Choosing Hospital for first appointment?

[purplefluffything]

Hello,
I have just recieved a letter from my GP to request my first appointment.
I have a choice of 3 to research, one is the 'Whittington' the next is 'Kings College Hospital' the next is 'St George's Healthcare'.
I would appreciate any thoughts on either of these to help with my choice.
Once I have settled on one I will also ask my GP'S Opinion too as it is a big step to make a wrong choice is'nt it.
It is always a help to hear of patients comments on their experiences.
Thank you for helping me.
Im hoping this maybe the beginning of a new life.
Hugs.
xx

 

[tesmaralda]

there are a few going through whittington at the moment brett30 is, they will no doyubt be along over the weekend.

 

[thinkbethin]

Hi, I didn't get a choice for mine but want to wish you good luck in which ever one you decide. xx Gaynor xx

 

[lozzers_losing_weight]

Are you going private or nhs?

All of the mentioned hospitals are probably the choices i will be given - ig i get a choice - althoughst georges is closest to me.

 

[purplefluffything]

Hiya all,
Thanks for replying to me..
Lauren Im applying for NHS but they could turn me down I suppose as this is only my first consultastion, if they say no to me I will consider going private.
My GP thinks I may have a fighting chance due to my pain condition but that is not a garantee is it.
Thanks again.
Hugs x

 

[cazbandy]

I was offered Kings College, that was my second choice if Ashford had not accepted me for any reason or if I had decided on a bypass.

My surgeon only performs band ops.

 

[brett30]

hi Hun ... i was offered .. st Georges ,, ( they have 1 yr waiting list ) as they don't have enough surgeons and a big enough team to go around ..

and i was offered homerton they had a waiting period of 6 months + and they don't have a support group at the hospital ..

call them all and ask the period of time from referral to operation .. see what they say .. mine is 4-8 weeks from funding .. they are very quick ..

i have gone with the whittington .. and they got my referral on the 10Th Jan .. and i get my op on the 29Th may ... i have all my funding all my tests are finished and over .. and i start pre op on 1ST may ..

they have a huge group support and loads of help and advice .. i love the staff every one of them have been fantastic and they have a huge team there ... they hold all clinic appointments on a Monday and all surgery is Thurs Friday .. there is 2 main surgeons .. both have a huge past with there work and have traveled the world and both teach surgery at royal London collage ...

i have researched them greatly and have found loads of great things about them ..

they have never lost anything of mine and always been on the ball with my appointments and referral..

Kirsten is the bariatric nurse there she has a support phone i can give u the number if you want to ask her any questions about the place .. but take alook at there web site .. u will find loads there .. http://www.whittington.nhs.uk/default.asp?c=6160&t=1,151

also the surgeon said funding is not an issue if they think you need the surgery they will get your funding !!! i was told ...

and also there next group meet is 16th April .. i will b there too .. u can go along and meet people and see what they all say about the place ...

good luck with your choice if u need to know anything just ask ...

xx

 

[shelbell]

One way to judge is to contact each hospital individually, and aswell as asking about their waiting times, ask about their mrsa/c-diff rate, post op complication/mortality rate, and surgeons experience/number of ops under his/her belt. Also worth asking if they have preferences towards band/sleeve/ds/bypass, if they offer all options etc.

HTH

Shel

 

[purplefluffything]

Caz, Brett, Shellbe, Your so quick on here I can't keep up.
Shellbe, yes I have been researching the hospitals my gp gave me to choose from I have a massive headache overe it I have been looking since last week non stop I feel the whittington is the one for me but will be talking to my gp on wednesday just to see what he feels just need his opinion he is a lovely dr.

Brett, You have answered some of the questions I have asked in another thread I have going, sorry if you end up answering twice. Yes the whittington seem to offer the whole package .
Can you just turn up at the meetingsthat you suggest? If so and my husband is off work I will def see if I can go but have a sneaky feeling he is working, I need someone with me. Is there much walking from station?
Must go for now but be warned I will be back armed with more questions.
Hugs to all xx

 

[cazbandy]

One of the many reasons I choose Ashford is that they have zero MRSA, having seen a friend suffer so much after a C-Section I decided that might be an important factor.

 

[brett30]

the meeting is on the 16th April 5.30 till 7.30 anyone is welcome even before your referred there ...

i will be there that night too i can meet up with u if u like ..

station is just over the road from hospital ..

x

 

[purplefluffything]

Hi Brett,
Thanks for the offer of meeting up with me, I will meet up with you if I can get there, thing is I need my husband with me or one of my grown up kids as my disability (my spine) is a pain a real pain and I mean that in more ways than one! I have been known to collapes so could not manage all the way from Essex alone.
Also due to the following day the 17th I have a refill at the day surgery at my own local hospital so don't know if I will be up to going so late to the meeting due to my refill, refill days always take it out of me.
Like I said if I can get there I will certainly be on the look out for you if not then it will be the next time hopefully.
How often do these meetings come up Brett? because I definatly want to come to them, are they all so late?
Thank you Brett, Caz, Shelbel, tesmarelda, thinkbethin, lozzers you have be so kind in helping me today I hope you won't mind helping me out again.

