Gastric bypass on the cheap...

[hungryhippo90]

Posting here for traffic. After a particular shit time, I'm sat with a pen and paper, writing out goals for next year. So I've a few things to look towards in the coming year.

The biggest thing that would make me happiest is having a gastric bypass. I have always had issues with food. As a child I couldn't stop myself. I reached the age of 13-14 and started using anorexic techniques to not eat or severely restrict my diet

my caution was that the op had said she wants to have the op 'on the cheap' as she doesn't qualify for NHS surgery, I think lots of posters interpreted this as going abroad for cheapo surgery

Op has since clarified that she means cheap as possible UK treatment

I'm not sure if private surgeons have the same rules, but for NHS surgery you need to be losing weight to have the surgery, I guess to ensure you are able to make lifestyle changes and avoid some of the stories about liquidised mars bars above! So even if she goes forward for the surgery the advice about diet, therapy, exercise is valid

Op, pcos does make it harder to lose weight. I understand that low carb is more effective in pcos, but I think you tried that already. Do you know what the criteria for your NHS weight loss surgery clinic are?

If you go ahead privately do check what long term follow up you'll need, eg b12 injections, any appointments, and find out what you need to pay for and what you could receive via your GP. Also check what the emergency facilities are at the private hospital and what they do in an emergency - treat you there (big bill) or transfer to NHS? A private wing adjoining an NHS hospital might be best, just in case

I confess I haven't read the whole thread so forgive me if it's already been said. I was referred for gastric surgery on the NHS and part of that was to attend a pre surgery seminar. I took it seriously, it was very informative about the types of surgery on offer and very honest about the long term success rates of each and, all things considered I decided not to have it.
There were a couple of successful patients at the seminar and neither looked that well. A friend has had surgery and, yes she is thinner, though her skin, hair and teeth are dreadful. A family member has somehow managed to put weight back on twice which has led to numerous surgeries.
I would advise that you are fully informed and wouldn't be considering having it on the cheap.
Good Luck

If you have that much of a problem with food then I would say a gastric band just won't work. The need to eat will still be there and this is where it fails and can be deadly. The part of your stomach above the band will enlarge to accommodate the food you still can't control putting in there and can burst and you will still be very overweight. I would say see a doctor for a more psychological approach. I do hope you get the help you need, look for support in other areas of your life but never, ever try to 'go cheap' with things like this.

It's a gastric bypass the OP wants. A band is different.

I am always staggered by the MN attitude to WLS. Go on the 'diet section' where you will see literally thousands of threads over the years of one faddy diet after another.

Few work. Even fewer work over time and virtually none are sustainable in the long term. The only pounds lost are the literal millions/billions desperate (mostly) women are paying to the diet industry! However you will very very rarely see any mention of bariatric surgery and if it is - it's a conversation shut down very swiftly. The enquirer made to feel week and lazy for even considering a medical intervention that actually works for 95% of patients. (25% of starting weight lost and maintained over 5 yr period - stats from NICE website and confirmed by research at specialist obesity unit at Imperial College. )

There is, I agree some sort of Puritan unpleasantness on MN relating to obesity. 'They' have made themselves fat by their own hand and must 'pay for it' in hard work , literally hard sweat and exercise.

My dsis had a bypass this year. She had been slim all her life. In 2009 she got pneumonia and complications and was put on a course of steroids. She was on them for 3 yrs. They literally changed her appetite over night. She could not stop eating. 7 yrs and 5 stone over weight later she had a gastric bypass on the NHS.

The criteria is set by NICE and is very simple. BMI over 40 or BMI over 35 with co-morbidity (life threatening disease like diabetes/heart disease/sleep apnoea) . You will be referred to your health authorities bariatric surgery department. It's a long haul. Six months after the referral and after completing a 16 page questionnaire, you will be placed on the tier3 programme of weight management and psychological assessment. This will last at least 6 months. After this you will be placed on the surgical weighting list which at least another 16 week weight.
It is the right of everyone who meets the NICE criteria to go on the programme to be assessed for their suitability for surgery.

It has transformed my dsis life. She has lost 4 stone in 4 months. As she has lost weight, exercise has now become possible. (To all you move more eat less people try going running wearing a 80 lb back pack. ) Now she can lift weights without pain her metabolism has increased. So is losing weight faster but luckily the weights work is helping build muscle which provides support for the baggy skin and minimises the issue.

It's a big OP, she will never eat normally again and will have to take vitamins for the rest of her life but to her, the sheer joy of her new life makes those things pale into nothing. The massive 'upside' is ;

1 not being so embarrassed by her appearance that she had become a prisoner in her own home,
2 serious depression requiring medication
3 sleep apnoea requiring her to wear an oxygen mask at night.

1. self loathing so huge it threatened her marriage .
2. No sex for 4 yrs as she hated her body so much she couldn't bear her DH to see it - and he- whilst loving my dsis to the stars and back, simply did not want to get it on with a 18stine version of her former self..

