A single mother from Dallas, Texas, Kwyonnica Frazier, has delved into her remarkable transformation after shedding 260 pounds following three weight loss surgeries. Frazier has been battling with challenges on her weight loss journey including grappling with health issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and high blood pressure.
The 43-year-old mom, who works as a bariatric speaker and patient advocate, said even though she knows the importance of losing weight, she has always struggled to find motivation to embark on the journey.
But, after the loss of her mother to heart failure at age 56, Frazier experienced a wake-up call, prompting her to finally commit to making a change in her life, according to Daily Mail. Frazier recalled that since childhood, she has struggled with morbid obesity and the gradual decline of her health over the years.
Battling conditions like high blood pressure, borderline diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), along with binge eating, posed significant challenges.
“I remember stepping onto the scale, and it couldn’t display a weight exceeding 450 pounds since that was its upper limit. I was way above that mark.”
She said even though she knew what she had to do, she grappled with the challenge of finding motivation to shed excess weight, particularly given her family’s history of obesity.
However, the passing of her mother at age 56 served as a wake-up call for her. Recognizing the potentially tragic outcome if she didn’t make a change, she decided to begin researching weight loss surgeries.
In 2009, she opted for laparoscopic gastric banding, commonly known as a lap band, as the least intrusive option, hoping to transform her life for the better. She added that “shortly after my 29th birthday in 2009, I underwent the surgery, keeping it a secret from friends and family out of fear and guilt. In six months, I lost 100 lbs.”
Frazier noted that she was witnessing some significant improvement in her weight loss journey before she became pregnant. She explained that despite the initial progress, she faced complications with her lap band after becoming pregnant in 2011.
She indicated that shortly after her daughter, Rya, was born, the lap band was posing a risk to her health leading to its removal. Frazier subsequently underwent a gastric sleeve procedure in 2013. However, the procedure didn’t yield the anticipated results, adding to her setbacks.
The single mom experienced only 20 20-pound drop in weight while her gastric sleeve procedure symptoms worsened. Over seven years, she silently battled depression as her weight continued to escalate. It was later revealed that the sleeve from her initial surgery had been improperly positioned, contributing to her struggles.
She recounted that “I was losing hope that I’d ever lose weight until a turning point came on 10 December 2020. I discovered a new surgeon who was able to re-operate and turn my gastric sleeve into a gastric bypass. Since that procedure, I’ve shed more than half my initial body weight and continue to lose weight.”
Despite the toll on her mental health, Frazier said she has no regrets about undergoing three weight loss procedures. According to her, she views each surgery as a step towards finding the most effective solution to improve her health and ultimately save her life.
She added that her daughter has served as her biggest motivator.
