• Home
• About Us
  • Meet the Team
  • News
  • FAQ
• Treatment Options & Prices
  • Do I Qualify for Surgery?
  • Choosing the right surgeon
  • Intragastric Balloon
  • Aftercare Program
  • Costs
• Stories
• Get More Information
• Contact
  • Contact Us
  • Register with Us
• Blog

Jess's Story

'I know Gravitas are always there for me.'

'After my partner watched a television programme on obesity he told me he was really worried I wouldn't be here as long as him - and that he didn't want to be without me. It was at that moment that I realised I desperately needed to do something about my weight, before it was too late.'

Even now, Jess finds it hard to talk about that day without being moved to tears. Her weight loss story begins some 20 years before when she was a teenager. 'I'd been slim as a child but I can remember at primary school starting to put on weight so my mum put me on a healthy eating regime. It worked, but I was obviously prone to putting on weight even then.' It was in her mid-teens that weight really started to become a problem, however.

Jess, 32, lives in Parkgate on the Wirral. She'd never eaten particularly badly - it was more to do with the sheer amount that she ate which led to her rapid weight gain.

'I'd get to work at 8.00am where I'd have bacon, egg and a slice of toast, followed by chocolate biscuits at 10 and for lunch I'd have sandwiches and soup, or chips and yoghurt. In the afternoon I'd have a chocolate bar and maybe some crisps too, then I'd have a large tea and a snack before going to bed. It was one continuous meal.'

Jess recalls how her excess body weight made her depressed. 'It was horrible - it used to affect everything I did. I felt I had to compensate by being loud and bubbly. I rarely went out socialising because I had no confidence - in clubs everyone was thin and beautiful, which just wasn't me. The worst was going out with the girls - I used to hate it. They were all so lovely and slim. I still don't go out with the girls even now. I have lost them. They've moved on.'

Obesity and a lack of confidence affected Jess's relationship with her partner, Richard. 'In the end I never put in any effort because there didn't seem any point,' she remembers sadly.

Jess found that buying clothes to fit became a problem after she hit her heaviest at 18 stone 9 pounds. 'I'd got to a size 24 and yes, there were clothes available, but the choice at this size is very limited, especially with my height - I'm 5 feet 10.'

It seemed to Jess that she'd always struggled to control her weight. I'd joined clubs, done diets, lost the weight then put it all back on again - and then some. Luckily I hadn't developed diabetes, high blood pressure or any of the other problems that go with obesity, but I still said to myself that what I'd been doing wasn't working, I needed to be more serious about it, and I needed to look at what else I could do.'

It was at this point that Jess's partner had switched on the television one evening and watched the programme about obesity that became the turning point for Jess.

She knew someone who'd had weight-loss surgery and she wondered if it would suit her too, but Jess found that information about it was difficult to come by. Then she came across the Gravitas website.

In the meantime, Jess's GP had referred her to a weight-loss group, which ultimately proved too problematic for her. 'The sessions were mid-morning so I just couldn't do it, taking all that time off work every week. I thought, I know how to diet, I know how many calories are in every single bit of food - it's just that I can't stick to it long enough to make the difference.'

So Jess decided to contact Gravitas. 'I realised they were close to where I live so I rang them and they said to come along to their open evening.' It was afterwards that she realised surgery held the key to unlocking her weight problem, so Jess arranged for a consultation with Gravitas surgeon David Kerrigan.

'He interviewed me and I was with him for a couple of hours. He asked me what I wanted him to do. After listening to me he said he thought a gastric band would help, but there were things it wouldn't do - like it wouldn't stop me eating chocolate. I knew that for this to work it would be down to me making the right choices!'

Jess knew surgery was what she had to do. 'I realised I'd have to pay for the op myself because I wouldn't get it on the NHS. I wasn't big enough to be referred. I thought, do I have to make myself really ill before the NHS can help me?'

Of course, Jess didn't want to get so ill before she became eligible for NHS funding, so she raised the money herself to pay for the procedure.

'I'd discussed it with my family and my partner beforehand, but I didn't discuss it with anyone else because Fern Britton had just spoken publicly about her surgery and I knew I'd hear horror stories and that people would say things that would frighten me. I knew it was right for me and I didn't want anyone to upset me or put doubt in my mind.'

Jess followed the special pre-op diet which saw her lose 11lbs in two weeks. 'It was quite funny really because I was at a hen party in Majorca when I started the diet and I thought, here's the start of my new life, so let's go!'

On 9 June 2008 Jess was admitted to the Spire Murrayfield Hospital for her Gastric Band procedure, performed by Gravitas consultant surgeon David Kerrigan. The operation was a success and she was discharged the next day.

Since her procedure Jess has lost 6 stone. 'Now I weigh 12½ stone. The weight fell off quickly at first, and then it slowed down and levelled off to about 2lbs a week. I'm exercising regularly and my muscle tone is improving. I know my body's still changing, but it's not what I see on the scales now that's so important, it's how I feel and look.'

How has Jess's life changed since her weight-loss surgery? 'So many people have noticed the difference in me - I'm almost half the person I was! I just feel "nice": when someone tells you that you look good, it makes you feel good about yourself. I get a lot of that now, partly because I am so different, but I feel different too. These days I get up at 5.00am and go to the gym - my partner Richard jokes that I'm taking it too far, but I've just bought my first size 14 - a body warmer!'

These days Jess eats carefully with normal portion sizes. The gastric band won't let her over-eat. 'Richard is absolutely over the moon. He wants to take me out all the time, buy me clothes and treat me; it's amazing!'

Before her op, Jess's weight problem was always on her mind. 'Now, I don't have a choice - I can eat chocolate, I can eat naughty things but I keep this to a minimum - otherwise what's the point, I want to make the most of this opportunity. If I eat too much, too quickly or don't chew properly, I really feel the pain. "You have to be in it to win it" - by which I mean, you've got to be 100 per cent committed to changing your eating habits. It has to be in your mind all the time. The surgery is not the whole answer. If you pay out this amount of money (it was my most expensive purchase ever) you can't afford to blow it.'

What advice would Jess give to anyone considering weight-loss surgery? 'Don't rush into it,' she says straight away. 'When I first started researching I considered going overseas for the surgery because it was cheaper. But when I heard so many negative things about the lack of aftercare I thought, what if anything happened to me, who would sort it out?

'I don't think 'cheap' should be a priority when you're buying something like a gastric band that is going to need surgery to be placed inside your body and then be with you for a long time. I wouldn't do it with shoes and they only go on my feet!'

For Jess, the aftercare provided by Gravitas has been as crucial to her ultimate wellbeing as the surgical procedure itself.

'The aftercare with Gravitas has been fabulous. I've never once felt alone and I never panic because I always know they are there. I've rung them at any time - you know, those worry phone calls, "I've found a lump" or "that's hurting or this is hurting". There's always someone there for you.'

Get more information Get in touch Share this with a friend