PCT said no no no :(

[PoppyPoo]

Have been reading the latest posts with great interest and there are some very valid points.

I just wanted to add... how about all our hard earned taxes that get poured into pointless war or pay for spoilt little monarchs to go flying their helicopters across the country to go to parties (1 journey costing way more than the cost of 1 tummy tuck).

I could also argue that the NHS could've done a much better of job of tidying up my tummy after my last c-section and they should take responsibility for the mess they left me with. I know of other people that have received that privilege after c-sections on the NHS so why doesn't every c-section mum get it by default?

It's not to do with vanity one little bit. It's about being disfigured and wanting to feel like a normal person and not a freak of nature.

When you have lost a lot of weight it's such an amazing feeling (and as we all know extremely hard work) so when you get left with a tummy of skin that will never go away no matter how thin you are it can drive you to the point of hopelessness and despair. I guess it could even drive people to regain the weight.

Just some more for everyone to think about. Peace to all.

Xxx

 

[charliegirl]

Have been reading the latest posts with great interest and there are some very valid points.

I just wanted to add... how about all our hard earned taxes that get poured into pointless war or pay for spoilt little monarchs to go flying their helicopters across the country to go to parties (1 journey costing way more than the cost of 1 tummy tuck).

I could also argue that the NHS could've done a much better of job of tidying up my tummy after my last c-section and they should take responsibility for the mess they left me with. I know of other people that have received that privilege after c-sections on the NHS so why doesn't every c-section mum get it by default?

It's not to do with vanity one little bit. It's about being disfigured and wanting to feel like a normal person and not a freak of nature.

When you have lost a lot of weight it's such an amazing feeling (and as we all know extremely hard work) so when you get left with a tummy of skin that will never go away no matter how thin you are it can drive you to the point of hopelessness and despair. I guess it could even drive people to regain the weight.

Just some more for everyone to think about. Peace to all.

Xxx

Well said....Linda x

 

[Haylee202]

Hi, thank you for the comments. I had my appointment with my doctor today and he suggested i try counselling to try and become more "at ease" with the way i see myself (which i am willing to try but im not sure how much it will help. Maybe i need a visit from Gok Wan!!!!). He is also willing to appeal the PCT's answer if i want him to. He is a fairly new doctor (young) and has never tried to do this for anyone before and is unsure what needs to be put to the PCT. I know a lot of you have given suggestions, which i am very thankful for, but is there anything that hasnt been said that really should be?

 

[callysplace]

Hi, thank you for the comments. I had my appointment with my doctor today and he suggested i try counselling to try and become more "at ease" with the way i see myself (which i am willing to try but im not sure how much it will help. Maybe i need a visit from Gok Wan!!!!). He is also willing to appeal the PCT's answer if i want him to. He is a fairly new doctor (young) and has never tried to do this for anyone before and is unsure what needs to be put to the PCT. I know a lot of you have given suggestions, which i am very thankful for, but is there anything that hasnt been said that really should be?

Loving the Gok Wan idea, can we all write a letter asking for a bit of advice from him on how to dress? I have spent my adult life in baggy tshirts and jersey jogging bottoms and need a bit of fashion advice lol
I think you are doing the right thing by going for counselling, try that and then if you still feel you need the op you can show the pcp that you have exhausted all avenues, Im wishing you all the luck as I really want the op as well sometime in the future!

 

[PoppyPoo]

Hi Haylee, I 'm really sorry to hear it didn't go entirely as planned but keep your chin up hun and don't give up hope. On the plus side, despite your GP's inexperience, at least he is sympathetic and willing to try and help (not all GPs are like that).

Why don't you visit him again and let him know the following about the way my GP and others I have been told about have dealt with the same issue...

My GP approached the nearest NHS plastic surgery clinic before she approached the PCT. This way you will get to consult with an experienced member of an NHS plastic surgery team who may be very willing to fight your corner for you if the PCT refuse. These people are way more sympathetic because they deal with patients like us on a daily basis and have a passion for helping people like us improve our lives.

Also, if you have undergone a c-section to give birth, you could argue to the PCT that the surgeon did not do a professional job of tidying your tummy up after the op. Other than that just be open about how miserable this makes you. If you have experienced thoughts of self-harm you must tell them this. You could also make them aware that you feel it was pointless losing all that weight because the excess skin you have been left with is beyond your control.

As for the counselling, it can't do any harm. It is also access to another medical professional that could fight your corner for you if they conclude that the counselling cannot help you.

Hope that helps hun and please don't let this get you down. Don't give up. You're entitled to feel like a normal human being without a disfigurement and if the NHS is capable of helping you to achieve this, why shouldn't they? See your GP again asap and tell them about how other GPs have approached it. The longer you wait, the more miserable it will make you.

I've also heard that people that have undergone NHS surgery to assist with weight loss have a better chance of getting an NHS tummy tuck. If true, why is this so? I don't want to offend anyone but if someone has lost weight without cost to the NHS, why should they be penalised by having less chance of getting the excess skin removed than someone that has undergone NHS surgical weight loss?

 

[Haylee202]

That is very true. I am trying my hardest to lose the weight (and its working) yet no one wants to help with the final hurdle. The only self harm (which i suppose it is) is i read on the internet about "docking" loose skin. They tie a band around the excess skin and tighten it over time which it then falls off, i know its not practicle and it would proberbly hurt, but i will admit that i have thought it over. And last night while arguing with my husband about our sex life, i also considered polishing off the medicine cabinet, but i care too much for my children.
I am willing to try the counselling, if it doesnt work, then like you said, i would at least have their backing, but do i have a certain time to appeal the PCT's decision?

 

[PoppyPoo]

Oh Haylee I've been there with those self-harm thoughts so many times. Thank goodness that your love for your kids stopped you. Despite the obvious title of the thread I think I got mixed up in my last post forgetting you had already been declined by the PCT so please forgive my dizziness. I'm on my 1st week of the Cambridge Diet and my brain has been a bit frazzled just lately.

I don't know anything about how much time you have to appeal but if I were you I'd get onto it straight away. Could you get your hubby to go to the GP with you to let him know how serious this is (self-harm thoughts, etc). You've actually gone to the extent of researching ways of removing it yourself which I think would cause your GP to start the appeal ball rolling sooner rather than later.

If you would rather appeal now than wait to see a counsellor, you have to be assertive and let your doctor know.

 

[tammy]

Haylee hun, give the counselling a go you have nothing to lose. Thank god you thought of your kids they love and need their mum. I too have been in the situation where i have thought what is the point of carrying on but like you know that i am needed and loved. Please please seek help for how you are feeling. Your GP needs to fully understand how you feel about yourself and how the op may change your life for the better. please don't give up hope xx

Also just want to say Mike thanks for you honestly really respect what you said in your post xx

 

[PoppyPoo]

Hope you're feeling ok now Haylee.
Xxx

 

[PoppyPoo]

Just a quick update to let you know Haylee that I've now been granted the funding for a full TT by my PCT so don't lose hope and certainly don't give up your fight. Have there been any changes since you last posted here?

 

[Lisa Marie]

Thats fantastic news!. I'm so pleased for you.

 

[PoppyPoo]

Thanks LisaMarie!

A bit worried about Haylee as she hasn't been back on here to update the post. Hope she's ok.