A STUDENT nurse’s boobs shrank to a tiny A cup after undergoing gastric band surgery – and she’s been left with folds of saggy skin causing her “agony”.
Fiona Macdonald, 30, lost an incredible 7st 10lb in just 10 months after the cosmetic op in Lithuania last July.
But the mum of two, from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, has been left “feeling devastated” by her “vanished” breasts, which went from a buxom 40D to a wilted 30A, and her excess skin.
Fiona took out a loan to pay for her £5,400 gastric bypass surgery after a lifetime of battling with her weight.
While she is delighted with her new slim look – going from a dress size 20 to a svelte size 10 – she says the sagging skin on her stomach rubs and smells.
She said: “My breasts now are non-existent and it feels really unfeminine. When I lean forward my stomach hangs down.
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“I have to wear a corset when I run or it flaps about and hurts. If I even do housework without the corset then I can smell where the sweat is building up under my rubbing skin. It reeks.”
She also has issues with her skin “weeping” where it rubs under her stomach.
Fiona said she’s struggled with her weight since the age of seven, and that is slowly piled on when she met husband Andrew, 30, and had their two children Harris, six, and Marnie, four.
She recalled: “After having Marnie, my knees were hurting if I had to bend down to change the babies’ bums. My pelvis was sore.
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“I was so uncomfortable and so heavy.”
Fuelled by embarrassment at her size, Fiona took to secret eating, saying: “I’d go to the shop, buy French fancies and eat them in the car on the way home. I’d then walk in with just a pint of milk like nothing had happened.
“I’d hide in the kitchen and eat crisps away from my husband. I was so embarrassed.”
In late 2017, Fiona decided to try a slimming club. Becoming “obsessed” with the plan, she lost over 5st, going from a size 18 to a 12, began working out daily and planned her meals with precision.
Then the first lockdown hit and Fiona’s bad habits came roaring back.
She explained: “It was just us four home all day, every day. I felt so emotional and would just eat more.
“I’d stuff myself then feel sad all over again and eat even more.
“Sometimes I’d starve myself all day, thinking I was being good and sticking to the plan then night-time would come and I’d have a takeaway.”
By January 2021, she had reached 17st 7lb and a size 20. At 5ft 7in, this made her body mass index (BMI) 38, compared to the NHS healthy range of 18.5 to 24.9, making her obese.
‘I CAN’T LIVE LIKE THIS’
She was struggling to find the energy to take her children to the park, always ensuring their trips revolved around going for chips or ice-cream.
And her confidence in facing new placements as a first year student nurse was low, as she was scared people were judging her as a health professional because of her size.
Fiona said: “In January 2021, I just broke down to my husband and said, ‘I can’t live like this anymore’.”
Saying she accepted “the diets weren’t working for me,” the mum began looking into bariatric surgery.
She contacted her GP, who told her she was not eligible for the procedure on the NHS.
Looking into private surgery in the UK, Fiona was told it would cost over £10,500, making it unaffordable for her.
Instead, she decided to take out a loan of £5,400 to fund a gastric bypass at the Nordbariatric clinic in Kaunas, Lithuania, and had the procedure on July 8 2021.
SURGERY SUCCESS
During a six day stay in Lithuania, she had a 90 minute procedure under general anaesthetic to insert surgical staples into her stomach, forming a little pouch, connected to the small intestine, for food to go into – meaning patients struggle to overeat.
Fiona spent two days in the clinic recovering and being monitored by medical staff before convalescing for a further three days in a hotel, to ensure she felt well enough for her flight home.
She said: “Andrew was incredible. He is the most supportive, amazing person.
“He worked extra hours to make sure I had enough money to pay for food, drink and my hotel while I was in Lithuania.
“I had never been away from my children before I went. It was hard, but I knew I had to do it.
“I knew it would change my life and theirs for the better. I had spent so many years obsessed with my image.”
Fiona was not in pain after the op, but experienced a lot of wind and lived on a diet of water, yoghurt and baby food for two days after the procedure.
Returning home, she saw the excess weight fall away.
Her tastes also changed and she began eating a diet of tiny portions of yoghurt, sushi, lean meats and plenty of vegetables.
She said: “If I eat a lot of sugar quite fast, like at a kids’ birthday party, I get hot flushes and feel like I need to sit down. I feel quite light-headed.
“Mainly, though, I just don’t fancy the things I ate before.”
‘I FEEL PRETTY’
Fiona has now lost nearly 7st and feels it has improved all aspects of her life.
She said: “I am so much more confident. I am a better wife, a better mum, a better sister, a better student nurse. My confidence shines through in everything.
“Even though it was just a year ago, everything has changed. I feel like I finally know who I am. I love myself for who I am.
“I also finally think I am pretty and I never used to think that.”
Fiona now weighs 10st 11lb, wears a size 10 and has a healthy BMI of 23, but she has been left with lots of sagging, excess skin.
She has now launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise £6,500 to have the excess skin removed.
She said: “Having surgery was one of the best things I’ve ever done. It completely changed my life. I can look at myself now and feel proud of who I am.
“But I can’t afford to get into more debt to pay to have my excess skin removed.
“Asking for help is embarrassing really. I have never asked anyone for anything before. But I feel I had no choice but to ask.
“We are stretched in every direction. We’re still paying off the initial surgery and the mortgage, I am a student and Andrew works all the hours God sends.
“I can’t have this surgery any other way.”
Find out more about Fiona’s fundraising appeal here.