Did Mateusz Borkowski have bariatric surgery? Yes, and he described it in detail himself

He described his last meal before the operation, eaten right where he was not supposed to eat at all: „Przed operacją jadłem sajgonki na parkingu” — in English: “Before the surgery I ate spring rolls in the parking lot.”

He also described waking up from the anaesthesia: „Jak się obudziłam po narkozie, to czułem się tak, jakby ktoś przerzucił kotleta na drugą stronę. Jak otwarłem oczy to moje nowe życie się zaczęło w sekundę. To było, jest i będzie lepsze życie” — in English: “When I woke up from the anaesthesia, I felt like someone had flipped me over like a cutlet. The moment I opened my eyes, my new life began in a second. It was, is and will be a better life.” Wprost reported that his stomach was reduced during the 2016 operation to a capacity of 200–250 ml, and that before the operation he had a gastric balloon fitted — on which, he admitted, he actually gained 4 kg.

That is what he said. Borkowski did not name the hospital or the surgeon, and this article does not either. Where the text below explains methods, candidacy and recovery, it describes bariatric surgery in general, not his treatment.

He also pushed back directly against a common criticism: „Operacja bariatryczna nie jest „pójściem na łatwiznę”” — “Bariatric surgery is not a shortcut” — arguing that people who say this do not see how much patients go through afterwards, both physically and mentally, comparing the process of rebuilding trust in his own mind to earning the trust of a frightened shelter dog. In total he said he has lost over 170 kg, but he has decided against further surgery to remove excess skin, saying that time matters more to him now than a further physical change.

Some patients, as Borkowski described, have a temporary gastric balloon fitted first, mainly to get used to eating smaller portions before the operation itself. All of the surgical options above are done laparoscopically through a few small punctures.

• consultations with a GP, endocrinologist, cardiologist and, where needed, a psychiatrist;
• two to four weeks of cutting down fast carbohydrates and fats;
• no smoking for at least a month before surgery, and strictly no food in the hours before, despite what Borkowski admitted to eating.

Weight loss is fastest in the first months and then slows; the final result is usually assessed after a year and a half to two years, though total long-term loss, as in his case, can continue for years with sustained lifestyle changes.

A personal coordinator stays in touch with the patient from the first enquiry through the first year of follow-up. See the bariatric surgery page for details.

City Medical Centre has no connection with Mateusz Borkowski or his treatment. His story is quoted here only because he chose to describe his own operation and recovery in public.