article_snippet: Ms Epsom (pictured before surgery) says Ms Epsom (pictured before surgery) now avoids looking in the mirror. '
article_snippet: Ms Epsom (pictured before surgery) said: 'I can't pretend it didn't bother me, but if I had to choose between my looks and watching my kids grow up, there really is no contest.'
article_snippet: And because the surgery had made it difficult to eat, Ms Epsom (pictured before surgery) lost 4st, shrinking from a size 12 to a tiny size 4 and ending up being tube-fed.
article_snippet: Now, eight months on, Ms Epsom (pictured before surgery) has started going out in public again, but says people's stares are hard to cope with.
article_snippet: Ms Epsom (pictured before surgery) also avoids looking in the mirror.
article_snippet: Ms Epsom (pictured before surgery) says: 'My confidence has gone but it's a small price to pay.