Case Study 9 Age - 30 Location - Cheltenham  Occupation - Housewife  Procedure - Gastric Band Weight Lost - 12.5st "I started putting on weight at school, but hid behind laughter and my larger than life personality." "After having three children I got progressively fatter. During my last pregnancy the midwife said, 'I can't feel the baby because you're so obese.'" "I knew I had to do something drastic, but in the meantime I banned mirrors in the house and I got clothes from catalogues, I couldn't believe what I'd become." "I tried to lose weight, but I always put the pounds back on and more." "After I'd had my last baby, people still thought I was pregnant! I could eat so much, tea with the kids and then dinner with my husband when he came home." "Finally I decided to take out a loan and have a gastric band - I had to if I wanted to be alive to see my kids grow up." "With the gastric band I went from size 32 to a 12." I've got loads of energy now and I can wear jeans and trendy tops again. It feels like the real me has returned, it's fantastic!  "