Woman spent £10k on weight loss surgery – and is now wishing she'd never done it
A woman who spent £10,000 on weight loss surgery and dropped six dress sizes now says it was the "worst decision of her life".
Leah Lazarus, 39, underwent a gastric sleeve procedure but now regrets it, saying she is the "least body confident I've ever been". After the operation, Leah lost nearly five stone but now has to wear children's clothes and claims her colleagues don't recognise her.
The aesthetics technician from Loughton, Essex, told the Manchester Evening News: "Like most women, I've never been happy with my body because of ever-changing beauty standards. I wanted to get surgery, but I didn't want to go abroad because of horror stories. I felt confident in the private hospital I chose but as soon as I woke up from surgery, I knew something was wrong because I was in unbearable pain. After the surgery, I spoke to a medic once and never heard from them again."
"After that, the weight started dropping off me because I wasn't able to keep anything down. My body is completely different now and I feel like a child, not a woman. I'm devastated because I spent a chunk of savings on this procedure. I feel like I was sold a dream and now I feel stupid."
Leah after her gastric sleeve surgery (Leah Lazurus / SWNS)
Leah had to undergo a second surgery due to complications (Leah Lazurus / SWNS)Leah's weight plummeted from 12st 12lbs to a tiny 7st 7lbs, going from a size 14 to a petite size 4. She shared that she had a normal relationship with food growing up but became more self-conscious after joining the aesthetics industry. She started looking into weight loss surgery in April 2022 and found a private hospital offering the procedure.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Just one month later, she underwent the surgery, but things quickly went downhill as soon as she woke up. She was in unbearable pain and couldn't keep any food or water down. Despite this, she was sent home from the hospital after just 24 hours.
"I went to hospital and they thought I had a leak in my tummy but couldn't be sure, it was so scary," she said. "I thought I was going to die but all I could think about were my children. I felt guilty for being selfish and having the surgery. I'd spent a lot of money on surgery that had left me unable to work and the expensive medical bills that followed."
"I wasn't able to keep anything down because I was in so much pain, but it was also because I was worried out of my mind about my children. Feeling weak and emotionally exhausted - I thought I'd never see my family again."
She spent two weeks under observation but was eventually sent home while her condition continued to deteriorate to the point she struggled to walk. She was in and out of Homerton University Hospital, Hackney, London, from June to August 2022. Medics believed she was suffering from a stomach rupture but they couldn't treat her due to the scar tissue around the gastric sleeve still healing.
She was also battling against a deadly case of sepsis alongside kidney stones as a result of the surgery. However, a different private clinic suggested she undergo a half bypass which would fix the stomach rupture for £6,700. Leah underwent the two-hour surgery on August 9, 2022 and spent three days recovering in hospital.
"I didn't want any more surgery but it was the only way to patch up the hole I'd been left from the sleeve,'' she said. "The second private hospital were helpful and really understanding - a complete contrast to what I'd been through.'' Fortunately, Leah is now on the road to recovery but she says she's the least happy with her body she's ever been. "I look slim in clothes, but I don't feel womanly, and I've got loose skin,.
"My fiancé says I look amazing no matter what, but it doesn't really help because I feel so rubbish inside. I opted for a UK private hospital because I thought I'd be in the best hands. But little did I know it was the beginning of hell. I have to wear children's aged 12-14 clothes and now I'm back at work my clients say they don't recognise me."
"The scars on my stomach are a constant reminder of everything I've been through. I'm stuck like this now - I'd never have any more surgery, or the bypass reversed because hospitals give me PTSD now. All I can do is just be thankful I'm still with my family and learn from it all. I wish I'd never had weight loss surgery. I've lost a lot of savings and I'm the least body confident I've ever been."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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