At his heaviest, M T, 64, a father of two from Purley, weighed 156 kilos (24.5 stone) and had a dangerously high body mass index (BMI) of 51.
He found it difficult to walk, suffered from various health problems, including high blood pressure and was taking medication to control and sleep apnoea, a potentially life threatening sleep disorder.
He started to have problems with his knees in 2009 and had an operation on his right knee, but without any noticeable improvement. He had Osteoarthritis in both knees and then he started to have pains in the right hip area in 2011.
He was referred to a specialist at the Cromwell Hospital and was told that the Osteoarthritis was in the hip, but that he would have to lose weight.
M T approached his doctor, who referred him to specialist bariatric (weight loss) surgeon Mr Ahmed Ahmed at Cromwell Hospital.
After assessing him, Mr Ahmed Ahmed recommended that a gastric bypass would be the best weight loss surgery procedure for him. The operation, which he funded himself, was subsequently carried out in June 2012 by Mr Ahmed Ahmed.
“The surgery went well and since the operation, I’ve lost over 49 kilos (seven stone) in nine months, gone from a size 5XL to an XL and am still losing weight. I feel 100% better.”
According to Mr Ahmed Ahmed, he has done ‘fantastically well’. “M has made amazing progress,” he said. “He is far happier and his sleep apnoea has gone, he is not taking any Blood Pressure Medication and he is able to walk better and take more exercise.”
These days M T is also healthier and much more active.