All of the above issues have now been resolved. It works, she feels like she has a second chance at a happy life. Go for it OP.

If your BMI is over 50 the NICE guidelines recommend you go straight to surgery and skip the 'tier3'
If you have the money, have it done asap. Of course there are a few people for whom it hasn't worked but get yourself over to WLS info.com and read up on all the ups and downs. You will find a very few people from hundreds of thousands- who regret it. !

Sorry- forgot to say, NHS don't really do the band anymore. It's because you can 'cheat' . There are bullshit stories on here about people with a bypass liquidising chocolate. There would be absolutely nothing to gain from that as a bypass is a small pouch stomach... the 'liquidisers' are people with bands. They do this because liquid will go through the band.. there are no bands on a bypass. Please educate yourself OP and don't be put off by people who don't know what they are talking about and just want to scare you . !

Sorry misery but my post still stands for OP! Actually the morbidity rate is even higher with a bypass

I notice people are using the terms bypass and band as if thy're one and the same. They're not. A bypass is far more major.

My DH had the band put in about 8 years ago. At first it worked but was very restrictive and caused a lot of difficulties with social eating. He then gave up, had it opened and put on the weight.

He has the nad removed and a gastric bypass done instead last September. So far it has worked exceptionally well and he is very pleased with it.

He did it here for under 8,000 euros all inclusive:
www.europesurgery.uk.com/gastric-bands/4552796889

The hospital is excellent, immaculately clean, very caring nurses. The surgeon is a specialist, uses the latest techniques and is very experienced in how much of the bowel to remove.

I'm happy!
5 ft and used to weigh nearly 21 stone
Gastric bypass 2011

Fourkids, whilst busy scaring OP with regard to morbidity rates for gastric Band and bypass have you given thought to the death rate rate attached to morbid obesity. On AVERAGE shortening your life by 14 yrs. - (National Cancer Institute part of the National Institute of Health)

That in stark terms could mean the difference between dying at 65 instead of 79. The difference between meeting your grandchildren and you being the 'dgm who died before I was born'

Do your research OP. Do NOT listen to people who have never been fat or have no understanding of the complex issues of obesity. People who think being fat is just about not being able to wear nice clothes.
People who don't know what it's like to be permanently incontinent because of the pressure of weight on your bladder.
People who don't realise that at about 6 stone over weight it becomes all but impossible to wipe your own bottom.

Do listen to people who have been through it. Listen to the positives and negatives. Get on the WLS forum. Find out as much as you can.

Ok Marilyn get off your high horse. My actual comment was about seeking psychological help before anything. What's wrong with that? If surgery then goes ahead it should be more successful in the long run. People jump down other people's throats here. Ridiculous. If the OP has food issues there are lots of underlying issues here that all need to be dealt with and these can be helped a lot better than just with a knife!!!

Sister had one cheap in Chech Republic and told us all after she had safely returned!

Anyway, she lost a load of weight but it's all going back on now because it sorts out the space in the tummy but not your head and she can still eat lots of chocolate but little and often - and she does.

Sort out the head and the rest will follow.

I had a sleeve gastrectomy with duodenal switch on the NHS and it's the best thing I've ever done.
Bands have a high rate of complications. Bypasses do not.
The people that say work on your mental problems and the weight will drop off are talking shit. I was referred for counselling and nobody knew what to do with me as, guess what, there is no magic answer, and the reason I'm fat is that I eat too much!! Meanwhile my health was suffering being massively overweight.
Evidence shows that whatever diet you do, you are likely to regain the weight, and more. By the time you are 10 stone overweight, the chances of losing the weight without surgical intervention are something like less than 1%.
Do it OP, it's the best thing I've ever done,all I ever wanted was to feel "normal" and now I do.

Everyone I know who has had a bypass is now fat again, unhappy and/or suffering from malnutrition.

Waste of money and a pointless way of trying to solve a problem that is mental not physical.

My gosh, thank you all so much for the replies, there are some of you who REALLY understand where I'm coming from, it's not really so I can fit into nice clothes and look pretty, it is simply about not wanting to die of a heart attack or cancer (the risk goes up the heavier you are) or from a DVT, or any of the other risks that come with weighing double what everyone else does!

It is honestly not about the minor inconveniences, or even the bigger non life threatening issues, they are all something that made me realise just how big of an issue I had with food though. As an example, I have pcos at 15 stone I was told that the only thing that had changed since falling pregnant accidentally at 16 was my weight and that I would conceive again if I just lost the excess weight. Despite desperately wanting another baby I couldn't stop eating. At that point I was having anovolutary (sp?) cycles but I was having a period every 28 days like clockwork. I'd cry for two days straight but I'd more often than not then go and chuck mounds of chocolate down my throat. If it was something I could control I'd have done it then, I think.

