Jamast
Member
Lets start at the very beginning - a very good place to start ...
[FONT="]This will be a very long first entry - I promise the following ones will be shorter lol.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]How did I get fat in the first place?[/FONT]
[FONT="]I spent my entire childhood being called fat and ugly – and that was just by my parents!! The trouble is that I believed them. I distinctly remember thinking “I don’t care if I’m fat, I may as well be fatter.” However, when I look back at the very few childhood pictures that exist of me – I definitely was not fat (nor ugly – if I’m honest lol). [/FONT]
[FONT="]However, I believe that it was this less than auspicious beginning that helped me to develop my relationship with food. My mother had a number of husbands (7 at last count). She used to feed each husband up; steak, roast dinners, etc. all served on a tray in the living room - whilst we (my brothers and sisters and I) were relegated to the kitchen and fed on toast, the occasional tinned spaghetti (one large can between 4 of us) and if we were really lucky – the occasional sausage. Her idea of a hot meal in winter or on cold days was a mug of Oxo with cream crackers in it – revolting. I cannot smell Oxo to this day without feeling sick. She would sit at night stuffing her face with biscuits, sweets etc., which we weren’t allowed as they were ‘hers’. Her belief was that we got a free school dinner (and in those days – a bottle of milk) so didn’t need much food at home. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The problem is that I was so hungry that I started taking advantage of those free school lunches and having seconds, even thirds as I knew we wouldn’t be fed at home. I will never forget the time someone at school challenged me to see how many pies I could eat in one sitting – even the kitchen staff participated – I ate 14 servings and became known as ‘Pie-girl’. I can honestly answer the question “Who ate all the pies?” with one simple word – ME!!! This sort of thing went on for years. Surprisingly, I didn’t put on any weight at school. I put this down to the fact that I used to play tennis, hockey, badminton for school as well as being in the swimming and ice skating teams. We had a three mile walk to school daily as we weren’t allowed bus fare (and obviously the same home). [/FONT]
[FONT="]My problems started once I left school, started to get my own money, had no walking to do, no sports and access to food shops - No more free school meals meant that I had my own food to buy, and boy, would I buy food. A visit to the chip shop generally meant two servings of pie chips and peas – with gravy of course. Breakfast would be a couple of bacon sandwiches from the local café – and that’s the way it went on. I would buy sweets to eat at night in bed (hiding them from my mother of course), I would stuff my face with crisps on the way home from the shops. I continued to stuff my face excessively. I met my husband when I was just turned 18 - a definite feeder (he still equates food and sweets with love, but I think I am finally getting him to understand) – someone who would willingly give me food – he would go to the chippy and quite happily bring me back two lots of fish chips and peas – which I would eat and then finish his left overs off. I really did not know when I was full - and I grew from there. [/FONT]
[FONT="]I weighed 10 ½ stones when we got married and I went up to around 18 stone by the time I was 28 and stayed there for many years whilst working as a youth worker, looking after the house and children, going to university etc. I finished the youth work in 2001 and had a desk job. By 2007 I had ballooned even further and having not been weighed for at least five years, I bought some scales - I was stunned, weighed 28 stones. [/FONT]
[FONT="]I have tried just about every diet I have ever heard of. Sometimes being quite successful, but I always out the weight back on – not just what I had lost, but more besides. Atkins; the grapefruit diet; the cabbage soup diet; hypnotherapy; weightwatchers; slimming world; an independent diet club; three different online diet clubs; Cambridge diet; the Kee diet; the milk diet; low carb; no carb; low fat; Susan Powter’s no fat diet; a local based NHS dietician (actually three times); Jenny Craig; Diet chef; lipotrim; special K diet; chicken soup diet; juice diets; fruit diets - and that’s only the ones I can remember. I’ve also had Orlistat – please don’t ask me about the time I was taking those tablets and was sat in a meeting with local MP’s and business managers and I had sudden stomach cramps, trying to extricate myself from the meeting, farting and erm – ‘following through - we shall not even go there.[/FONT]
[FONT="]In short, I have screwed my metabolism up. As I am sure many of us can also do - I can sit and lecture all day on what is ‘good’ for you and what’s not; what should and shouldn’t be eaten, I know all about exercise and calorie counting. As I suspect most of us on here do – I am sick and tired of people saying “you need to do this…” or “It’s easy…” NO IT IS NOT EASY – I have tried every single so called ‘easy’ method of losing weight – they are all flipping difficult.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Which leads me to where I am today – ever since I bought those scales in 2007, I have been fighting to have WLS. A previous GP refused to put me forward for consideration even though my BMI was - at that time 73. He kept repeating that I wasn't old enough (I was 43); I wasn't fat enough (as I said, my BMI was 73); and I had no health conditions caused by my weight. I spent months banging my head against the proverbial brick wall.
