How Amanda overcame her grief of child loss to shed incredible 12st
A DERBYSHIRE woman says weight-loss surgery helped her shed 12st and saved her life.
Amanda Smith, of Belper, decided to have gastric sleeve surgery after gaining a dangerous amount of weight following a personal tragedy.
The 49-year-old suffered heartbreak when she lost her daughter to a sudden cardiac death, and food became a source of comfort.
After gaining 6st over a relatively short period, Amanda’s health had deteriorated rapidly and she was at risk of becoming bedbound, or even dying.
Amanda decided to take action and since the surgery, she feels much more confident and has completely changed her lifestyle.
She said: “After the death of my daughter I just entered a downward spiral. Food was my escape. I would eat anything and everything. I didn’t eat bad food, but my portion sizes were unbelievable. I just couldn’t control what I ate.”
Amanda, an insurance adviser, said she felt selfconscious wherever she went and people would walk past and judge her for her size. She lost her selfconfidence and would dread going out of the house.
She said: “I felt humiliated, ridiculed, shamed, isolated. I felt like I didn’t deserve to be out in public.
“The horror and shame was awful. The statements from passers-by and the rude comments. What’s worse is I would try to make myself feel better with more food. It’s a vicious cycle.”
In 2017, after suffering from asthma and limited mobility for around a year, Amanda decided she had to take action. She looked into weight-loss surgery from the NHS, but found the process could take up to three years – and decided that she did not want the taxpayer to pick up the bill.
In the end, she had gastric sleeve surgery from a private healthcare firm in the UK. This cost her a £11,900 – money she had saved for a house deposit.
She said: “I decided that, although it was a lot of money, it wasn’t worth buying a house if I wasn’t going to have long to spend in it. I couldn’t even walk 30 metres without having to stop in my tracks. And the pain in my back and hips was like that of a red hot poker. I knew I could definitely die if I didn’t do anything.”
Following the surgery, Amanda managed to lose 10st. However, she was left with a significant amount of excess skin, which made it difficult to exercise. Cycling and walking were a challenge, but because the treatment was considered “cosmetic”, she couldn’t get treatment on the NHS.
Instead, she flew out to a specialist in Egypt in October 2018, which she found after joining a Facebook group dedicated to those looking for bariatric surgery.
Professor Tamer Abdelbaki performed a tummy tuck which helped Amanda to lose a further 2st, enabling her to start exercising properly again.
For most people, travelling to another country for a medical procedure could seem daunting, but Amanda said she knew it was something she had to do.
She said: “I desperately needed help. Many surgeons in the UK wouldn’t touch me because of my high BMI range. So I flew out to Egypt with my husband and I put my life in Professor Abdelbaki’s hands. He was great and the care was amazing.”
Since the surgery, Amanda has been feeling much happier, healthier and more confident.
She has changed her lifestyle, following a high-protein diet and vastly reducing the amount of carbohydrates she eats. These active steps are vital for making sure she does not require surgery again in the future, Amanda admitted.
She said: “You have to make sure you hold yourself to account and avoid falling back into old habits. I still have a bit of dark chocolate now and again, but we’re talking pieces instead of bars.
“The whole experience has been life-changing and I now feel back to my normal self.”
I knew I could definitely die if I didn’t do anything.
Amanda Smith