Tanya Kane from Winlaton had gastric sleeve surgery performed at Spire Washington Hospital in February 2014. She has now lost over seven stone after struggling with her weight for her whole adult life. Here she shares her story about how weight loss surgery has transformed her life so much so that she is now preparing to complete the 2015 Great North Run.
Having weight loss surgery is a big decision to make – what made you decide to go ahead?
“I have always been what I would class as a yo-yo dieter. Being a mother to three children and three step children means that I have a very busy life and found it very difficult to stick to a diet for long. Like a lot of people I would start a diet on Monday morning and by Thursday I would flag, give up and promise myself to give it a better shot the next week. Some diets worked really well for me and I would lose three to four stone but then I would feel great, ditch the diet and reward myself for all the hard work and the weight would creep back on. When I decided to go down the surgery route I wanted a permanent tool to help me get long term results since I knew how to lose weight and eat well but I had got to the point where my weight was out of my control.”
How did Spire Washington Hospital help you?
“I did a lot of research into the different types of surgery including which hospitals performed these operations, the prices and surgeons. During my search I came across Spire Washington and decided to give them a call where I spoke to Sharon Day, one of the customer service team. I knew after a 10 minute conversation that Spire Washington was the hospital I was going to use. She was very informative and supportive and there was no hard sell where as with other hospitals I had contacted- I felt like I was being hounded on the phone and by email. It was like the other hospitals just wanted my money but Spire Washington Hospital and their staff actually wanted to help me.”
What was the hospital experience like?
“From my initial consultation in November 2013 with Mr Balupuri to my final one in early February 2015 I have been very well looked after. All of the staff at the hospital are so friendly and supportive, they can't do enough for you. During my stay at the hospital I felt comfortable and everything was very clean. I know that if I was to consider more surgery in the future I wouldn't go anywhere else because when you come to Spire Washington they make you feel like you are important.”
What is your life like now?
“WOW! That's how I feel and I can honestly say that this is the best thing I have ever done. I have totally invested in myself and I now have a permanent tool to help with my weight loss. I am very conscious about what I eat now as I don't ever want to be back where I was. I now exercise three to four times a week and my goal is to do the Great North Run in September and for someone who couldn't make it to the top of the stairs without gasping for breath less than a year ago, it proves how far I have come. Mr Balupuri, Maureen the specialist dietitian, Sharon Day and all the staff have been helping me every step of the way, I feel that Spire Washington Hospital has given me my life back.”