Weight loss surgery

[Nofoolfornoone]

hello all,

I would really like to hear from people who have had weight loss surgery. I am starting to seriously consider it. I want to have children but my bmi is 50 and I struggle very much to lose weight. I’ve been overweight my whole life and I feel desperate.

Does anyone have any advice or where to look for surgeons? Cost? What to consider? Tips?

Thank you

I have! I organised it through Healthier Weight. £10k. Couldn't recommend it enough. Nearly eight stone down since June. Give them a call. PM if you have any specific questions.

Bit more info: consider type of surgery: gastric sleeve or gastric bypass. Do NOT have the band.

Make sure you choose a hospital that has an ICU/equivalent. So many private hospitals don't and God forbid something goes wrong you don't want them to have to wait for an ambulance.

Look up surgeon reviews. Google them.

You need to do a pre surgery diet (probably just two weeks) but you MUST stick to it.

I feel amazing and am so glad I did it.

Read this article. It explains why you and me struggle so much to lose weight. www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html

It's not a solution - it's a tool. I've embraced it and done well. My cousin was eating chocolate pudding as part of the post op 'puree' stage of the diet and has lost a lot less weight than me unsurprisingly.

I measure everything I eat now to ensure I get enough protein etc. If you see it as a cheat you will fail.

You MUST stick to the post op diet.

Thank you @Newnamewhodis1 why do you say not to have a band? I’m researching now

With a BMI of 50 you are v v overweight. I don't think a band is going to cut it. I've read/heard nothing but bad things about them slipping/not working/making people sick. You need bigger intervention.

(don't be tempted by the fact they are a lot cheaper!!)

I had the band, biggest mistake ever , I'm the same weight but puke regularly when I'm trying to eat. Do not get a gastric band £6k down the drain

I'd have to disagree with comments here about the band. I have one and it is working really well for me although I do think sleeves are more popular at the moment. You have to be aware, with a band, that it is a tool to help you restrict your eating, it won't do it for you and there is a lot more follow up needed. I lost half my excess weight in the first year and am still losing now, but more slowly.
I took advice from others before opting for mine. I spoke to 2 people with bypasses, neither of whom would do it again as both have developed related health problems since. I have one friend with a sleeve, overall happy but struggling a bit with regain (it is very common for sleeve and bypass patients to lose a lot of weight but then gain some back as they stabilise). Another friend has a band, lost her weight a few years back and has kept it off but can get food stuck at times and there are some foods she simply cannot eat.
The key thing is deciding what is right for you, regardless of what suits others.

I agree with above. Choose what is right for you. Speak to the company. But at your BMI I wouldn't do a band. I was grossly obesely overweight and it wouldn't have suited me

I have just returned from Turkey where I had a gastric sleeve. I can not fault the pre op and post op care. It’s not the easy option but the right option for me. It was very affordable and I get a year after care with regular contact from the team. I am so excited to lose this weight having reached my heaviest 266lbs! I have 3 children a full time job and neglected myself for years so it was my time to get back in control! I have lost 1st since my surgery 8 days ago which is an amazing motivation. I would say to anyone considering this path- do your research, speak to the surgeon, and be prepared to change your life and old bad habits. X

Morning OP. Another three pounds off for me this week. Makes 7 stone 10 pounds total.

I know people have success stories from going abroad for surgery but the two surgeons I saw both advised against it - said a lot of their work was doing revision surgery for dodgy jobs done overseas. I would be very cautious!

Nofoolfonoone With a BMI of over 50 you are entitled to fast track NHS Bariatric surgery .
The NICE guidelines are ;

1.For anyone with a BMI over 35 with a co-morbidity that would be improved by losing weight. For example, High Blood Pressure. Type 2 diabetes, Sleep Apnoea. (an amazing amount of people with a BMI over 35 have sleep apnoea but don't know it.)

2 For anyone with a BMI over 40.

You will have to ask your GP for a Referal to the Tier 3 Bariatric pathway. This is the 6 month to a year program of dietary and psychological support that leads up to surgery.

