Rejected by two bariatric surgeons but approved by two others - what do I do?

I work in private healthcare. The two surgeons that have said yes doesn’t mean that the surgery will go ahead. We often have surgeons agree to do the surgery but anaesthetic clinic will then refuse on grounds of being high risk. It is not just the surgeon who has to do the operation, the anaesthetist is also putting themselves through a lot of hard work. Anaesthetists often refuse risky patients despite a surgeon wanting to go ahead.

Ask to be referred to a weight loss programme through the NHS

Absolutely no judgement but I would spend the money you would spend on the surgery and get therapy.
Weight loss surgery doesn't change your mental health and most people who have it still put the weight back on, just at a slower rate than those who don't.
You will still want to comfort eat and have to deal with all the emotions you have even if you have the surgery unfortunately.

This.

I would always want to have complex surgery done on the NHS (even if I could afford private) because private hospitals don’t have the full facilities that NHS hospitals do in case something goes wrong.

If two surgeons say they’re experienced in this type of complex issue and are confident it will be fine, that’s perfectly valid. It can just come down to experience.

Have you considered asking NHS surgeons who have nothing to gain financially from the operation?

I’ve worked in this area and would believe the two surgeons who say you are high risk. I’ve seen this type of surgery go very wrong, one patient I looked after spent 10 months in hospital after problems arose. I would never go down this route especially if you have also had a sub total colectomy… people think it’s a quick fix, it isn’t!

I don’t understand fully, sorry. What’s wrong with using either of the two that said they would do it? Also, what a previous poster said, not all private hospitals are set up for emergencies if something was to go wrong or if you needed extra care. If you went private in an NHS hospital, like St Thomas’ in London, they would have all the facilities.

I really think you need to get your sleep aponea sorted as lack of sleep isnt helping you make a good decision and also when you have had a decent nights sleep you would feel more like excersise. I hope you realise that sleep aponea leads to strokes as well as car crashes this is where you need to start your journey good luck op

Listen to your instincts,your intuition.
I would suggest you don't do it.
You can do the weight loss yourself with exercise and healthy eating.do you have anyone to partner up with to keep you motivated?
you absolutely can and will be successful.You could even ask for sponsorship from family and real friends to help.
🌈do a positive affirmation daily and meditate when you feel like you need comfort.
you'll be thrilled with the results of your hard work and be running around with your son in the sunshine.

Honestly I'd be really concerned about the surgeons who are willing to operate on a woman with your history. You've had a normal healthy size/lifestyle up until very recently during which time you've had a baby and suffered with depression and exhaustion and sleep apnea, as well as various physical health problems and surgeries. There are lots of factors going on in your life right now impacting your weight, which won't be fixed by surgery. I really think you should give yourself time to recover and heal from everything you've been through first. And even if surgery were the best option, I'd be worried about the risks for you-you've already had bowel removed, will have lots of scar tissue, it might impact on absorption of nutrients. It feels like a very drastic life long solution to a recent problem.

Have you looked into the gastric balloon?

As someone who was formerly morbidly obese after developing severe hypothyroidism and PPD after the birth of my daughter, I absolutely sympathise with you right now. It is SO easy to gain the weight and SO difficult to lose it. And I can see the appeal of a gastric sleeve/band, but it isn’t without its risks. Particularly at your weight, the risk of complications is so high even for a routine surgery, so undertaking an unnecessary surgery would likely be unnecessarily risky.
it took me four months to lose all of the weight I had gained and go from a size 22 to a size 8-10, and I did it by following the diets I saw people on TikTok who had a gastric sleeve following. I obviously increased the portion size slightly as I didn’t have the sleeve, and I would have been SO hungry all the time, but I got results. I would estimate I was eating around 1000-1200 calories a day, although I work a lot and some days I was eating less, some days I was eating more. I don’t promote unhealthy eating habits, but I’m just trying to show that it is possible to achieve the same results without going through the surgery.

Good luck, OP - you sound positive with a plan, fingers crossed all will work out well and get you feeling better!

I was going to suggest Ozempic too. Come and have a look at the threads in Weight Loss Chat.

Ozempic and Wegovy are the same drug - both semaglutide but Wegovy is marketed for weight loss and Ozempic for diabetes. Wegovy is a higher dosage and isn’t yet available in the UK.

I’ve been on it for over a year and have lost three stone. I’ve had a few breaks and I’m taking it slowly.

It’s a game changer. And yes you will put the weight back on if you eat the way you ate to gain it in the fist place. Like any diet or weight loss method.

I had about six stone to lose. And I’d been trying for 30 years. Ozempic has been fab.

I know of someone who has lost seven stone using Ozempic alongside Slimming World.

Personally I wouldn't. You have been through a number of abdominal surgeries and until a surgeon opens may not have an idea of how much scar tissue etc. Not to mention the risk of surgery.

Take the money you would spend and invest in yourself after you find a gp to investigate the possible sleep issue.

Take your time and identify what will work for you, counselling, weekly support sessions, gym sign up, a food ordering service to control intake and give you back time.

I personally would not take a risk if two surgeons have said no. All surgeries have some level of risk and you sound as if you have a higher risk than others.

It did not work for my partner. He had endless post op complications and ultimately it was a dangerous waste of money. In hind sight we would have been better spending the thousands it cost on a personal trainer and dietician.