Brian Isle of Man

My name is Brian and I live on the Isle of Man.

At my heaviest I was 31 stone. My mobility was limited and I had trouble walking around the local supermarket. After walking 100 yards I had to stop for a rest. I became out of breath very easily.

I came to a place where I needed to do something about where I was heading, because the way I was going I was heading towards an early grave. I had to go private as the waiting list for the operation where I live was 3 years and there was no guarantee that I would get it either. I was fortunate that my parents paid for my treatment. I am grateful for their decision as it means they can see the benefits of my operation rather than leaving them my inheritance.

I had the consultation and three weeks later I had the operation in Chester.

I wasn’t afraid of it – more excited as I knew the benefits would be better than where I was at the time. The staff of Chester looked after me. I was in for 4 days and discharged home on the 5th day.

There weren’t many complications after my operation, just one of the places I had keyhole surgery had an infection in, but I had that checked out and it wasn’t serious and it healed up within a month.

For the first few months I couldn’t eat anything much except for soup and soft foods. If I tried to eat anything more I was sick. As time went by I could eat more than before, but I still can’t over eat anything as I feel unwell or I am sick. After 18 months, I could eat a greater variety of food -although I do have to be careful of as it’s very easy to put weight on.

Even 3 years after my operation if I eat too much or too quickly, I am either sick or feel sick.

I’m one of the few people who can eat chocolate without it affecting me, so I have to be careful not to eat too much of it as, it is very easy to put the weight back on!

The follow-up appointments were a good motivation to keep the weight off. They were also helpful with the tips and ideas to use to maintain the weight or lose the weight. They’ve been helpful in making sure I get the right vitamins from my own doctor and if I ever needed to talk to anyone in the team, there was always someone there to help.

It’s so easy to put the pounds back on that you have taken off, so I must keep an eye on my weight. Although I have put a few kilos on here and there which can be discouraging after the hard work I have put in, I just have to sit down and figure out where I had put the weight on and put it right. This has happened a few times in the past couple of years.

I work hard to take it off again with exercise and healthy eating, and the help of the dietician who is in regular contact with me. I go back and look at what I’m eating and start to cut down where I am either eating the wrong stuff or eating too much.

The gastric bypass is a helpful tool to lose the weight. And if you put some weight back on, don’t every give up, see where you went wrong and try to change the habits.

I feel a whole lot healthier now than I did before the operation. I can walk 3 or 4 miles without stopping, I cycle more than I did before – up to 20 miles a week, and I attend the gym every day for 90 minutes.

Today I am 20 stone which is a 11 stone less than my heaviest. I am so much happier now than where I was, although I still need an operation to remove some excess skin.

If you want to change your life and are considering this, I say “go for it.” You have nothing to lose.