Woman loses 35 kilograms after gastric sleeve surgery

Quyen after shedding 35 kilograms. Photo by VnExpress/Phuong Thao

Before her marriage, Quyen weighed 48 kg and was 1.65-meter-tall. After her second childbirth in 2019, her weight increased to 107 kilograms.

She had tried tens of weight loss pills, from cheap to expensive, in exchange for nothing. She tried weight loss injections as well, which made her suffer menstrual problems, stomach ache, bleeding, frequent migraines, and insomnia.

After losing 10 kilograms, Quyen had to drop her plan due to severe health damages. She then gained weight and reached 102 kilograms again.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of Institute of Gastroenterology Surgery of Military Central Hospital 108, said on June 18 that the woman was diagnosed with menstrual disorder and fatigue and was hospitalized. Her BMI was nearly 40, which is classified as class 2 obesity.

BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measurement used by experts to classify if a person is normal, overweight or suffering malnutrition. According to WHO’s instructions, if a person’s BMI is above 25, they are overweight, and if it is above 30, they are obese.

Quyen’s obesity was caused by her unhealthy weight loss plan, according to Tuan.

The principle behind addressing obesity is to provide less (through diets, medicines, surgery) and consume more (through exercising) energy. However, many people follow unhealthy weight loss plans, such as only drinking water and consuming vegetables, or taking medicines and supplements that contain unknown ingredients, which leads to health problems including dizziness, tiredness, vitamin-deficiency, electrolyte disorders, and organ failures.

There are also people who lose weight through liposuction at unreliable beauty salons, and end up being infected, having blocked arteries, bleeding. or even dying.

The doctor suggests that people should do gastric sleeve surgery, which is often suggested for those who are obese with diabetes and menstrual disorders, to reduce the amount of energy taken in.

Gastric sleeve surgery is often appointed for people whose BMI is above 30 (class 2 obesity), accompanied with symptoms such as high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, menstrual disorder, diabetes or infertility. After the surgery, patients will eat less as their stomach is smaller. However, they still have to follow a healthy diet and exercise afterwards to maintain their weight and health.

Over the past year since undergoing surgery, Quyen has maintained a habit of eating healthily and exercising frequently. She now only weighs 67 kilograms, and no longer suffers from menstrual disorder.

Quyen has created a group on social media, aiming to share valuable lessons in the journey of achieving a thin shape and encourage people to lose weight healthily.

"I feel like I have a new life, as I became more loved and happier than before," she said.