Anyone On NHS Been Turned Down After Doing Everything

[Willow4]

Anyone on NHS been through the Warts and All right through to the end, then got turned down.

Big worry for a few of us, on the site.

 

[Birdie01]

Anyone on NHS been through the Warts and All right through to the end, then got turned down. Big worry for a few of us, on the site.

Thanks Willow!!

 

[Rosalie]

I was just at St Mary's and asked the exact same question. Here's what I know and I hope it helps someone.

They need to be sure you have tried everything before deciding to go under the knife. For example, if you get to the dietitian and she asks you what diets have you tried? And your answer is that you never really tried anything, she'll send you away to try the normal method for a year.

Your health plays an important factor, you must be healthy enough for surgery. They usually don't take yours or even your GPs word for it. I recently found out that when they take your blood they check everything and I mean everything. I know of a woman who was turned down because she was a drug addict and did not say anything. In this case they don't send you away for a year they send you away for 5 years and you have to prove you've been clean. I should also mention alcoholism and smoking but they offer you help with these areas before you get offered surgery.

Finally, your mental healthy, which they usually leave till the very end. Three thing you can do at that review that will, not turn you down but rather set you back a few steps. One, they'll ask you to describe the surgery and you should honestly know what you're getting into. Two, and this is important is mental health statues. As a psychiatrist she or he will 100% know that we are doing everything we can to appear fit for surgery. Otherwise why would you have come this far? My advice is to be honest and talk about your relationship with food. You must also demonstrate that you can adapt adapt adapt. Adapt to smaller portion, to attention, to people's perception of you, to eating very slowly and do on.

I really hope this helps someone out there because I have been helped by the girls and guys on here who lend their time and share experiences

Sent from my iPhone using WLSurgery

 

[Chrisyd]

I was just at St Mary's and asked the exact same question. Here's what I know and I hope it helps someone.

They need to be sure you have tried everything before deciding to go under the knife. For example, if you get to the dietitian and she asks you what diets have you tried? And your answer is that you never really tried anything, she'll send you away to try the normal method for a year.

Your health plays an important factor, you must be healthy enough for surgery. They usually don't take yours or even your GPs word for it. I recently found out that when they take your blood they check everything and I mean everything. I know of a woman who was turned down because she was a drug addict and did not say anything. In this case they don't send you away for a year they send you away for 5 years and you have to prove you've been clean. I should also mention alcoholism and smoking but they offer you help with these areas before you get offered surgery.

Finally, your mental healthy, which they usually leave till the very end. Three thing you can do at that review that will, not turn you down but rather set you back a few steps. One, they'll ask you to describe the surgery and you should honestly know what you're getting into. Two, and this is important is mental health statues. As a psychiatrist she or he will 100% know that we are doing everything we can to appear fit for surgery. Otherwise why would you have come this far? My advice is to be honest and talk about your relationship with food. You must also demonstrate that you can adapt adapt adapt. Adapt to smaller portion, to attention, to people's perception of you, to eating very slowly and do on.

I really hope this helps someone out there because I have been helped by the girls and guys on here who lend their time and share experiences

Sent from my iPhone using WLSurgery

This is really good advice by Rosalie - list all of the diets you have done, how much you lost, how you quickly you put it all back on. Be honest about why you have put on weight - you need to show awareness. It is also helpful if you think about how you will cope if you can't comfort eat or eat when stressed. If you have a social life that revolves around food and drink about how you will cope. When you speak to the dietician - it is good to show that you have cut back or given up some of your 'problem' items. For me - it was giving up fizzy drinks, crisps and white bread.

 

[Willow4]

Hi Rosalie
Thank you that's sound advice.

 

[Birdie01]

Hi Ladies

After some sound advice on this thread, I have decided to definitely prepare properly for the MDT - so in saying that, I am going to take print outs with me from my food diary, just a few pages when I first started - and then a few pages of a couple of weeks prior to the actual MDT date - so I can show them how far I have come, what changes I have made.

I was looking at the first food diary I did this morning (I have it on excel on my work PC) and everything I ate was either at my desk or in the lounge on the sofa... now, I have changed and I can see just from my food diary that i have gradually incorporated my dining room table as my place of choice rather than the sofa all the time.
Another change I noticed, I was eating crisps daily, now I cannot remember when last I had any.

I am going to compile a report of all these changes that I have noticed in myself and present it (i dont mean on a slide show or anything! LOL!) And then take that together with a list of questions I have for the surgeon - my research results that I have made some notes on and see what they have to say about it all. I don't want them to think I am not interested in this surgery, and the only way I think to remember everything is to write it all down.

So.. if you can think of anything else i can add to this list, please let me know!

