A Scots student nurse who shed nearly seven stone after gastric bypass surgery has been left distressed and in pain due to a large amount of excess skin left behind.
Fiona MacDonald, from Kilmarnock, tipped the scales at 17st 7lbs at her heaviest after putting on five stone during lockdown.
After struggling mentally, the 30-year-old took out a loan to get the £5,400 procedure done in Lithuania in July 2021.
A gastric bypass works by making people feel fuller while eating less. Surgeons use staples to create a small pouch at the top of the stomach then connect it to the small intestine.
Following the procedure, the mum-of-two, who has struggled with her weight all her life, managed to shed 6st 8lb.
But now she has been left with a painful and mentally draining reminder of her weight loss journey due to the amount of excess skin on her body.
Fiona, who now weighs 10st 11lbs, told the Record: "Because I dropped so much weight so quickly I have been left with a lot of excess skin.
"I have good days and bad days. I thought I'd put all of the hard work in and all of the effort but I sometimes feel like I still need to tuck my tummy in.
"It plays a lot of mind games with you. I've dropped a lot of weight and I'm so much fitter and healthier but I still don't feel like I have succeeded.
"Before I got the surgery I thought I would rather have excess skin than fat but looking back now I don't think that.
"I know people don't bother but it feels embarrassing for me."
The excess skin on Fiona's body rubs together and can create painful tears and burns which then spread after the first cut.
She needs to wash it numerous times a day and sometimes at night because of the smell.
During exercise Fiona also needs to wear a tight corset to hold the excess skin in as she has been left feeling "less feminine" due to her breast cup size dropping from a DD to an A.
Having previously focused on her health, Fiona ended up spending lots of time in lockdown eating with husband Andrew, 30, son Harris, six, and daughter Marnie, four.
"I put back on the five and a half stone I had already lost and maybe more.
"I was absolutely broken as a person and it is the saddest I've ever been in my life. It really affected my mental state.
"I thought what am I going to do? Then I started seeing people on Instagram going to Turkey and Lithuania for surgery.
"I went out in July.
Fiona is now desperate for a 360 Fler De Lis operation which will remove as much excess skin as possible and hopes she might even be able to have the surgery in August.
The mum is also looking to get breast uplift as the skin is so low it is rubbing on her stomach.
She is fundraising to help pay for the £6,000 procedure after already taking out a loan for her gastric bypass surgery last year.
Fiona will continue to document her journey on Instagram page @my_bypass_journey2021 and donations to her fundraiser can be made by clicking here.
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