‘Absolutely no regrets’: Woman lost gallbladder after gastric sleeve surgery
A woman who ate 10 chocolate bars a day shed 120 kilograms thanks to surgery and would “do it again” – despite losing her gallbladder.
Lifestyle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A woman who ate 10 chocolate bars a day shed 120 kilograms thanks to surgery and would “do it again” – despite losing her gallbladder.
Martha McCarthy, 32, weighed 185kg before she underwent a gastric bypass in Estonia in August 2021, The Sun reports.
Her weight crept on due to years of “secret eating” – consuming up to 4000 calories each evening when she was alone in her room.
Ms McCarthy had a “big sweet tooth” and drank up to seven cans of Diet Coke a day, followed by bars of chocolate.
At her biggest, she said, she had to order specifically-made clothing to fit her size 28 to 30 frame.
When a five-minute walk to the shop left her “crying in agony”, she decided it was time to make a change.
Ms McCarthy did her research and found a weight loss clinic in Estonia, and paid nearly £5200 ($9895) for flights, accommodation and surgery.
The operation was a success and the weight fell away, she said, eventually dropping to a size 14.
Unfortunately, however, Ms McCarthy suffered health complications post-surgery, including a leak in her gut and gallstones.
Despite the numerous trips to St Vincent University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, and ultimately needing to have her gallbladder removed, Ms McCarthy said she would do the surgery again “in a heartbeat”.
“The surgery was all done correctly – I just had a bad reaction to it,” Ms McCarthy, who works as a trainee optician, said.
“But I would do it again 100 times over, no questions asked.
“I would rather have these health issues over the ones I had due to being overweight.
“I’m so much better off – it’s changed my life.”
Ms McCarthy started gaining weight in her mid-20s, after she started working full-time and could afford takeaways and nights out.
She would often skip breakfast, have a sandwich for lunch and takeaway for dinner.
But it was when she was alone that the self-confessed “secret eater” consumed most of her calories.
While working in a hotel, Ms McCarthy would sneak off on a “toilet break” to consume sausages from the breakfast buffet.
At night, she ate chocolate and other snacks in her room, consuming between 3000 and 4000 calories each evening.
Ms McCarthy, who lived with her family at the time, said they were always “concerned” about her diet.
“I hid a lot of wrappers, but my family knew I was eating badly in secret,” she said.
“Chocolate was my favourite and I didn’t care what I ate, I’d get whatever was on offer.
“I would also drink a lot of empty calories like milkshakes and coffees with lots of syrup and creamers.”
Ms McCarthy suffered from high blood pressure and sleep apnoea – when a person stops breathing in their sleep.
She tried various diets over the years but found “nothing worked” for her.
She was even prescribed Ozempic, the injectable drug that can suppress a user’s appetite, but was forced to stop using it after feeling constantly nauseous.
During Ireland’s lockdown in 2020, Ms McCarthy “barely left the house” and continued to gain weight.
When walking to the shops became too difficult, she decided to make a change.
“I was literally crying in the aisles because my knees hurt so badly,” Ms McCarthy said.
“I’d had enough. I started researching into weight surgery and found a clinic abroad.”
The procedure involved reducing the stomach size and bypassing food to a small pouch in the intestine.
Upon returning to the UK post-surgery, Ms McCarthy watched the weight “fall away” – losing 63kg in nine months.
But the rapid weight loss left Ms McCarthy with a catalogue of health issues, including gallstones.
She had been admitted to hospital several times over the last few years due to internal stomach ulcers, hernias and a leak from the gut.
Despite these complications from surgery, Ms McCarthy is pleased with the results – and currently saving for skin removal surgery.
“I used to think surgery was the easy way out, but it’s definitely not,” she said.
“You always read about success stories or total fails – but I’m something in-between.
“I’m proof that there can be complications afterwards and I want to be totally transparent about the process.
“It’s not been a walk in the park, but I have absolutely no regrets.”
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
Originally published as ‘Absolutely no regrets’: Woman lost gallbladder after gastric sleeve surgery
Dangerous new drug detected in Australia
An “extremely dangerous” new group of drugs linked to a number of deaths worldwide have made their way to Australian shores.
‘Why your husbands pay me for sex’
A Gold Coast escort who rakes in $2 million a year has revealed the top five reasons married men are paying her for sex.