Morbidly obese, Laurine, 27, opted for a radical method:the Sleeve, which consists of in a reduction of the stomach by surgery. Shedding 40 kg in less than a year, she testifies to her obstacle course in a book. "As far as I can remember, I have always had weight problems. However, I was not always obese. Young, I quickly had shapes. I was called 'generous' or, less politely , 'dumpy'. It was almost inevitable:I was very greedy and… I didn't play sports!
My weight quickly became a taboo but also a subject of ridicule and conflict at home. If at school I suffered insults and mocking looks from my classmates, in my family, it was the calls to order from my parents. A mixture close to harassment.
On a daily basis, my complexes were numerous, my uneasiness permanent. I was terribly dreading activities that required special attire. The swimming pool ? A trial. All situations that could relate directly or indirectly to my weight bothered me:a snack, a dinner at the restaurant, a shopping session with friends... Little by little, I withdrew into myself, preventing me from going out, to meet people. In short, simply preventing me from living.
Video of the day:At the table, my relationship with food has become more complicated year after year. I followed diets, I also often invented them, sometimes getting dangerously close to anorexia. In those moments, I did not allow myself any deviation, any pleasure, drastically limiting the quantities I ingested. The result ? Weight loss every time fast but frustration increased tenfold. At the slightest 'crack', I regained all the pounds gone, and more...
In 2014, I reached my record weight:100 kg for 1.58 meters. And a BMI of 40, which is morbidly obese. Not only did I no longer recognize myself, but worse still, I found myself deformed. Mom of a little girl, I realized one day that I could no longer read her a story without being out of breath. The click.
I had heard of obesity surgeries before. , without really being interested in it, without feeling really concerned above all. It took me almost a year to make up my mind, to weigh the pros and cons, before starting the process.
Before that, and after consulting several nutritionists, behaviorists and even a hypnotherapist to lose weight, I underwent psychotherapy that lasted 5 years. I ended up putting my finger on the origin of my eating disorders, which is obviously beneficial. But that didn't allow me to lose all that accumulated weight, which weighed on me so much.
The stomach reduction operation imposed itself, for me, as a last resort. The procedure, very framed, requires a lot of reflection but also preparation. After obtaining the agreement of the surgeon with whom I had made contact through word of mouth, I was hospitalized for three days in order to carry out a whole series of examinations necessary for the constitution of my file for social security. This is then studied in committee for approval. My so-called 'Sleeve' surgery was scheduled for November 24, 2015.
Before entering the theater for the laparoscopy , I was forced to follow a strict diet to defat my liver:0% yoghurt, cooked ham and defatted broth for 7 days.
The operation went well. The post-op suites were more complicated to manage. Not only did I constantly fear the fistula (tear in the stomach in the process of healing) but above all, I was in great pain. Something to think about for those who imagine that resorting to this type of method is an 'easy solution' or a 'lack of will', as I have sometimes been led to believe.
Since then my life has changed dramatically. Of course, I lost a lot of weight - 10 kg the first month and in total almost 40 kg over six months - but I don't eat and will never eat like most people again. My meals are rationed, (about 150 g of food per intake), not only because I am full very quickly but also because a food surplus would cause intense pain, even bursting.
I do not regret my choice, even if there are difficult times. I consider this operation as the boost I needed to finally find myself and start a lasting lifestyle change.
From this experience, which goes beyond the operation itself, I drew a *book. On the one hand to free myself from my emotions but also and above all to help future patients, those who are fighting against their obesity. Before the operation, I looked for this book, in vain. I hope it will enlighten people in the same situation as me."
Read also:*Eating can kill! Journey of a Sleeveee by Laurine Penverne (Ed. Edilivre).
