A GRANDFATHER-OF-EIGHT who had his life transformed after losing 10 stone with the help of weight-loss surgery has welcomed plans to open a new clinic to tackle County Durham’s obesity epidemic.
Wayne Gower, 50, from Sacriston, County Durham, had his heavy goods vehicle license revoked in 2012 after he was diagnosed with a potentially dangerous sleeping condition - sleep apnoea - caused by his 22 stone weight.
But a year and a half later, after undergoing bariatric weight-loss surgery at Darlington Memorial Hospital, his bathroom scales are tipping at just 12 stone and he is able to get his HGV licence back from the DVLA.
Mr Gower welcomed an announcement from the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust that a new bariatric surgery clinic is opening at Chester-le-Street Community Hospital.
“I can honestly say, if you put in 100 per cent the surgery will give you 100 per cent back. It’s absolutely amazing. But this is no quick fix remedy for being overweight, you need to follow everything you are being told and keep to the programme.”
A new clinic has been set up to tackle County Durham’s obesity epidemic, after the region was named as one of the top 10 ‘fattest local authorities’ in the UK.
The new bariatric clinic at Chester-le-Street has been developed to provide advice and support to members of the community by bringing services closer to home.
Visitors to the service, who are referred by their GP, will be given advice on healthy eating, exercise, and what weight loss surgery may be able to offer them.
Consultant Surgeon, Andy Gilliam, said: “We are seeing a huge increase in the number of patients looking to undergo bariatric surgery in County Durham. The obesity ‘time bomb’ the media has been warning us of has finally detonated and we need to do something to tackle it now.
“Patients can ask their GP for referral to our service if they want help and support to lose weight. We have a team of health trainers who offer workshops on healthy eating and cooking to patients. It might sound like back-to-basics stuff, but we’re seeing more and more patients who don’t own a pot or pan and rely solely on their microwave or local takeaway for every meal – it really is shocking.”
To find out more watch a video on CDDFT’s YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7h0i4sqwiQ
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