Hi I'm Sharon, I'm 43 and a mum of 4. I had my sleeve surgery in Sunderland UK on 20 December 2012 and I have so far lost 107lbs. I haven't always been fat but I have always felt that way, I was born into a family of skinnies, Mum, Dad, Sister and Brother all very slim build and I was the Curvy one, totally normal but never felt it. I have a picture of myself at 18 in a bikini on holiday and I remember feeling so fat that as soon as I was out of the pool I would put a big baggy T-Shirt on to cover up. I use that picture now as inspiration. When I was 21 my sister asked me to be her chief bridesmaid so I vowed to lose weight for the wedding, I joined weight watchers and lost a fair amount of weight getting down to a size 10 (uk). Then one Sunday afternoon I noticed a swelling in my knee and pain when bending by the Friday I couldn't walk or dress myself due to pain everywhere. I had to move back home to my parents and spent 9 weeks unable to move or dress myself because of the pain I was in. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and registered disabled. After discussing my pain with an older friend of my parents I decided to cut out red meat things started to improve and at my sisters wedding 6 months after the first swelling I was almost straight as iI shuffled down the aisle after her, still a slim size 10 ( looking so good that the attractive chauffeur left his number with the hotel manager for me). As I continued to recover further testing revealed a condition called Palandromic Rheumatism which can flair up to full blown RA or settle back to nothing. I bought my first home and the weight slowly started to creep back on, I'd diet to shift the excess but never with much success. 2 years later when I met my now husband I was a size 14, 2 years after that my daughter was born and by then I was a size 16, we married 18 months later and whilst on honeymoon in Cyprus we tried out snorkelling. I was embarrassed because I needed extra weights added to my suit to help me get under water because of my weight, here's me thinking being heavier I would sink easier. A year later our first son was born, followed 11 months later by son no 2 and 18 months after that by number 3 5 days after big sisters 5th birthday. My husband and I separated for a while at that point because things were not right between us but I was a size 16 and full of beans and feeling great. I was raising a 4 month old baby with a 2 and 3 year old and a big 5 and a half year old. Then suddenly things changed my youngest was 9 months old, I had gained what seemed like overnight 5 stone and I was exhausted all the time. My eating habits hadn't changed but the weight just piled on, I was sleeping all the time I could when I wasn't working or raising the kids alone. I visited my GP and explained everything to her and she did some blod tests after 6 months I was diagnosed with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis an autoimmune disease affecting my liver. 2 years later I had my first period of extended sick leave from work diagnosed as depressed by my GP. I didn't feel depressed just shattered and overweight. I got myself referred too a wonderful consultant Professor David Jones at the freeman hospital Newcastle. He prescribed some medication and referred me for tests for sleep apnoea (yes I have that too). He also told me I had fatty liver disease. With his help and medication I returned to work I was also prescribed Reductil to help lose weight and managed to lose 3 stone but had to stop taking it because my blood pressure was to high. Oralist at didn't help nor any of the numerous other diets. I did however feel great after the 3 stone weight loss and returned to work, reunited with my husband and just got on with life. The weight also got on with piling back on. At my absolute heaviest i weighed 295lbs. In 2009 I visited my GP and asked if there was any chance of surgery to help me, fully expecting to be turned away, she however agreed straight away to refer me, my BMI was 52/53. After 8 months I eventually got on a seminar in Sunderland where we were told it would take 3 years to get the surgery and out of the 30 people at the seminar only 10 would actually have the surgery, I crossed my fingers and hoped 1 of those 10 would be me. Another 8 months later I had an appointment to see the dietician and told to lose half a stone by the time I saw the consultant, unfortunately my appointment to see a consultant was made and cancelled then made again then canceled again. After the wonderful Prof Jones intervened and wrote to a former colleague of his on my behalf I finally got to see Mr Balapuree in November 2012. Having already undergone an endoscopy prior to seeing him he advised me he would perform a gastric sleeve on me in 31/2 weeks, I was terrified I'd waited so long and suddenly here it was just 31/2 weeks to go. He also told me I was classed as a very high risk patient due to my liver disease and could need to spend time in the high dependency ward afterwards, it would also be unlikely that I would be able to go home in the usual 3days so could end up in hospital over Christmas. I started my ore op diet on the 8th December convinced that my liver needed more than the usual 10 days to shrink. I coped with it although I did go to sleep hungry every night. I was losing 1 to 11/2 pounds a day on the pre op diet so went in to my op over a stone lighter. The day of the operation arrived and I was terrified, but I did it. I woke up back in the normal ward, Mr Balapuree had done a liver biopsy whilst he was in just to see how my PBC was affecting my liver. I had some pain in my right shoulder from all the air that they pump into you and my belly was slightly tender, I was also extremely groggy but other than that felt fine. I slept most of the day of the op, was kept awake most of the night after taking a peppermint capsule to help the gas out, then dozed most of Friday too until Mr Balapuree came and told me off for sleeping too much. Saturday morning I was up dressed and sat in the chair waiting for my cup of tea!! I managed only a few sips of it but it was the best cuppa ever! Breakfast time and I had 2 teaspoons of yoghurt, then I waited to be discharged,and waited other surgeons did wars rounds but none of them would discharge me because I was a special case with my liver disease. Finally about 3.30 in the afternoon Mr Balapuree finished in theatre, he came to see me, checked me over and told the nurse to keep me there for 3 months (did I say he had a sense of humour). He signed my release papers and then I waited for my medication. I went home and so began my new life. The puréed diet was ok to start with, even Christmas dinner kind of tastes ok puréed but after a while I only ate yogurts and soup because anything else was just to awful to have. The weight was dropping off in huge chunks. By the time I saw the consultant again at the end of March some 3 months post op I had lost nearly 5 stone. By the end of 6 months I had lost 100 pounds and had a whole new wardrobe. Now it's 7 months since the operation. I've lost 107 lbs I'm more of a size 14 than a 16. I have had some fabulous responses from people and a mountain of support. I feel so much better than I did. I've been going to the gym, I like clothes shopping and I'm alive. In the last 4 weeks I've been hit with one thing after another, a mouth ulcer, an irritating cough, a rash and a water infection and my hair is so thin. I think I must be deficient in something, I am back at the hospital in a week though and I'm confident we can find what I'm lacking and rectify it. And as for the hair I guess I may have to try out a pixie crop for a while. But this is the BEST thing I have done since having my kids I am alive again so look out world I'm coming to get you!!!