It is rare for the NHS to offer a band. To many 'revisions' (removals and sleeve or bypass performed) . Also overeaters are often their own worst enemies and will do crazy stuff like liquidising mars bars and biscuits.. in order to slip it through the neck of the band..

The NHS offer the bypass or a sleeve. It depends really on your diet and how you became obese. For me, the issue was portion size. I had a year long course of steroids ten years ago which just turned me into an eating machine with no off button. I was never much of a sweetie lover, preferring savoury, very large multiple portions . My food choices have always been pretty healthy , my intake was not.
I had a sleeve mainly for that reason and also because I had had a lot of previous abdominal surgery and my insides were badly tangled with scar tissue. My Sleeve took 5 hours to complete. (Normally 90 mins) and a bypass would have taken much longer.

A bypass is the gold standard for NHS Bariatric surgery. It is especially good for those with a sweet tooth. If you are EVER tempted to 'cheat' ... you will only do it once ! The side effect of 'dumping' are enough to keep you on the straight and narrow. Most of my 'fat-friends' (our Bariatric support group) have had the bypass and the results are breathtaking. Most had BMIs of 50 or above .

I can not recommend it enough. I was 19 st 4 and have been 11 stone for 4 years. It changed my life. It changed my children's lives . It changed my husbands life. The number 1 benefit is my health. I no longer have type 2 diabetes, I no longer have high bp , I no longer have sleep apnoea and best of all I no longer have excruciating arthritis in both knees and lower back. Which means I can walk ... for miles without stopping. It's my greatest joy. (My NHS funded Op cost £8k the whole cost was recouped in 18 months of not needing the GP/hospital for all my other associates illnesses)

My advice is do your research. PLEASE watch Prof. Rachel Batterhams documentary about bias attitudes in the NHS towards Bariatrics from ignorant people including doctors who actually don't know or understand that Weight Loss surgery is still THE ONLY independently evaluated long term sustainable method of maintaining a healthy BMI . That's why the NHS provide it.

Please don't listen to people who will tell you that 'this or that' diet and exercise will work... the only people that benefit from diet clubs are the owners. Once your BMI has gone over 40 your chance of successfully getting back to BMI 25 or less is 1:735. Of those lucky '1s' over 80% put it back on and more within 5 years. Conversely after 5 years of weight loss surgery, over 80% are still maintaining a healthy BMI.

Of course surgery is dangerous. A BMI of 50 is far more dangerous than surgery.

Thank you. I just looked up my local nhs service and it sounds great. I really like the idea of the tier 3 service for a year. Last time I went to the gp I asked if there was any help I could get ie referral to dietician and was fobbed off.

I’ve been overweight my whole life due to a childhood medical condition. It got worse as I got older as I was teased for it. I successfully got my bmi down to 37 a few years ago but then my marriage ended and I gained the weight.
My current bmi is actually 47 not over 50 but still very high.
I will look into it and push my gp for a bit more help.
I guess one thing I need to consider is I’ve not had children yet. Would pregnancy affect the procedure?
And I guess In the back of my mind I think could I use the money instead to pay for a personal trainer, would that help? Or would I gain it all back when something in my life goes wrong and I return to food for comfort.

Please don't bother with a personal trainer until you have lost the weight. Waste of money. Regarding pregnancy - you are advised to wait at least 18 months after surgery so your weight stabilises, and your diet is more varied. Because after surgery you are of course eating very little to begin with. I take vitamins every day and have B12 injections every three months.

One of the reasons I went private was because I might want kids in the next year and I didn't want to wait two years for surgery on the NHS then having to wait another 18 months to get pregnant

I am in a pre/post Bariatric surgery support group if about 50 people. The majority of the people in the group had starting BMIs around the same as yours. Of the people in the group about 10 % have had some sort of problem following surgery. But almost all of those with issues are those who 'try and cheat' ... yet even then, the issues don't begin to compare to the health issues prior to surgery.

