People think my before & afters are different women – I lost 14 stone from a gastric sleeve but I wouldn’t recommend it
A MAKEUP artist has revealed how she is seriously suffering with health implications after losing 14 STONE in just 13 months.
Caitlin Horrox, 24, spent £3,000 on having a gastric sleeve in Turkey after battling for years with her weight.
However, since having the operation she has been in and out of hospital with serious life changing issues.
She says: “Unfortunately I’ve been sick since having the operation.
“I’ve been vomiting everyday since the surgery, and I’ve been in and out of hospital getting fluids because I’ve been so dehydrated.
“I’m on vitamin D and calcium for the rest of my life as I’m already on the verge of brittle bone disease due to it. I was perfectly healthy before despite being obese.”
Caitlin has been struggling with her weight since she was a teenager.
She says: “I’ve been going to the GP with problems about my weight since I was 13-years-old.
“I begged them for a bariatric surgery, but I wasn’t ever helped with my weight which is why I chose to go private.”
But since having the surgery, Caitlin dropped from 24.5 stone to 10.5 stone in a matter of months and is now suffering.
She says: “I actually don’t get any pain at all; it’s mainly vomiting and nausea.
“The surgery cost me just under 3k with flights and companions.
“At the time the care was brilliant in Istanbul the hospital was like something I’d never seen in my life before.
“It had a Starbucks, gym, sauna and everything but personally I think it’s all for show.
“As of Thursday I found out I have a stricture in my stomach and need to have further dilation and reversal to gastric bypass as my surgery went wrong.”
A stricture is an abnormal narrowing of a bodily passageway, such as a tube or canal and it can make it difficult for things to pass through the channel.
I collapsed twice, and was severely dehydrated again. I can’t seem to get it under control.
Caitlin Horrox
Since the surgery, Caitlin is being seen by doctors on a regular basis.
Caitlin, who goes by the name of @caitlinhorroxx on TikTok, spoke to her followers in a video and said: “Obviously with the vomiting, the weight loss isn’t stopping. I’m not underweight or anything but it could develop to that.
“This has been ongoing for 14 months now, and I’ve been in hospital every single month, last week being the most recent.
“I collapsed twice, and was severely dehydrated again.
“I just can’t seem to get it under control.
“The problem is not actually my tummy, it’s my oesophagus which I knew from the start because I can’t digest food, so I threw it back up.
“My oesophagus is probably too small, and narrow.”
Now, she is in discussion with her doctors on the next stages.
She continues: “The NHS have been great now and have done all my follow up care.
“I’ve got an amazing consultant.”Caitlin is warning those who are interested in the surgery to do their research.
She says: “I just tell people to be very conscious of their decisions, and expect the unexpected.
“This operation is not a quick fix. It’s for life.
“There is no reversing it so definitely explore all the options.
“It is an absolutely amazing surgery and it has saved so many lives but I urge people to just always be aware of the potential risks that come with it.
“I thought not waking up was my biggest fear but it was only just the beginning.”
Different types of weight loss surgery
For many people who are overweight or obese, they may feel they have exhausted options for weight loss and want to try something more drastic.
Weight loss surgery may be available to them on the NHS if they have a BMI over 40 and have a condition that may be improved with weight loss, such as diabetes.
But the availability of these procedures largely depends on where you live in the UK. People can also pay privately.
Weight loss surgery is a common and safe procedure. However, as with any operation, there are risks, such as a blood clot, a band slipping out of place, a stomach infection, gallstones and excessive skin from weight loss that in most cases, won’t be removed on the NHS.
In all of the following options, the space in the stomach is reduced, therefore a person feels fuller after eating less food. They lose weight as a result.
However, it is necessary for them to also learn good eating habits and have a healthy balanced diet, too.
Gastric bypass
The stomach is divided into two using a staple. The smaller part is connected to the intestines, effectively cutting how much space there is in the stomach by half.
The operation takes around two hours.
Gastric band
A band is tied around the top of the stomach and inflated so that it tightens.
The operation takes three to four hours.
Gastric balloon
Patients swallow an empty balloon which is attached to a tube.
The balloon is filled with water via the tube, taking around 20 minutes, so that it fills around two-thirds of the stomach space.
Sleeve gastrectomy
Around 80 per cent of the stomach is removed in surgery to make it much smaller and a sleeve shape.
The operation takes between one and three hours.