Former top user of insulin tells his story of how weight loss changed it all

A man who used to be Britain’s highest individual user of insulin told delegates at a study day in Liverpool recently how specialist weight loss surgery transformed his life.

Michael Parker, 49, who weighed 34 stone and was plagued by ill-health, is among 200 people nationwide who have all undergone a complex weight loss procedure known as the duodenal switch.

40 duodenal switch patients gathered together for the first time at an event organised by leading weight loss surgery information charity WLSinfo to share their experiences.

Speakers at the event included leading surgeons, including Professor David Kerrigan, who pioneered the duodenal switch operation in the UK. Also attending were patients and dieticians.

“The study day was for anyone who has had or is thinking of having the duodenal switch operation,” said Ken Clare, founder of WLSinfo.

“As a charity, we have many members the length and breadth of the British Isles who have had this procedure. We felt it would be a great opportunity to bring them together to talk about their experience and for potential patients to find out more.”

Designed to help the seriously obese lose weight by making the stomach smaller and diverting the course of the food eaten, the duodenal switch procedure works by reducing the calories being absorbed by the body.

“Before surgery, I had to take 600 units of insulin a day – 12 times the average amount,” says Michael Parker, one of several duodenal switch patients scheduled to address the gathering,

“Since having the operation, I have lost 19 stone, no longer need insulin, my blood sugar levels are normal and my blood pressure is down. I do not have any symptoms of diabetes that plagued me for almost seven years.”

Also speaking at the event was Michael Parker’s surgeon Professor David Kerrigan, medical director of weight loss surgery specialists Gravitas.

An early pioneer of duodenal switch surgery in the UK, Professor Kerrigan is the surgeon who advised the UK government on the NICE obesity guidelines currently in use.

Over the last nine years, he has performed the duodenal switch procedure on over 150 patients, many of whom attended the event.

At the study day, Professor Kerrigan outlined the history of the operation, its results and describe how – for the right patient – the results can be excellent.

Also attending the event will be specialist dieticians who will speak on nutrition, blood monitoring and the importance of aftercare.