Take care.
Hugs x

 

[brett30]

there every month hun ... there always at that time cause most people work who attend them so it makes it easy for them to go after work ..

if i was you give kirsten a call the bariatric nurse .. before i was even ref there she spoke to me for an hr on the phone and told me what i could expect of them .. she is fantastic .. her number is on the bariatric part of whittington web page xx

 

[GemmsieJ]

Hi All,

Have been reading through some of the threads on here and just wanted some support/info/advise from people who are going through it. Especially you Brett as I am also under Greenwich PCT, went to my doc two weeks ago, she wrote to the PCT who have agreed to support my referral to either Homerton, St Georges or the Whittington. My GP asked if I had a preference and I said either the Whittington or Homerton as they are eisier for me to get to (just thru the Blackwall tunnel) How long have you been waiting since you first visited your Doc? I am hoping to get things under way asap as I am nervous as I have two little girls (4 and 18 months) so am really worried about mortality rates. Is there any other info that you can give me regarding these 3 hospitals and their success rates? I have a BMI of 49 so quite high, not sure what other tests I will have to have, I am asthmatic but it's very controlled so not a problem really. What other factors do they take into consideration when deciding if they will give you funding?

Thanks

Gemma xx

 

[brett30]

hi gemma .... perfect that means u have been accepted for funding .. i got same from greenwich pct .. that they supported my referal ..

that also ment i was fast tracked cause i had my funding in place ..


i picked whittington cause they had shortest waiting period ..

i have gone with the whittington .. and they got my referral on the 10Th Jan .. and i get my op on the 29Th may ... i have all my funding all my tests are finished and over .. and i start pre op on 1ST may ..

they have a huge group support and loads of help and advice .. i love the staff every one of them have been fantastic and they have a huge team there ... they hold all clinic appointments on a Monday and all surgery is Thurs Friday .. there is 2 main surgeons .. both have a huge past with there work and have traveled the world and both teach surgery at royal London collage ...


they have been fantastic with me i feel like there family lol ..

theres a group support meeting on the 16th of this month if u can make it .. i drive if u wana lift ..

so much u learn from there and get to meet loads who have had it done or getting it done ..

i also know loads from hommerton who have had it done and they loved that hospital also .. i did not like the fact the hospital does not have a support group .. and they take a while to get u going ..

if i was u hun call them all and ask who has quickest waiting period

but if i was to do it all again i would go with same hospital ..xx

anything else u wana ask let me know ..

on and im a bmi of 50.1 ..

 

[GemmsieJ]

Hi Brett,

Thanks for the advice, I called my doc earlier as I kind of left it up to her to choose between the Whittington and Homerton but have left a message saying that Whittington would be my preferred choice.

Not sure I can make the 16th April but will deffo come along in May, hopefully I'll know abit more about it all by then and will at least have had a 1st appt I would like to hope!

 

[purplefluffything]

Hi Gem,
Well it looks like we will both be starting this together at same hospital.
Maybe we can along with Brett help each other as we go along this nerve racking experience.
Best of luck .

xx

 

[brett30]

well if there is anything any of you would like to know just ask .. feel like i have been at that hospital so many times lol .. i know everyone there ..

got my pre op appointment now for 5th may then a few weeks away from surgey ..

 

[Caroline101061]

Hi - Im a Whittington patient - surgery is next Thursday (yippee). The only thing I would warn about is the Bariatric Coordinator - yes I am going to name and shame her. She is called Lorna Antoine and she is dreadful. The hospital applied for my funding - it was her job to do it and she didnt do it - she didnt chase it when asked to by the surgeons and me on countless occasions. In the end, I had to chase it myself with my PCT and I had a positive answer in 48 hours. I reported her and she got a rollocking but she is still there. Just avoid her and go through Kirsten the bariatric nurse or direct to the surgeons. Mr Sufi who is the clinical lead is fantastic and answers emails so quickly. I would ask for him if I were you. The pre care is fabulous, as Brett says there are monthly support groups you can attend and hopefully the post op care is fab too! Good luck and see you at a support group.

 

[brett30]

yea Kirsten is fantastic ... maybe cause i did not need my funding chased i got away with it .. but i have dealt with Lorna twice and she has been fantastic to me .. she got my appointments brought forward 2 months and found me a space with the surgeon to get my date.

everyone i have met at the group support post op have not had a bad thing to say to me about the place ..

the surgeon's are fantastic and its to my belief that they both work together in surgery they operate same time on same days and in and out of each others surgery's and don't matter if you go with one Dr or the other cause u might be seen by both at diff appointments .

all in all im pleased with what i have experienced with every department. sleep people .. lung function.. bloods...cpx...

im so excited for you Caroline for next week its so so so close x