 

[yvonne83]

Hi

I'm not following you around the site - I promise!

Just thought perhaps you could include any exercise you have tried? e.g I tried the couch 2 5k last year and got on well until one day my knee just went ping and so I was put off running for a while.

You could also include what support you have in place e.g husband is also making healthy choices and joining the gym with you etc

Lastly perhaps changes you intend to make as you loose weight e.g once I have less back pain due to excess weight I intend to take part in Zumba classes at my local YMCA

Maybe that is some use to you, I dont know but good luck with it xxx

 

[Birdie01]

Lol! Hi Yvonne! Seriously don't mind even if you are following! Lol!

Thanks for the heads up - I'm definitely including things like exercise and what diets I've tried (I mean I can't list them all but they will get the general idea!) plus also putting in a table of achievable goals after surgery and how I plan to maintain them. I'm already on page 3 and I've only just started! Lol!

Support is a good one - will include that - as well as motivation to reach and maintain weight loss!

 

[robina]

i was asked why i put on weight. i looked at her blankly for a while expecting her to want a phychological answer like bad childhood, some traumatic event etc

i finally answered, i dont know i just really love cake

"good" she said "because most people swear they eat nothing but a salad"

so be honest with what you used to eat when gaining weight, how much you were eating and when you tend to eat

as some people do have a generally healthy diet but are eating enough for 3 and others ( like i was) barely eat during the day but graze all evening on the wrong kind of stuff

 

[Harley_Q]

I'm so scared, its less then a month to go so I still have time to prep but I don't have any proof about the diets, I binned 20+ various slimming world/weight watchers/ you name it packs when I moved, i'm not to sure which diet I did when. I'm worried that because I've had a breakdown in the last year they'll say no

I'm worried about everything really

 

[joanne7271]

Good Luck with everything even though I cant give you any extra advice than what has already been said x

 

[A.Positive]

I'm so scared, its less then a month to go so I still have time to prep but I don't have any proof about the diets, I binned 20+ various slimming world/weight watchers/ you name it packs when I moved, i'm not to sure which diet I did when. I'm worried that because I've had a breakdown in the last year they'll say no

I'm worried about everything really

I also got rid of all my Weight Watchers and Slimming World record books. I was also worried sick as these were the only pieces of evidence I had to support my claims of tried and failed diets.

I got in touch with the head office of both clubs and they were able to give all the information I needed and pretty quickly too. I then forward these on my GP who sent them to the hospital;they accepted them! The records went back 10 years and detailed all my losses and gains and all the various groups I had joined and so on.

Good luck my love. xx

 

[Yvessa]

My Gp wrote to support me with all the details of everything I'd tried. If you do everything they ask and you get funding then its fine - the funding is the tricky bit.

 

[Chrisyd]

I'm so scared, its less then a month to go so I still have time to prep but I don't have any proof about the diets, I binned 20+ various slimming world/weight watchers/ you name it packs when I moved, i'm not to sure which diet I did when. I'm worried that because I've had a breakdown in the last year they'll say no

I'm worried about everything really

Don't worry - didn't have proof - other than being able to talk about them - I knew vaguely when they were and how much I lost. The key thing as Robina pointed out is to show them you know why you have put on weight - for me it was living off toast, sandwiches, crisps and grazing on these without eating proper meals - oh and a sedentary job and no exercise - and too much wine. The most important thing is that you don't say that you don't know why. As for your breakdown, many of us have depression - for me that meant a bit extra time so that the psychiatrist was happy that I was mentally able to cope with the process. Hope this helps.

 

[yvonne83]

Don't worry - didn't have proof - other than being able to talk about them - I knew vaguely when they were and how much I lost. The key thing as Robina pointed out is to show them you know why you have put on weight - for me it was living off toast, sandwiches, crisps and grazing on these without eating proper meals - oh and a sedentary job and no exercise - and too much wine. The most important thing is that you don't say that you don't know why. As for your breakdown, many of us have depression - for me that meant a bit extra time so that the psychiatrist was happy that I was mentally able to cope with the process. Hope this helps.

That is very good piece of advice from yourself and Robina - honesty is always the best policy! It's reassuring to know that at least someone didn't need to show evidence of dieting, I suppose there is no way of knowing what will be required in your area with your circumstances until you actually get the answer for yourself.

It is very good of you to share your experiences though and gives all of us waiting in the unknown some hope!

Thanks again

 

[HelenAngelfish]

Your gp should have written to them already with your case and your dieting history.

I may have been lucky. But I didn't need to prove my dieting attempts.

St Mary's took my gps referral and my bloods, ECG, weight etc and the process from start to finish took 6/7 months. xx

Sent from my iPhone using WLSurgery