Couldn’t have surgery because of weight

[Kellie137]

LAst week I went into hospital for s minor operation. When I arrived i was turned away for high bmi. Said I would have to be referred to another hospital. I’m so upset. The surgeon was so honest and told me to try harder to loose weight even though I’ve lost 2 stone on weight watchers. Kept saying why have you got to this weight. I’m mortified and feeling so overwhelmed.

Well, you have lost 2 stone op, well done just keep going...and now you know how to do it, speed it up by reducing a tiny bit more of your meals each day.

Also do lots of reward things like do yourself or treat yourself to a pedicure as a reward, etc... find lots of nice non food related treats to keep you feeling boosted...good luck

How much check do you need to lose to get to a weight that they will operate? It might be a good goal, and one that's not insurmountable 👍🏻 good luck

clearly can't comment on the specifics for you but, in general, unfortunately overweight people are more likely to have complications (both surgical & anaesthetic) and need high dependency beds post-op & this is often the reason people are declined for even minor procedures in hospitals that don't have that facility (or access to blood banks & various other things). The reason we nag people about weight is not for our benefit, it really is to try & get people through their procedures in reasonable condition. It's a but if a fail on behalf of the hospital that you got as far as going in for the procedure before anyone highlighted your weight might be a problem.

Well done for losing the weight you have done so far - keep up the good work.
(From an anaesthetist)

How did you get as far as the hospital for the op before they decided to tell you this?

Ok OP, you need a plan. Are you still at Weightwatchers?

2 stone is a great amount to have lost. Well done.

Weigh out 28lbs of soup tins, shampoo bottles etc and put them in a bag. Lifting the bag will show you how much unwanted weight you've already lost.

Can you set yourself a goal to keep steadily losing excess weight? Just 1lb lost per week would be 52lbs in a year - nearly 4 stone. Go for it.

What BMI are you? I was BMI 32 for a 5hr op and they never even mentioned it!

This happened to one of my husbands side of the family earlier in the year, I understand why they cancelled but not the how, surely they have someone's weight on file and can see on the patients information if their bmi is over the threshold?

Seems like a waste of everyone's time and resources to wait until the day of surgery to cancel.

I imagine it's also quite undignified to sit there expecting something to be fixed and then to be told you're too fat, would the patient be gowned up already? If so that's horrible treatment and unnecessary.

You are already on the right track op, keep going and use this as a new fire to help meet your goals.