‘I worried my weight would kill me’

It was only really when I hit my late thirties that my weight started to have an impact on my health. As an agri-mechanic, I was always on the go but it was when I started my own agri-machinery business 12 years ago that I became sedentary and I put on even more weight.

It was 2003 when I first experienced chest pain which led to the first stent. I also had my gallbladder removed that year. My left knee was replaced in 2009 due to my job and excess weight. Then in 2012, I had a mild heart attack and from then until 2013 I had a further three stents put in.

I’ve tried every diet going over the years, I cut out entire food groups, went to weight-loss classes and even tried liquid diets. Some of them worked for a while but I could never sustain them and would end up giving in to my cravings and gaining back the weight I had lost, plus a few more pounds for good measure.

As the years went on, my weight continued to creep up to the point where I had developed sleep apnoea and prior to my operation I was wearing trousers with a 44-inch waist and 5XL shirts. As a father of three teenagers, I started to worry that my weight could kill me, the thought of leaving my wife and children devastated by a death which could have been prevented terrified me.

I eventually went to see my GP for help, I didn’t know where else to turn and she knew I had tried desperately to lose weight for a long time. My GP had recently been to a talk with a bariatric surgeon and she asked could she refer me to a clinic, I had a good feeling about it.

A few weeks later I went to see them and after taking a detailed health summary, they said they thought I could be a candidate. Over the next six months, I met the surgeon who would perform the surgery, a number of times. I also met with an endocrinologist who evaluated my liver function, also a psychologist who helped me face some demons and prepared me for a new way of life as well as dieticians. They equipped me with the tools to ensure my surgery would be a success, taught me about healthy food options, and showed me how to re-wean myself on to solid food post-surgery.

The surgery was booked for April 24 and two weeks beforehand I had my pre-op assessment. I stepped on the scales and to my horror I was 150kg. I never owned scales at home, so I never really knew how much I weighed.

The next two weeks were spent on a high protein liquid diet designed to shrink my liver which was tough, of course, but I was so motivated to succeed that I never even considered giving up.

The surgery, called a Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, is non-reversible and removed about 75pc to 80pc of my stomach, leaving a narrow gastric sleeve and the surgical procedure is done laparoscopically meaning only five or six small incisions were made into my stomach and the surgery was performed using a video camera and long instruments that were placed through the small incisions. I was in the hospital for five days in total and during that time I did have some discomfort and pain, but I recovered well. I took two weeks off work in total and to be honest, I really did need that time to recuperate. When I was discharged from hospital I went home with a detailed list of what I could and couldn’t eat and I stuck to it like glue.

It has been six months since my surgery and although I still don’t own a set of weighing scales, I know I have lost 33kg from my frequent appointments with dieticians.

It’s fair to say that my life has changed dramatically. Obviously, the weight loss has been a huge part of that but during an appointment with the consultant I said to him “I know that physically you operated on my stomach but it feels like you operated on my head too”. I have no desire to eat the foods I used to eat. I no longer crave fizzy drinks, takeaways or sweet treats. It’s like a switch in my brain has turned off. John explained what happens when a large portion of your stomach is removed, the sensors around the side of your stomach which control cravings are taken away too and the hunger for those foods disappears.

I never used to drink water, I hated the taste so if I felt thirsty, I would drink a can of Coke or Club Orange, now I drink over three liters of water a day mixed with calorie-free diluted orange. I probably eat more in a day now than I did before my surgery, but I don’t binge. I eat three square meals and I don’t snack. I never used to have breakfast either but now I couldn’t leave the house without my two eggs and turkey rashers. My portion sizes are half what they used to be, I even eat my dinner off a side plate now!

When I was recovering from my surgery I started going for a short walk each day, just from the front door, down the driveway to the gate. I slowly built that up and started doing it twice or three times a day. After a couple of weeks, I had enough energy to walk out of the gate and down the road. Now I walk for about 5km every single morning at 6 am before my breakfast and at the weekend I go for long walks. My faithful dog Milley, a golden retriever, walks the road with me every time I go out and as soon as she sees the hi-vis vest she gets excited and knows we are off.

It’s only now looking back at my life before surgery that I realize how miserable I was in myself. Even though I wasn’t doing any exercise, my knees ached, and I felt tired constantly. My family, colleagues, and friends can’t get over the energy I have now. I feel lighter, not just physically but mentally too. My kids have even said to me that my mood and character have changed for the better. I used to think that spending quality time with my family meant eating something together, like a Chinese, but we do so much more together now, the kids think I am more fun too.

I am now wearing a 38-inch waist, but I need a belt! And I am wearing 2XL shirts. I used to dread Christmas or birthdays when my wife would buy me a nice jumper or shirt and I’d end up having to return it because it didn’t fit and they never had my size. Knowing I can walk into most shops and buy off the shelf is all the motivation I need to keep going. John, Maryclare and Caitriona want me to get down to 100kg, and I know I will.

My biggest regret is not having the surgery sooner. I feel like I let the last 15 years pass by in a restrictive blur, where I was stressed and unhappy with how I looked and felt. I feel like I have been given a new lease of life.

Kevin McGee is a 49-year-old married father of three from Dunleer, Co Louth

What is bariatric surgery and who is  it suitable for?

* Bariatric, or weight loss, surgery is suitable for patients who are morbidly obese and who have exhausted all other avenues to lose weight.

* According to the HSE, six out of 10 adults in Ireland are overweight or obese.
* NICE clinical guidelines recommend that only patients with a Body Mass Index of 40 or more, or who have a BMI of 35-40 as well as a serious health condition, be considered for surgery.
* While the most well-known procedure is the gastric band, used by TV presenter Fern Britton, it has been surpassed by the non-invasive gastric bypass and gastrectomy (gastric sleeve) surgeries. These are usually permanent and involve restricting access to, or removing, portions of the stomach.
* Temporary interventions include the gastric balloon – which gives a feeling of fullness – and the Lap Band, which makes the patient feel fuller sooner.
* Surgery is available to patients with medical cards. However, in October 300 public patients attending the weight-management programme at St Columcille’s, Loughlinstown, Dublin, were waiting for bariatric surgery at St Vincent’s, where just 27 procedures were performed last year.
* Patients who can pay, or who have health insurance, can be referred to a private provider by their GP.
* Successful surgery can reduce the cost of treating serious long-term health conditions. “Bariatric surgery has been shown to prevent, cure or improve a number of serious health conditions related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, infertility, heart disease, asthma, sleep apnoea, and certain cancers.
* “Within the first year of the procedure, most patients lose between 50pc and 60pc of their excess body weight, provided they follow the recommended dietary and lifestyle changes.”