted October 4 2009 at 9:12 PM.
I am a 33 year old mum to 3 girls and had my gastric bypass in July 2009. In 11 weeks i am 4st 7lbs lighter, already i have so much more energy and am finally able to play with my children better. I had my surgery open so the recovery was slightly longer than lap but all in all it has been a smooth road.
I am lucky and can eat most foods about half a side plate leaves me full for hours, which for me is a totally new concept, i have tried low sugar foods such as weight watchers and found that my tastes have completely changed, i was once a cake and sweet aholic now i can't stand the taste of them, therefore have yet to find out if i get dumping syndrome.
Anyone thinking of going down the weight loss surgery route i would say go for it!!!! I would do again in a heart beat!!!
By Julie. Posted October 4 2009 at 7:50 PM.
I had a gastric bypass on the 1st Feb 2009 just about 8 months ago and I havent looked back. I was 20 stone and 9 lbs and now weigh 14stone and 9lb.
It wasn't an easy descision and it wasn't something I woke up one morning and thought this is it. I have dieted all my life, lost a pound here and there and thats it. Tried all the pills and plans as well.
I wanted a chance to live again and that is what I am doing to the max.
What I hate is those people that think its an easy solution, its not. I watch everything I eat and can still only eat small of any thing. I intend to lose every excess pound and then have my tummy tuck.
If you think its the right descision for you then go ahead.
By Beverley anderton. Posted October 4 2009 at 5:58 PM.
I would dearly love to have surgery to loose weight and i would do so tomorrow but the financial implication is out of my range so i suppose i will have to put up with the consequenses of being overweight i have been so for years 52 now so i guess lots would say its my own fault but i can say with all honesty i eat very little but have now resigned myself to the rest of my life being overweight and very unhappy
By dee. Posted October 4 2009 at 4:38 PM.
I am currently waiting for a gastric band operation, after diets & pills, nothing was happening. I am looking forward to the surgery as to me it will be a fresh start.
I currently suffer with breathing problems (asthma) depression and knee and ankle swellings and weakness. This operation will help control my eating, as i was brought up on big plates of food & told i had to eat it all i dont snack much and dont eat much chocolate & no crisps, i try to eat fruit and yoghurts but my downfalls are sauces ie mayo, ketchup etc.
I was told the risks with both the Gastric Band & Bypass, and the risks at the hospital i am going too seemed quite high, so opted for the band. I am 33 and want a family, something i cant have yet due to my weight.
I have read all about the procedures on BOSPA and am alittle scared of the operation, but i felt i had no choice but to opt for surgery, again something that no one should opt for easily.I hope once i have my op to be healthier, and i will work damn hard to achieve this and to get my weight down and to get my confidence back up - something i havent had for sometime - i currently have a BMI of 50, and at my age this is is a concern - i can say that i am not a junkie food person, just not been looking after myself.
I feel lucky to have been given this last resort option on the NHS - If anyone has been through this surgery already i would love to hear about it.
By sharon halliwell. Posted October 4 2009 at 1:45 PM.
I had Gastric Bypass Surgery, back in September last year under another Surgeon, and have to date lost 16st and 1/2lb. I'm still losing weight. It feels brilliant to be able to get about and do normal day to day things.
I started working out at David Lloyd Gym last year and got a personal trainer who i still train with at present his the best, he researhed my surgery and with his help and movitation i've gone a long way.
The Surgery was the best thing for me. I had ballooned upto nearly 30st, when i meet my surgeon i had gone down to about 28st 7 1/2lb. I now weigh 12st 7lb, do circuit class once a week, self defence once a week, one day a week personal training with my trainer and 3 other days a week train in the gym.
I'm also training to be a personal trainer so that i can help others. Also I just started a new job within the gym industry.
I do have the odd day when something i eat doesn't agree with me but you learn to adapt. So I do back the surgery. But its not a decision to take lightly you have to weigh up all the odds and you have to be commited to a permitant life change.
By Silvana Castrogiovanni. Posted October 4 2009 at 7:55 AM.