My Gastric Sleeve Journey Anniversary

This year on the 22 April 2024, I am celebrating my tenth “sleeve-eversary”.

I’m not sure if I was a healthy baby weight when I was born, in fact, I have no known history before the age of one. That’s because I was adopted. I was however told by the only mum I know that I suffered from malnutrition and anaemia, and was subsequently fed the most nutritious formula out of worry that I would fall ill.

My parents’ love language, as I later realised, was food. Alongside regular meals, I was given formula until I began school, despite becoming a sturdy toddler and not showing any signs of malnutrition, food held significant importance in our household. Finishing everything on my plate was ingrained as a sign of abundance and love.

During my pre-teen years, I experienced a growth spurt and became thinner in appearance. I distinctly recall disliking my suddenly prominent ankles, considering them too bony and disproportionate. As puberty approached, my weight began to increase.

I may have started gaining weight around in the mid-teens, reaching around a size 14-16 when I was in Year 11. By age 19, I began to lose weight and returned to a normal size, typically wearing a size 10-12. Around age 23, my weight began to increase again, stabilising around a size 14.

Upon reflection, I could likely attribute the fluctuations in my weight to sensitive events happening in my life.

I got married when I was 26, and by this stage, I wore a size 16-18 wedding dress. Shortly thereafter, I was finally diagnosed with PCOS and for the first nine years of marriage, this became the focus.

My menstrual cycles were irregular, and it took some time to find a GP who could help me. Following her advice on vitamins and nutrition, my cycles gradually became more predictable and shorter in duration. She will always be remembered as a GP who understood our desire and managed my case with success.

With our goal of starting a family in mind, we pursued fertility options, including visits to a Fertility Clinic and specialist consultations involving various tests and examinations. During this process, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and received advice to lose weight or there would be no progression to fertility treatment, due to potentially suffering from a high-risk pregnancy.

I was given medication for my Type II Diabetes, but it didn’t suit me due to side effects, so I stopped taking it. Things didn’t go smoothly, and despite efforts through various means, I struggled to lose weight to qualify for the fertility treatment I desired.

In 2013, I discovered bariatric surgery when I joined Weight & Metabolic Solutions Australia. I had never heard of it before. For a period of 9 months following joining the clinic, I watched people like me have the gastric sleeve surgery and achieve their weight loss dream.

People opted for weight loss surgery for a variety of reasons, and the outcome was evident to me: they became healthier and happier.

Having never undergone any type of surgery before, one day I made a firm decision: despite the fear, I wanted the same for myself. The desire to finally have a baby outweighed my apprehensions. Witnessing countless individuals achieving their dreams day after day fuelled my determination.

I began my Optifast diet, and two weeks later, I found myself in a hospital gown, trembling with nervous excitement. At that point, my BMI was 42. My gastric sleeve surgery went smoothly, but the post-op diet presented real challenges that I successfully tackled.

After two weeks, I went through the typical post-surgery blues, including a bit of regret, just like any other patient might. It hit me hard for the whole weekend. But once that passed, I felt a surge of excitement and relief as I started to really embrace my new physical self.

If someone were to ask whether my personality changed, I’d say I’m still the same person I’ve always been. Discovering my true self only boosted the confidence I’ve always had inside, except now it was also reflected in my physical appearance.

The saddest aspect was then grappling with the desire to retain the body I had achieved, and then questioning whether I even wanted to become a mother. For approximately seven months after the surgery, I was convinced that having a child of my own was no longer something I longed for.

Things took a sudden turn when I realised my true dream lay buried deep within me. We decided to try, and miraculously, we conceived naturally on the first attempt. Five weeks later, I couldn’t stop triple-checking the positive test, hardly believing our luck.

I had a healthy pregnancy and loved every moment. We found out the gender and prepared incessantly. On the next try, I fell pregnant on the second attempt.

Truthfully, if I had been aware earlier, I would have opted for bariatric surgery without hesitation. Yet, I have no regrets about my decision. Over the past 11 years, I’ve witnessed real people with their own unique stories, achieve remarkable improvements in their quality of life. While I may have offered support in some instances, they’ve reciprocated with an abundance of support in return. This journey filled me with great passion to take over leadership of Weight & Metabolic Solutions Australia in January 2020 up to this day and beyond.