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Tracey Matthews appeared in Season 5 of My 600-lb Life when she weighed around 606 pounds. Her battle with lymphedema, which caused severe swelling in her legs, had greatly impacted her mobility and quality of life. During her time on the show, Tracey faced significant challenges, including an infection in her swollen legs and the emotional toll of her condition.
Despite these obstacles, she made the life-changing decision to seek help from Dr. Younan Nowzaradan in Houston. Under Dr. Now's guidance, Tracey went on a transformative journey, losing nearly 167 pounds.
Although she experienced setbacks, including regaining some weight, she persisted and ultimately underwent surgery to remove 201 pounds of excess skin from her legs. Today, Tracey continues to focus on her health and family, residing in Lorain, Ohio.
Tracey Matthews' journey on My 600-Lb Life
In her first appearance on My 600-Lb Life in 2017, she was struggling with both her weight and the impact of lymphedema. The condition, at the time, was causing extreme swelling in her legs and cellulitis infections that further complicated her mobility.
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Determined to get her health back on track, the Ohio native and her husband, Anthony, headed to Houston to take the first step in her relationship with Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, aka Dr. Now. Tracey lost approximately 90 pounds, but she faced setbacks when she regained nearly half of the weight again. Yet, Tracey never lost her focus.
Over nine months, Tracey successfully lost nearly 167 pounds. Instead of opting for traditional weight loss surgery, Dr. Now performed skin removal surgery on her legs, which significantly improved her mobility. The excess skin weighed around 201 pounds, and its removal marked a turning point in Tracey's health journey.
Life after My 600-Lb Life
After her time on My 600-lb Life, Tracey Matthews returned to her native hometown of Lorain, Ohio, and resumed her life with her husband, Anthony, by focusing on their family life while at the same time keeping up the progress that was started during the show. She has three kids: Branden, Tierra, and Ryan, and several grandchildren that she often posts about on her Facebook account.
Her family has been supportive of her the whole time, and nothing has ever broken their family bond even after all the pressure that came along with her journey on My 600-lb Life.
On Facebook, during a Q&A in 2020, Tracey talked about her health and said that, to this day, she still lives with lymphedema, but the pain is not that vigorous, just like before. She also mentioned a surgery for draining a lymphedema mass, which she said:
"it was the worst pain I ever had in my life. I’ve had other surgeries, but none of them hurt as bad as this one. It was horrible!"
Despite everything, she said she feels very grateful to be taken care of, and the intervention of Dr. Now was instrumental in her weight loss and other health improvements.
Reflection on My 600-Lb Life journey
Tracey Matthews spoke out about how it felt to be on My 600-Lb Life. Though she was grateful for the medical care and advice from Dr. Now, she also expressed a bit of displeasure with certain things about her experience on the show.
She felt, along with other cast members, that more should be done for each participant during the series.m She also said that she thought she was worth more money to be on the reality show.
But despite all these grievances, Tracey acknowledged the importance of the medical treatment that she got. Bariatric surgery and its treatment are pretty expensive and cost up to $33,000, according to GoodRx. With 54 years of experience in his field, Dr.Now is one of the most reputed surgeons, and getting a chance to be treated by him was no less than a lifetime opportunity for the participants including Tracey.
Now, as Tracey continues to focus on her health and family, fans of My 600-Lb Life are hopeful she will share more about her journey in the future. Her story highlights the ongoing challenges many face even after appearing on reality television. While Tracey’s journey is still unfolding, she has already made significant progress in reclaiming her life and health.