Counsellors have never really tried to help me with my food issues, I have spoken about the way I am with food, they seem to think it's ok.

I do hope that if I have this surgery I will find that point where I feel physically full and stop. I think half of the problem is that I am able to eat HUGE amounts of food.
I'm just in the process of relocating, so I will be under a different NHS trust, maybe it's worth checking what their approach would be.

To the PP who said about seeing what Aftercare the NHS will deal with, such a great idea. Something I hadn't even considered. I believed that they'd be happy to deal with aftercare as I'd have paid for the OP myself having saved the NHS £8000 ish.
I know that I will need the B12 every 3 months for life. I can also buy a good multivitamin to have for the rest of my life too.

From my understanding before the OP they like to try and get you on a pretty restrictive diet to cut down on the fat within your organs, possibly liver! To try and cut down on the possibility for complications.

Slightly different point to PPs. If you have fully decided that this is the correct course of action for you and you are willing to embrace healthy eating and therapy as part of your treatment I would say go for it. However I am sitting here two weeks post op for a different elective surgery. Not feeling too brilliant, but am assured my progress is good for the op I had. At the moment I am still questioning whether I made the right decision BUT I do know I am glad I had one of the best surgeons in the field. Please don't try to save a few quid, knowing you have taken the best possible care of your health in the circs will help your recovery. The difference between the best and the rest is usually a few hundred quid not thousands, IME

I know someone who had that done nine years ago. Has had great success and eats like a normal person. No regrets. He eat his protein first then veggies and fruit but stays away from sugary foods. It causes him discomfort. He doesn't eat a huge amount just normal portions. I do think it's gotten more in volume over the years. The pouch can get larger and hold more food. No way though can he eat enough to become excessive.

PM me if you'd like to email him he likes to help people facing the surgery

While you're deciding, or on waiting lists, you could try a virtual gastric band. I've got a hypnosis app that I listen to once a day, it takes about 30 mins, I listen as I'm in bed and I fall asleep to it, some people even put it on repeat overnight. It's called "Easyloss virtual gastric band" and cost £4.99 on either the app store or Google play. I was sceptical, but figured that it was the same as one week of ww or SW, which I've done before and failed every time. I've lost nearly 2 stone (I've still got at least another 4 stone to go, possibly more) since august, which isn't fast but it's slow and steady which is what I need really. There is a brilliant fb support group which you can join via the app (although sometimes they seem to advertise other stuff on there too), with people at various stages of their weight loss journey.

I know it's not the same as the actual, physical surgery, and I've considered that too, but it might give you something to get you started while you are thinking about where to go, or what to do about the physical surgery.

Also it is definitely worth pursuing the NHS. I had to fight every step of the way and i documented how much of an impact my weight had on my life, you can't give up, you have to keep pushing for referrals to the right place. And don't let them bully you into having a band because it's cheaper.

You may not need b12, I've never had b12 supplements and I get my levels checked regularly and they are normal. I do take a lot of other vits but a DS has much more malabsorption than an RNY.

I seriously cannot stress enough how much my life is,easier now. I was nearly 24 stone, I couldn't wipe my arse, I couldn't walk far, I was breathless, I had sleep apnoea, I couldn't bend, you name it.
I now rest around 13 stone, I'm still overweight but I'm pretty happy, I can do whatever I want to do! I can bend and move and walk and run!

I just want to be clear I'm not saying work on the mental issue and the weight flies off. I'm worried that not having dealt with the root problem the op might sabotage the surgery later on the same way the woman I met did. Op do you binge now to the point of being uncomfortably full?

Sorry hit post too soon. I have pcos and I understand how hard it makes losing weight and opi applaud you for taking control of your health.

My sister had a gastric band and it did work for a short while but that didn't last. She started to lose weight last year by eating sensibly. This year she had terrible pain under her ribs and I thought she might have broken a rib. It turned out the band had come apart and attached itself to one of her organs. The good news is she has now lost around 7 stone. She is now very careful about what goes into her mouth and looks like the old sister I knew.

OP, I note from one of your earlier posts you mention trying the 'no carb' or 'low carb' way of eating in the past. It is what came to my mind when I read your first post, as I have had great success for the first time in my life doinglow carb healthy fat (LCHF).

It took me a while to get used to eating fat and limiting carbs to just vegetables, but it has been incredibly effective in (a) completely stopping my insane bingeing (which I did on carb-laden foods) and (b) filling me up so I am never hungry or feel deprived.

There is growing compelling research that has linked eating too many carbs and grains to the increased hormonal health issues we suffer from, including type 2 diabetes, PCOS etc. There is a good website that I was recommended back in February www.dietdoctor.com that got me to eventually try it for myself. 77lbs down so far and just by limiting carbs and grains, moderate proteins, and eating a lot more natural fats.

Why not have a look for yourself, OP, and try it for one month to see how it feels. That's what I did, and the rest is history .

Good luck.