I was just wondering..

[_Victoria_]

I had my first appointment with a dietitian after being referred by my GP for weightless surgery and after that appointment i got a letter explaining what had happened during the appointment and that i have been put on tier 3. The dietitian told me that from the date i first saw her i have to wait a minimum of 6 months before they can evaluate me again and decide if im ready for them to refer me for surgery.. which is all great. But then i got a letter for an appointment with an endocrinologist for april 18th. It doesnt explain what that appointment is for specifically, so i googled Endocrinology and theres so many things it COULD be that i still have no idea what it is. Does anyone know what i should expect from that appointment?

Thank you in advance! x

 

[Ohtobeslinky]

I've been seeing an endocrinologist for over 10 years and they are the people that deal with your hormones. They will probably take bloods and do a full hormone analysis on you to check to see if anything is off balance. When I first went to my endocrine team they found all sorts of things - I won't list them as it may put you off. We're all different and it's amazing to find out just what your hormones control.

The team will also discuss how you're feeling as hormones control many different aspects of your life. Personally I have to fill in a well-being questionnaire every 6 months, but that's because of one particular hormone I'm missing.

It could be a number of different reasons for being referred - don't worry about it - most hormone imbalances are sorted with a few tablets.

x

 

[_Victoria_]

Thank you ohtobeslinky!
I wouldnt mind if you did share.. if i think worst case, anything less will be great for me. haha but it you dont wanna talk about it thats fine too. Hopefully its just all part of the process and nothing it actually wrong but then i suppose if something is its the perfect chance to get it sorted. Did any of your problems delay you from having your sleeve?

 

[Ohtobeslinky]

I have ongoing problems from a brain tumour, but my biggest problems for the sleeve decision were the underactive thyroid and diabetes. In fact I believe these were indicators that a sleeve was right for me. I see the endocrine team for other hormone problems, like lack of human growth hormone, but that's unlikely to be something to affect you unless you have had brain problems!

Nothing delayed me having my sleeve but I did double check with my endocrine team who got me in for some extra tests before the surgery. They found that I lacked cortisone, which is our fight or flight hormone. It's essential for recovering after stress - ie surgery.

As I said, endocrine teams are great. They are purely there to make sure your body is in balance. With the right meds anything is possible. x

 

[_Victoria_]

Thanks Slinky!
I think this journey will be good for me no matter what in the long run. Before i would avoid doctors at all costs but now im having to have things checked that i probably should have had checked a long time ago. I found out recently from my blood tests that im really deficient in vitamin D. Pretty badly. my count was like 7.4 when its supposed to be 49.9 so i have been having to have supplements now for the next 6 months. I figure it good practice for the rest of my life! lol
It was a long time ago since i had a surgery but i had a lot of them when i was a kid and always seemed to recover faster than expected so hopefully thats a good sign that things will go okay. I guess you never know until it happens, but you're right. Its best to know and make sure if there is anything its getting sorted

 

[_Victoria_]

So i was just wondering again... Has anyone gone to an appointment before surgery and put weight on? I have an appointment on the 20th and im worried i will be a couple of pounds over the last time i had an appointment. Im pretty worried about it and wondered if anyone had been through the same thing and what happened if you have.

 

[LittleMissNom]

Hi i'm new to site was referred to wls via dr saw a mr el hasini at farnborough he said bypass would be best got appointment next week at orpington to see dietician also received an obese questionnaire for endocrine department any ideas as to what happens next

Hey @Hunnybunny there might be so.e answers on this thread, plenty of info in wls discussions and various surgery threads too. I went private so don't have the same route as some... but this thread seems similar??

 

[_Victoria_]

Hey everyone! Sorry to be a pain but I'm curious about something again.. does anyone know roughly how long it is after you've been invited to the information seminar that you get your appointment for surgery? I just got an appointment for that today and just wondered about the time frame. I think I've read a few people say it snowballs once you get referred

 

[_Victoria_]

im unsure why my last post posted twice. Thanks for the help @LittleMissNom i read through that post and its more about being referred from the GP. I have been seeing the team at the hospital now for just over a year and i have just been told i will get surgery. I have my appointment for the information seminar and apparently after that im supposed to get one with the surgeon.. i was just wondering if that happened quickly or if i would have to wait around 3 months like i do with the dietitian appointments. I really hope not because its so thought consuming at the moment now i feel like im so close. i feel like i want it over with already lol

 

[Penelope]

im unsure why my last post posted twice. Thanks for the help @LittleMissNom i read through that post and its more about being referred from the GP. I have been seeing the team at the hospital now for just over a year and i have just been told i will get surgery. I have my appointment for the information seminar and apparently after that im supposed to get one with the surgeon.. i was just wondering if that happened quickly or if i would have to wait around 3 months like i do with the dietitian appointments. I really hope not because its so thought consuming at the moment now i feel like im so close. i feel like i want it over with already lol

For me it was - information seminar in October 2015, Surgeon in December 2015, operation September 2016.

 

[_Victoria_]

Thank you @Penelope! Was there a reason you had to wait so long after the appointment with the surgeon to actually get the op?

 

[SAM55]

My surgery took 7 months from seeing surgeon following MDT agreement. This was beyond the NHS 18 week waiting list because WLS patients at my hospital, which is a large university hospital, were on the same list as cancer patients, so they always took priority, and obviously often at short notice. Once I was well over the 18 weeks and still hadn't heard anything, I rang a couple of times and was given an option of another hospital that wasn't a teaching one, but it was much further away and all my aftercare would have been done there, plus I didn't know the surgeon, so said no.

 

[Penelope]

Thank you @Penelope! Was there a reason you had to wait so long after the appointment with the surgeon to actually get the op?

Well actually I originally had a surgery date of 22nd August, but they sent me home in the afternoon because they had no beds free, so couldn't do it. I was very glad to finally have the operation on the 5th September.

 

[_Victoria_]

Hey to all you lovely ladies (and gents!) I was just wondering - again, gah! - where you actually have your surgery at heartlands. I've never thought about it before but its crossed my mind now i'm on the waiting list. Do you actually have your op in the obesity clinic they have in heartlands where you go for all your other appointments or do you have it in the main part of the hospital?