My unborn baby kicked my gastric band off – trying to get a new one revealed a devastating diagnosis
A MUM whose gastric band was kicked off by her unborn baby has revealed her heartbreak after tests showed she is dying from heart failure.
Nicola Campbell-Brisland, 38, from Port Glasgow in Scotland, originally had weight loss surgery in 2014 but her son kicked the band off in the womb.
Her sister, Sophie, began fundraising for a second surgery, but pre-op tests showed Nicola is now in the late stages of the killer disease.
The devastated mother-of-two has been told she is too sick to have the operation and has been advised to make end-of-life plans.
She said: “I am absolutely heartbroken by this news and now the fundraiser for my surgery has become my funeral fund and for my children’s future going forwards.
“I am so thankful to my sister for starting the appeal because it’s only through the pre-op tests that the heart failure was discovered.
“At least, this way, I can try medication to make my time last a little longer, and it’s a chance to say my goodbyes.”
Heart failure affects more than 900,000 Brits.
It occurs when heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly because the muscle has become too weak or stiff.
The long-term condition gradually gets worse over time, but can be managed with drugs and lifestyle changes if caught early enough.
In more serious cases, an implant or surgery may be needed.
Nicola, who is mum to Connie, 12, Stevie, five, and step-daughter, Amy, 17, has struggled with her weight for most of her life.
By the time she and her husband, Ian, 39, married in 2010 she was a dress size 24 and very self-conscious about her size.
In 2014, after trying without success for her third baby, she was referred for a weight management programme and then was offered gastric band surgery.
The surgery went well and over the next two years, she lost over six stones.
What are the symptoms of heart failure?
The main symptoms of heart failure are:
- breathlessness after activity or at rest
- feeling tired most of the time and finding exercise exhausting
- feeling lightheaded or fainting
- swollen ankles and legs
Source: The NHS
She said: “I felt like a new woman. I fell pregnant in 2017 and everything went well. I had a real baby bump, because I was slimmer, and I was so proud of it.
“A scan showed I was carrying a little boy and I was over the moon.”
But at 32 weeks, Nicola began vomiting and feeling unwell. Tests showed her unborn son had kicked off her gastric band and both she and the baby were only hours from death.
She said: “When I got to A and E, my blood sugar was 1.1. I was barely conscious.
“I had to have emergency surgery to remove the band and of course there was a big risk to the baby so it was a worrying time.”
Incredibly, Nicola and her baby came through the operation and four weeks on, her son, Stevie, was born. The family was delighted.
But after the birth, Nicola’s weight began to creep up once again and she returned to her pre-op size.
‘NOBODY KNEW WHAT I WAS FACING’
She said: “I had type 2 diabetes and also fibromyalgia and lipoedema which caused an abnormal build-up of fat in my legs. I was prescribed 30 tablets a day.
“Lipoedema was so incredibly painful that I wasn’t able to walk about or even sit in a normal chair.
“I had to give up my job as an early years headteacher. I could only stand up for a few moments and needed a stick or a frame to get around the house.
“My legs got bigger and bigger, and I piled on the pounds. Soon, I’d put back on all the weight I’d lost after my gastric band. I was spending all day stuck in bed.
“My weight hit 22 stones and I am 5’7”. I knew I had to do something.
“I was trolled online with people calling me fat and lazy and ugly. It really got to me. Nobody knew what I was facing each day.”
In August last year, Sophie underwent weight loss surgery privately which was a huge success.
Seeing her sister in such distress, Sophie began a fundraising project to pay for a weight loss op called a sleeve gastrectomy.
Nicola said: “I didn’t want to ask for charity, but money is tight, and I knew the NHS waiting list was so long. The money started to come in and I saw a glimmer of hope for the future.”
But after she saw her GP, for blood tests, she received devastating news.
She said: “I was told I am suffering from heart failure and there is nothing to cure it. I can’t have the surgery. I wouldn’t survive it.
“I was shell-shocked. For weeks, I had been wheezing and crackling at night and I was very out of breath.
“But I thought I had a bit of a cold. I could never have imagined I was so seriously unwell.”
Nicola is now fundraising instead towards her funeral — and towards her children’s futures.
She said: “I can’t believe this is happening to me. But I want other people to be aware of the symptoms and the signs and please get checked if you are in any doubt.
“I want to raise awareness too, of the great support offered by the British Heart Foundation.
“For me, it’s about making memories with my family, and enjoying each precious moment with my children.”