Clyde Vorster shares the journey of his incredible transformation and path back to health:
Thank you for asking for my testimonial relating to the bariatric surgery I had on the 4th June 2013.
I was recommended for the operation by my Endocrinologist (Diabetes Specialist) Dr Ray Moore. I have had type 2 diabetes for about 5 years along with other issues such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, gout, arthritis and excessive stomach acid all for which I took a handful of tablets every day.
I weighed in at 156kg and had a BMI of 43.5 (morbidly obese) with a height of 189cm (6”2).
The week before the operation I lost about 7 kg’s on the pre op diet.
There was absolutely no pain from the operation. I spent the day and night of the operation in ICU (Tuesday) then was transferred to the ward the next day (Wednesday) and went home on Thursday. The only pain I have felt was when I ate the wrong foods that did not digest correctly. This was for a very short period as the pain went away after I managed to bring up the offending meal. I have not experienced any dumping episodes but have had diarrhoeaon about 3 occasions. After three months I started to virtually eat anything but generally stay away from very fatty foods and sugar (causes of dumping) I drink whisky and red wine and have no problems with this.
My family think my transformation is great and they have been very supportive. It is also great to see old friends or people I have known and haven’t seen since the op. The look on their faces is classic when they try to decipher if they know the person in front of them or not.
Since the op I have lost 54kg and have about 8kg’s to go. My weight fluctuates between 102 and 105kg’s (Goal = 96kg).
I have absolutely no clothes that fit me properly.
The bottom line for me is that I would go through the procedure again and would recommend it to friends and family. I believe that of the complications I have heard of (non-life threatening) the results far outweigh the negatives. Consider coming to the support group, meetings held once per month, to get an overall picture from many people who have had the operation.
Oh, by the way, I haven’t taken a single tablet for any of the maladies I described in the second paragraph and I am no longer diabetic. “
Surgeon: Dr Gert du Toit