Gary: lost 10st with a Gastric Sleeve

"The progress I have made in 9 months is astounding "*

* All patient reviews on our website are based on that individual's experience and may vary from person to person.

Hi my name is Gary Walker and I am 30 years old, I had my gastric sleeve in November 2018 and the results have been amazing so far.

I have struggled with my weight since being around 14 years of age, I tried to lose weight on many different occasions. Each time I would start well but end up losing motivation and putting it all back on. I had tried multiple diets; Slimming world, weightwatchers etc. All of which did not work out. I ended up gaining more and more until I was over 30 Stone.  

Although I had no health problems, I was very unfit. I would struggle to walk short distances, pains in my knees and back pain.  I am an avid football fan and attending games was becoming a source of embarrassment as I was struggling to fit through the turnstiles.

It was my poor fitness coupled with the embarrassment at the football matches that motivated me to do something about my weight!  So, I searched around looking for the best solution to aid me with my weight loss. It was very apparent that weight loss surgery was the best way forward for myself. I searched online and found multiple places and prices for a gastric sleeve.

I was at first looking abroad as the prices were lower but I quickly ruled this out due to the lack of aftercare and the travelling that would be involved. I then decided having my procedure in the UK was the way to go, the NOSC quickly became the front runner as the aftercare seemed ideal and they had convenient locations in close proximity to me.

The first step was the consultation with the surgeon in April 2018, it was during this consultation I was told my BMI was too high for the procedure. To qualify for the procedure, I would have to lose roughly 5 stone, this news was a major setback and I was gutted as 5 stone is a large amount of weight to lose and having failed previously with weight loss I was thinking this was a lost cause.

The NOSC called me the next day and it was after this call I was so glad I chose them. They talked me through what I would need to do and provided me with a meal plan that would help me lose weight. I also received regulars and was counselled through the weight loss, which was a great help and allowed me to set small targets to meet on a weekly basis.

My confidence was reassured as all this information was supplied to me all before I had given them any money. They could have left me to it and told me to get back in touch when I was close to the weight loss required, I can honestly say without this help I would probably still of been trying to achieve the 5 stone target today, but instead I lost it by October 2018.The procedure was then booked, and then came the pre-op diet. Again, NOSC were brilliant, provided me with a few options and helped me decide which one would be best suited to me.

Before the procedure I was surprisingly calm. I think I was glad to finally begin my new life and to undergo my gastric sleeve given the effort I had put in just to be approved for the procedure. I was in hospital for two nights and the staff were amazing from start to finish. I had a reaction to the anaesthesia (nothing serious just hiccups) the staff were constantly making sure I was ok and trying to cure the hiccups, which lasted for 2 days and were quite painful given I had just had surgery. 

The recovery was pretty simple, after the first couple of days I was feeling positive but I struggled to keep anything down including water. The nurses assured me this was common. Once out of the hospital the pain subsided relatively quickly and within a week the pain had pretty much gone. The change was instant, I never felt hungry and was getting full just drinking water. I was able to follow the post-op diet easily.

The NOSC phoned me every day for the first two weeks to make sure I was ok and answer any questions I had, they were always very helpful and it was good to know what I was experiencing was normal, so very reassuring.

I am now 3 months on from the operation and have now lost over 10 stone in total. The benefits are already showing from the procedure as I am much fitter and can easily do an hour’s exercise which was near impossible before. I have regular calls with NOSC support team, which is great as it allows you to ask any questions but if questions are urgent you can always phone them any time.

I am so glad I decided to have the operation and choose the NOSC, I still have another 5 stone to go to reach my target weight but with the NOSC there to support me I am confident this will be a walk in the park. The progress I have made in 9 months is astounding and has been hard work but it has been so much easier with the NOSC team helping. I wish I had decided to do it sooner and would be reaping the benefits much earlier in my life.