In July 2099, I registered with a new GP. A month or so after the move I tore a muscle in my foot, went along to the docs and for some reason ended up crying at the poor woman and blurting everything out about wanting the band, my previous doc refusing, etc. She was stunned at his refusal and the reasons he had given for not putting me forward. She was also brilliant ... She said she had no problem recommending me, she would recommend me for WLS and as I had no co-morbidities, she would be pushing for this from the angle of preventative medicine (as in I need this BEFORE my weight begins to cause me problems). Anyway, I finally received an initial appointment with the consultant for the 10th December 2009, and spent the next couple of months worrying that the consultant would also turn me down.
All that worrying was a waste of time. On the day of the appointment, I arrived at the hospital (a 70 mile round trip from where we live), for a 9.00 a.m. appointment (after my husband took the day off so he could drive me and my son got a lot of flak from work after changing his shift to make sure he could take the little 'un to school. This was the best option as it takes just under 4 hours, and three buses to do the trip by public transport. Anyway, I didn’t get off to a good start. First, they'd sent the wrong directions, and I had to walk for ages to find the actual place which wasn’t even on the hospital grounds. Finally arrived where I was supposed to be, was weighed, had my height and blood pressure taken. Sat back in the waiting room for 20 minutes to be told that the consultant wouldn't actually be coming in that day, so I should go home and they'd send another appointment through for early the following year - aarrgghhhhhhh! I wouldn't have minded quite so much if they hadn't actually called me the day before to make sure I was going as (and I quote) "We like to call with reminders of appointment times as the consultant is far too busy to have his time wasted by people who either forget or simply don't show up!!"
A few days later, I got a letter with a replacement appointment for that very afternoon at 1.30. The letter arrived at 12.25 - it takes an hour to get to the hospital by car, except that I don't drive and DH is at work, and as I said earlier. Almost 4 hours by public transport, the next bus that I could catch wasn't until 2.05. So I called them to say there was no way I can get that day (due to short notice; lack of transport; lack of childcare; etc.). Only to be spoken to as if I was a small child wasting the doctors time. Apparently this was a replacement, one-off special clinic that the doc has put on for those he inconvenienced the previous week by not turning up and it was unfair of me not to go!!! The woman refused to make me another appointment there and then - but put me back on the waiting list saying that it could be another 3 or 4 months. I was absolutely fuming.
The following week, I received a telephone call, offering a cancellation appointment (to see a different Consultant - but who cares) on the 30th. I was so pleased that I wouldn't have to wait another 3 or 4 months for my first appointment. Off I went. [/FONT]
[FONT="]I returned from the appointment feeling very positive. The consultant I saw was lovely; he said that he was more than happy to apply for funding for me to have a gastric band. I was to go back to see him in April/May. Before then, I had to cut down on carbs to lose 7 - 8kg, attend a sleep clinic to check for sleep apnoea and to work on getting my fitness levels up by swimming. He said that all being well he thinks I should have the surgery in the latter half of 2010. I'd been keeping a food diary since October that year and he was very happy with what I eat (as in I don't eat takeaways, processed stuff, choc or sweets (due to nut allergy) - my 'problem' is carbs. I love bread, pasta etc. He did start talking about other options and before I knew what was happening I'd sort of taken over the conversation and told him everything I'd researched. He did say that he was a little stunned by my honesty (about eating habits, lack of exercise, etc.), but he was quite happy with what I'd shown him and apparently I clearly demonstrated that WLS is something I've spent a long time researching and I don't see it as an easy option. He did say that because of my size, the PCT are likely to recommend a bypass.
