NOSC Weightloss Success Stories

My story is really simple. In 2005 I had a very bad heart attack. No doubt brought on because I was so fat. I've been told for years that I had to lose weight. Both my dad and my granddad had bad hearts. My granddad was only 45 when he died of a heart attack. My heart was so bad, I was having angina almost every day. I've had stents put into my heart arteries because it was so bad.

I'd tried everything to get the weight off, but wasn't getting anywhere. I asked my GP for an appointment to see an obesity surgeon. He agreed that I needed something doing to help me, but said I was always going to be just big a risk for a general anaesthetic. I remember he said that he did not want the operation to kill me. That made me think I can tell you.

However, he said that I should consider having a stomach balloon. To be honest, I'd never heard of it. I was referred to the National Obesity Surgery Centre in Manchester. They went through the whole process and it seemed like it might be a sensible safe option for me. I went away and thought about it for a few weeks. My husband was really up for it, and encouraged me a lot.

I decided to have it done. I didn't have any sedation at all, and it only took a few minutes to fit it. My consultant was brilliant and filled me with confidence that I was doing the right thing. Since then, I have been in very regular contact with all the team at the NOSC and my balloon has really done the trick. My BMI is now down to 38 and my chest pains have got much less frequent and much less severe.

Having a balloon was the best thing I could have done to help myself, and I'm so glad I did it. If my weight still has to come down some more, I would even do it again.

My GP says it's probably put a good few years on my life. Money very well spent I'd say.