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Obese woman 'starved to death' after gastric bypass operation, inquest hears

Kimberley Wall, 44, inadvertently starved herself to death after she struggled to eat following a gastric by-pass operation - Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd
Kimberley Wall, 44, inadvertently starved herself to death after she struggled to eat following a gastric by-pass operation - Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd

An obese woman shrunk to five stone and starved to death, after a gastric bypass operation left her unable to eat, an inquest has heard.

Kimberly Wall, 44, had undergone the procedure in 2008 over fears her obesity would kill her - but over the next 10 years her weight plummeted until she was just five stone.

The mother-of-three, who previously weighed 23 stone, struggled to eat and could only manage two mouthfuls of food at a time. Her condition left her so weak she was barely able to walk, or even get out of bed.

Despite repeated attempts by doctors to treat her, Miss Wall, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester was admitted to Fairfield Hospital in Bury after her condition deteriorated.

She died a week later with tests showing she had suffered heart failure due to malnutrition, contributed to by the gastric by-pass operation.

Last week, a coroner concluded there were no errors with the operation itself, but Ms Hall died on October 8 last year from long-term complications of it.

Miss Hall had undergone the operation at a private hospital on the NHS after she began comfort eating when she suffered a miscarriage when she was 18.

She subsequently complained of suffering crippling stomach pains, nausea, fatigue and low self-confidence.

Speaking about her decision to have the operation in 2014 she said: “I completely regret having the gastric bypass.

“I wish I'd never done it. It's just such a shame that I had to get to this point to realise that I was happier when I was overweight.”

Recording a narrative conclusion the coroner, Matthew Cox, said: "Kimberly's problem with nutrition is a rare but recognised complication of the gastric bypass surgery.

"Given the extent of the problems Kimberly went on to suffer she had problems with anxiety and depression and this exasperated the eating difficulties. It is clear to me the source of her problem was investigated thoroughly over the years."

 

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