As a side note - both times I visited the clinic I was seen by different staff and none of them were what I would call 'normal', average or even slightly overweight. The receptionist (same one both times) was bigger than me; I saw three different nurses - ranging from about a size 24 upwards, even the doctor must have weighed about 17 stones - I just wondered if it was specific to this clinic, or if it was usual to see bigger people working in obesity clinics? I had conversations with two of the three nurses and they all made a point of telling me about their issues with their weight and how difficult they were finding it to lose any. Not sure if it is coincidental or if they get 'chosen' to do that particular job - either to make us lot feel better, or to make them lose weight (if that makes sense - I do tend to waffle lol).
Anyway - on with my ramble - after seeing the consultant on 30th December (remember this is still 2009) and was told that I would get an appointment for a blood test, one for for a sleep apnoea test and a call from some person who can help with 'offers' and things for exercise, as well as my next appointment to see the consultant for May to make sure I've lost my 5% - by which time all the other things should have been done and results in (as it were). Four weeks later I still hadn't heard a thing. So, once again I was chasing things up and I called them.
After leaving a number of messages asking for my calls to be returned, I finally managed to get hold of the consultant’s secretary - nothing had been done at all!!! She said (rather smugly) "oh well - you're not coming back until 5th May 2010, so there is plenty of time". To which I pointed out that there was a total of 14 weeks before my next appt. During which time they have to make the appointment’s for sleep apnoea test/clinic (arrange for me to have the equipment at home and do the tests), glucose tolerance tests, diabetes tests. I have to attend and then they have to get the results back to the consultant in time for 5th May.... this is the NHS, not well known for their speed. Allowing a week for her to make the initial contacts, a couple of week to go through various systems, another week or two to get the dates to me, with at least three weeks’ notice until any appointment (supposedly their current policy) and having already lost most of January - we were in line to lose February, and March. Thus leaving April (not mentioning Easter) to get things done and get the results to the consultant!! Her reply???? … A very nonchalant - "Oh that’s a point. Tell you what, why don't you arrange the glucose tolerance test at your GP surgery and I'll see what I can do about the other stuff" aarrgghhhh!!!
Then in February that year, I became very ill. I had developed Pancreatitis (caused by gallstones of which I had no symptoms), and Jaundice - for almost two years. Ended up in hospital for over a week, followed by 6 -8 weeks of recovery. I was ill for over two months. During my 'recovery' I had all the tests requested by the band consultant; glucose tolerance test (clear); sleep apnoea test (clear), etc., etc.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Once well, I had to have a MRI scan (to check for gallstones); luckily it was clear, but I have definitely got to have my gall bladder removed. I asked the doc dealing with the Pancreatitis and gall bladder stuff if it would be possible to have my gall bladder removed at the same time as having WLS - he flatly refused and said it isn't possible. Yet I knew of people who have had their gall bladder removed at the same time, so I didn't understand his remark. Surely it would be cheaper for the NHS to combine the two (they would be performed by the same blooming bloke anyway) and only one lot of 'recovery' to do. I contacted Bospa and the consultant for the WLS and both said that it shouldn’t be a problem having both done at the same time.
On top of all that, I received a copy of the original letter that the consultant sent to everyone after our meeting back in December 2009 and he had the wrong initial weight on it. He has me down as being 155kg (I was 165kg on the day). I was 155kg after the illness and dieting and was panicking in case he weighed me and says that I hadn't lost weight. I also learned that Cornwall PCT guidelines state that patients with a BMI over 50 should be put through for surgery with no need for all the dietician, etc., stuff. However, the consultant insisted that no-one was allowed to have the band unless they followed the procedure he outlined. So, I followed his 'instructions' to the letter.
I then discovered that three people within my acquaintance had already got their funding and dates. One person went for his initial appointment - did all the dietician, glucose tolerance tests etc., on the same day and his funding was applied for immediately - he was due to be banded a month later. A woman who had her initial appointment in March 2010 had her date for the op - April 2010 and another woman had her date - May 2010. What annoyed me is that they all weighed less than I did (in one of the women’s cases - significantly less) and have no co-morbidities (neither did I). They saw the same consultant (the one I should have seen originally) and he is following the NICE guidelines.
