Bikini sleeve trend, to not think it deserves so much praise!

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Huge trend here at the moment of several Mum friends / colleagues going to Egypt for the fashionable new trend of having a Bikini Sleeve operation. I have 4 friends and several more acquaintances that have had it done recently. Off to Egypt they go, return home, disappear for a few weeks then slowly reappear several stone slimmer. The 4 friends I know have lost 33 stone between them.
AIBU to think having this procedure done doesn't deserve as much adoring praise as it gets?
Lots of FB / Insta comments of "Well done!"
They are all in debt from having it done and now considering getting in more debt for follow up operations to rid them of the excess skin.
I'm probably very naive at the recovery process, I've no doubt it is difficult and painful but I worry about the example it is setting.
Thoughts?

That's what I paid. Standard in Turkey and my hospital wa like a 5 star hotel, with 2 private nurses and an interpretater 24/7.

@Meowandthen I agree sadly Some of the Ladies I'm talking about in my opinion, honestly weren't that overweight! Size 16 maybe an 18 at max!

I thought it was some new fashion thing. A type of sleeve!

NHS needs to dramatically up their game on bariatric surgery. It works and not much else does.

As for all the SM schnizzle, ignore, mute and ignore some more. They're trying to be supportive and don't realise how irritating all the clucking is.

@Candleab Genuine question, were you terrified when travelling there? Did you go alone?

Gastric surgery is about the only thing that’s evidenced to work long term as a treatment for obesity. If it were more available and affordable here more people wouldn’t have to resort to going abroad for it.

I find it quite flippant to talk about this as if it’s just about fashion, going off for a jolly and coming back stones lighter. Gastric surgery is a challenging process (I haven’t had it but have done some research and am considering it) and people generally don’t undertake it lightly. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t struggled with obesity through their lives, gained and lost the same stones over and again, and felt their weight impact on all areas of their life can possibly comprehend what drives people to make these sorts of decisions.

Me too 😆 😊

I don't believe anyone who is a size 16 got a gastric sleeve, sorry.

Good for you, but can I ask how it fixed your eating disorder? Surely it doesnt change the desire to continue eating?

news.sky.com/story/amp/surgeon-warns-against-weight-loss-operations-abroad-after-death-of-young-woman-13054683

I went with a family member.

Of course I was scared. I would be scared in the UK too.

I'd never had surgery before, ever.

But I was literally at the bottom of the barrel, I felt like if I didn't take the risk I would end up dead anyways, either from depression or complications of obesity as I was 19stone and gaining.

@MorrisZapp No need to be sorry, all opinions Welcome here! I'm obviously no size expert, and I've never asked their size Pre-Op I just meant they really didn't seem that big to Me!

I was a binge eater.

I cannot binge now. Even anything a smidge over what I can tolerate makes me sick.
Or gives my sugar dumping. Which is horrible.

So I just cannot do it.

It took a good 2 years for my head to catch up and for the desire to binge to stop but I eventually learned I just cannot do it.

Thanks for replying, how interesting. Great for you that you got your life back, all the best

I thought that too! I clicked to see if there were pictures 😀

My Aunt died at 52 during a routine gallbladder surgery in England, NHS operation.

There wasn't an article about that though because it's not as exciting as a botched surgery abroad.

Chronic obesity is a medical condition. It may be a self inflicted one but once you have it it's extremely difficult to recover by yourself. Nobody gives themselves obesity on purpose. It's usually down to disordered eating or mental ill health or both.

The simple solution to all this is of course not go get fat in the first place but sadly everywhere you look today there are loads of overweight and obese people

Okay Katie Hopkins 🤣🤣.

I had a gastric sleeve 11k in London would never go abroad

Thankyou for saying this.

It's an illness and an addiction

If you're at the point you're considering life altering surgery then you aren't the average person in the street that needs to lose a few lbs for summer and are capable of doing it.

I wonder if there was a surgery to stop alcoholism or drug use people would be so shocked at people taking the risk for that.

For some people food addiction is just as destructive.

Very few people would do this lightly. Morbid obesity damages quality of life and shortens overall lifespan so doing something like this is hardly an easy solution to a difficult problem. I don't think your friends deserve your scorn and judgement.

Me too and was still thinking that half way through the post 😂

I wouldn’t have surgery abroad if it was free. No way.

Because some people are desperate, and are left with no other choices than going abroad because in the UK it's not accessible. I never understand the 'but why'- because they are miserable and will never be able to afford it in the UK. Because the concept of just eat less and excercise more clearly doesn't bloody work otherwise everyone would loose weight easily. Because they want to be around for grandchildren and not incapacitated with weight related illnesses. Wouldn't do it- probably not. Do I understand fully why some people do- absolutely.

😂🤣🤣

I know so many people who have had this done, although in Turkey, not Egypt, I think it's very common now as it's so accessible and cheap (in comparison to the UK). For example, the comment up thread about not believing someone who was a size 16 had a gastric sleeve - 2 of my friends (one a 16 and one an 18 before surgery) have had it done - the private clinics don't care about whether you really need it, they just want to you pay for it. My opinion is live and let live, although the whole social media 'look at what I've achieved' posts are mildly annoying as no one I know has been publicly open about having surgery outside of their close circles, I'd have a lot of respect for them if they just owned it as they all look great now in fairness!

On the flipside, I think in the UK you get a lot of support with addressing the mental side of things, e.g. therapy for dealing with eating disorders, etc. A family member who also went to Turkey for this surgery has gained back all of the weight she lost as she just carried on eating the same foods as before but in smaller quantities, which gradually crept in portion size over time.