I just want to assure you that wanting a baby is one of the main reasons for people having surgery in my group. We've had 7 babies in the last 18 months.

No, do not waste money on a personal trainer. Weight loss is 90% calorie intake. Once you start to lose weight you will be able to walk ... just keep walking. No need for fancy gyms.. or equipment.. just WALK whenever you get the chance. I LOVE parking at the opposite end of the supermarket car park just because I CAN... nothing else needed. It literally drops off ...

For some peculiar reason , (genuine ignorance of the outcome and procedures I think) GPS rarely suggest WLS , even when it's the ONLY clinically advised method to sustain weight loss. You need to read up on the process, go in and don't ask for weight loss surgery but instead ask for a referral to the Tier 3 Bariatric pathway, that involves a multi disciplinary approach to weight loss , including Dietitian, Psychologist , food workshops ... the pathway being the road to surgery.

By putting it like this, it shows you have researched this and are prepared to do the ground work, not just a quick fix .

Thank you! I’m 35 so I need to prob do it soon If I want to have a child.
Thank you all so much for your help!

Some great advice on here Nofoolfornoone
Be prepared that the NHS Tier 3 pathway can take some time. If you want to get on more quickly you may have to look at private providers.
Ultimately all of us here have made our choice of procedure for our own reasons and are all succeeding because we are committed.
Good luck with your decision and your future!

Thank you all. I have found a place and surgeon/team. I’m very nervous about progressing. I have tried to think why and I think it’s worrying about what if it doesn’t work. I’ve just ordered a book called “cut down to size”. Will see what that is like.

If you have found a surgeon and a hospital OP, (I'm guessing it's down the private route) I would definitely join a wls Facebook group for support and encouragement. One of the best things about the NHS is the support before and after - but I do agree it can be a long haul.. and if you want babies then time is not on your side.

The hospital you are looking at may also have their own private fb group. I really recommend getting support from people who have had wls. It will give you the courage you need.

One thing which you need to think about is would you tell people? I haven't apart from a very small number, most people think I'm just dieting which, in a way, I am with a band. I looked for some FB groups but not all are secret

My local nhs hospital has a support group which meets weekly and is open to anyone. The consultant who leads the private clinic I’ve found also works at that nhs hospital.
Yes, I don’t think I would want anyone to know really. But I don’t use any social media.
I have been loosing weight though so I don’t know if I should just continue. I’m just worried I will gain it all back without surgery

I had a Bloody Band - worst decision I ever made - google Vaness Feltz discussing it on good morning Britain.
My issue with the band is that I now cannot eat fish, rice, any fibrous veg or fruit, pasta,, chicken.
I can however eat mousse, crisps, biscuits, chocolate and all the other crap that dissolves easily. I've put on 3stones in 7 years with it.
I constantly have stomach cramps.
My friend had it with me but hers recently eroded her stomach, cut through ti like a wire on cheese and she genuinely was in agony an nearly died.
I'm having revision surgery to get band out and have a bypass - 75% covered by my health insurance Vitality health.
If you want to PM me then I'm happy to report how it goes from consultation onwards.

I had a sleeve in October 2019 and went privately. Best £10k I've ever spent. I lost some weight in the few months prior to surgery to reduce my BMI (was over 80) and in total I've lost 9 stone 13lbs in 8 months. Still a very long way to go but I feel incredible and every say I'm amazed at the things I can do without being in pain, out of breath, sweaty, embarrassed, uncomfortable and unhappy.

Do NOT waste your money on a personal trainer. If you want to work out go to a gym get them to do you a program and follow it. But weight loss is 90% down to what you do and don't eat. I'm just back at the gym now and the staff say I can use them whenever for whatever to do with my programme - if people don't use them they say they only have to clean lol.

Good luck and definitely join the WLS Facebook groups. They are incredible communities, happy to answer any question regardless of how silly you think it is. If you're in the UK there are a couple of rely good UK based ones so look them up.

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