Being messed around continued for some time with consultants resigning and moving on, new consultants having to be appointed, my medical notes were lost, the NHS forget twice to send me appointments and every time I went back to see anyone, they changed the goal posts AGAIN. I complained to PALS, who were absolutely useless, I was told that I just had to wait, they were very busy!!! [/FONT]
[FONT="]Finally, I thought that I was getting somewhere. I had an appointment with the dietician in March 2011. She actually said that she thought they had messed me around enough and as I had met every criterion they set, she would be recommending that funding be applied for. I just needed to see (yet another newbie) the doc in May 2011, and she would accept the dietician’s recommendation and apply to the PCT and that’s it… supposedly.
Guess what - the appointment never came through. I repeatedly contacted the Hospital asking where my appointment was, to be told every single time that the waiting list for that particular doctor was very long and I wouldn't hear anything until at least November 2011 about an appointment. Finally, in November, my appointment arrived - for March 2012.
YEP it took over a year to get an appointment that should have been 6 weeks after my previous one. It had been a difficult year - I have been diagnosed as having arthritis, in my knees, one hip, shoulder neck and hands, this has taken hold very quickly. I have no cartilage in the left hand side of one knee and the natural process of cartilage replacement has stopped (I never even knew it existed). As a result, we were waiting for a move to a property suitable for someone with mobility issues as on bad days I struggle to get up and down stairs, etc. The house we finally moved into was disgusting, professional cleaners were sent in on the day it became empty, but even then it took us 8 months just to get rid of the smell and make it suitable to live in comfortably - we've moved into a village that doesn't have any gas in it, so accepted the cooker that was in the house (professionally valeted of course) however, it was a dud, we finished up living with a 2 ring hob and no oven from June to December. Consequently, I had managed to regain all the weight I had lost whilst jumping through all the NHS hoops.
Going for the appointment, I was panicking. I was expecting them to turn me away as I now weight only a couple of kilos short of what I did when this whole fiasco started in 2009. The doctor was lovely, she asked why I'd put the weight back on and I answered honestly, and said; "...eating all the wrong things due to not having a cooker for almost 8 months whilst saving to buy one." I really had, had enough of being passed from pillar to post and was prepared to be quite snotty with her - she was great. She actually apologised for giving me an appointment 12 months late and said that it was entirely her fault, if she had seen me last year, I would have been almost three stones lighter than I am now and would have now been post op. She has no problem putting in for funding. But warned that 'they' are likely to recommend the bypass due to my BMI. Needless to say - I cried lol -poor woman, I asked if I could hug her and she let me. I cannot believe that I am finally going to get some help with trying to get my weight down. Scared now - but should hear about a date within the next three months. FINALLY!!![/FONT]
[FONT="]This will be a very long first entry - I promise the following ones will be shorter lol.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]How did I get fat in the first place?[/FONT]
[FONT="]I spent my entire childhood being called fat and ugly – and that was just by my parents!! The trouble is that I believed them. I distinctly remember thinking “I don’t care if I’m fat, I may as well be fatter.” However, when I look back at the very few childhood pictures that exist of me – I definitely was not fat (nor ugly – if I’m honest lol). [/FONT]
[FONT="]However, I believe that it was this less than auspicious beginning that helped me to develop my relationship with food. My mother had a number of husbands (7 at last count). She used to feed each husband up; steak, roast dinners, etc. all served on a tray in the living room - whilst we (my brothers and sisters and I) were relegated to the kitchen and fed on toast, the occasional tinned spaghetti (one large can between 4 of us) and if we were really lucky – the occasional sausage. Her idea of a hot meal in winter or on cold days was a mug of Oxo with cream crackers in it – revolting. I cannot smell Oxo to this day without feeling sick. She would sit at night stuffing her face with biscuits, sweets etc., which we weren’t allowed as they were ‘hers’. Her belief was that we got a free school dinner (and in those days – a bottle of milk) so didn’t need much food at home. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The problem is that I was so hungry that I started taking advantage of those free school lunches and having seconds, even thirds as I knew we wouldn’t be fed at home. I will never forget the time someone at school challenged me to see how many pies I could eat in one sitting – even the kitchen staff participated – I ate 14 servings and became known as ‘Pie-girl’. I can honestly answer the question “Who ate all the pies?” with one simple word – ME!!! This sort of thing went on for years. Surprisingly, I didn’t put on any weight at school. I put this down to the fact that I used to play tennis, hockey, badminton for school as well as being in the swimming and ice skating teams. We had a three mile walk to school daily as we weren’t allowed bus fare (and obviously the same home). [/FONT]
