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Homerton or private?

Cherib

New Member
hi all! I’m a newbie!

My gp has referred me to Homerton Hospital and I have my first appointment on 15th April. My main question is what’s the average waiting time from first appointment to surgery for a gastric band?

If the waiting times at Homerton are really long, I am considering going to Belgium to have the procedure done privately. I’d need to borrow the money from my partner which isn’t ideal but I’ve become so miserable which my weight has a lot to do with it.

The main reason why I don’t want to wait for ages (I’ve seen someone was waiting 2 years) is that we would like to start a family in a couple of years and know you need to wait at least 12-18 months after bariatric surgery before getting pregnant. I have pcos so I’m already at a disadvantage in the fertility stakes.

If you were in this position, would you wait to see what happens with NHS or go private?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 

Mazza

Administrator
Staff member
Hello and welcome!

I cant answer your questions re waiting times at your local hospital but do they still do the band there for NHS patients?

The waiting times do tend to be long and before you even get put forward, you'll have to go to various appointments (tier 3).

The appointments are a vital part of the process and help the team to determine if you're a good candidate for surgery and which option they think will suit you.

My advice would be not to rush into things and to keep researching the options. April is not that far away after all :D
 

Bling Babe

Well-Known Member
hi all! I’m a newbie!

My gp has referred me to Homerton Hospital and I have my first appointment on 15th April. My main question is what’s the average waiting time from first appointment to surgery for a gastric band?

If the waiting times at Homerton are really long, I am considering going to Belgium to have the procedure done privately. I’d need to borrow the money from my partner which isn’t ideal but I’ve become so miserable which my weight has a lot to do with it.

The main reason why I don’t want to wait for ages (I’ve seen someone was waiting 2 years) is that we would like to start a family in a couple of years and know you need to wait at least 12-18 months after bariatric surgery before getting pregnant. I have pcos so I’m already at a disadvantage in the fertility stakes.

If you were in this position, would you wait to see what happens with NHS or go private?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Welcome, I can’t help with your question I’m afraid, every hospital is different and I was at Luton, 2 years start to finish, well 22 months, I know at Luton they won’t do a band on the nhs though, whatever you decide good luck xxx
 

Emma1504

Well-Known Member
Welcome
Get researching that’s what I would do.
The band doesn’t appear as common anymore.
Good luck with your journey.
 

MariaMaria83

Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome!! I went to my gp in July (I think) and got my first appointment for homerton mid September. My journey has been very straight forward and once I was in their system it’s been really quick. My operation date is 12th April although if I hadn’t had things already planned for the beginning of the year, and if not for the winter bed shortage, I would have been done sooner.
Bare with them, the team there are really good.
Can I ask though why you are opting for a band at this stage? Have you looked into the other options? x
 
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bex.wils

Active Member
hi all! I’m a newbie!

My gp has referred me to Homerton Hospital and I have my first appointment on 15th April. My main question is what’s the average waiting time from first appointment to surgery for a gastric band?

If the waiting times at Homerton are really long, I am considering going to Belgium to have the procedure done privately. I’d need to borrow the money from my partner which isn’t ideal but I’ve become so miserable which my weight has a lot to do with it.

The main reason why I don’t want to wait for ages (I’ve seen someone was waiting 2 years) is that we would like to start a family in a couple of years and know you need to wait at least 12-18 months after bariatric surgery before getting pregnant. I have pcos so I’m already at a disadvantage in the fertility stakes.

If you were in this position, would you wait to see what happens with NHS or go private?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hi cherib and welcome.
I went private in uk for my band 5 years ago. It slipped 4 years later so I’m now waiting to go to Belgium. Surgery booked for 16th April I’m having band removal converted to mini gastric bypass.
I have a friend who had bypass on nhs and her only choice was sleeve or bypass she waited approx 18-24months but I’m based up in Durham so would be different waiting times anyway. She was told that the band was not available on the nhs any longer due to complications that are arising, hence the situation I’m currently in.
Totally know how you feel with the weight getting you down it’s terrible isn’t it how it has so much of a hold over our lives. I’m also a pcos sufferer and would like to have a family someday. Good luck with whatever you choose and feel free to ask any further questions but my advice is to research heavily, get it sorted as soon as you can and enjoy the feeling of being slim. It’s fantastic! And I cannot wait to feel it again myself. Rebecca
 
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