[FONT="]My problems started once I left school, started to get my own money, had no walking to do, no sports and access to food shops - No more free school meals meant that I had my own food to buy, and boy, would I buy food. A visit to the chip shop generally meant two servings of pie chips and peas – with gravy of course. Breakfast would be a couple of bacon sandwiches from the local café – and that’s the way it went on. I would buy sweets to eat at night in bed (hiding them from my mother of course), I would stuff my face with crisps on the way home from the shops. I continued to stuff my face excessively. I met my husband when I was just turned 18 - a definite feeder (he still equates food and sweets with love, but I think I am finally getting him to understand) – someone who would willingly give me food – he would go to the chippy and quite happily bring me back two lots of fish chips and peas – which I would eat and then finish his left overs off. I really did not know when I was full - and I grew from there. [/FONT]
[FONT="]I weighed 10 ½ stones when we got married and I went up to around 18 stone by the time I was 28 and stayed there for many years whilst working as a youth worker, looking after the house and children, going to university etc. I finished the youth work in 2001 and had a desk job. By 2007 I had ballooned even further and having not been weighed for at least five years, I bought some scales - I was stunned, weighed 28 stones. [/FONT]
[FONT="]I have tried just about every diet I have ever heard of. Sometimes being quite successful, but I always out the weight back on – not just what I had lost, but more besides. Atkins; the grapefruit diet; the cabbage soup diet; hypnotherapy; weightwatchers; slimming world; an independent diet club; three different online diet clubs; Cambridge diet; the Kee diet; the milk diet; low carb; no carb; low fat; Susan Powter’s no fat diet; a local based NHS dietician (actually three times); Jenny Craig; Diet chef; lipotrim; special K diet; chicken soup diet; juice diets; fruit diets - and that’s only the ones I can remember. I’ve also had Orlistat – please don’t ask me about the time I was taking those tablets and was sat in a meeting with local MP’s and business managers and I had sudden stomach cramps, trying to extricate myself from the meeting, farting and erm – ‘following through - we shall not even go there.[/FONT]
[FONT="]In short, I have screwed my metabolism up. As I am sure many of us can also do - I can sit and lecture all day on what is ‘good’ for you and what’s not; what should and shouldn’t be eaten, I know all about exercise and calorie counting. As I suspect most of us on here do – I am sick and tired of people saying “you need to do this…” or “It’s easy…” NO IT IS NOT EASY – I have tried every single so called ‘easy’ method of losing weight – they are all flipping difficult.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Which leads me to where I am today – ever since I bought those scales in 2007, I have been fighting to have WLS. A previous GP refused to put me forward for consideration even though my BMI was - at that time 73. He kept repeating that I wasn't old enough (I was 43); I wasn't fat enough (as I said, my BMI was 73); and I had no health conditions caused by my weight. I spent months banging my head against the proverbial brick wall.
In July 2099, I registered with a new GP. A month or so after the move I tore a muscle in my foot, went along to the docs and for some reason ended up crying at the poor woman and blurting everything out about wanting the band, my previous doc refusing, etc. She was stunned at his refusal and the reasons he had given for not putting me forward. She was also brilliant ... She said she had no problem recommending me, she would recommend me for WLS and as I had no co-morbidities, she would be pushing for this from the angle of preventative medicine (as in I need this BEFORE my weight begins to cause me problems). Anyway, I finally received an initial appointment with the consultant for the 10th December 2009, and spent the next couple of months worrying that the consultant would also turn me down.
All that worrying was a waste of time. On the day of the appointment, I arrived at the hospital (a 70 mile round trip from where we live), for a 9.00 a.m. appointment (after my husband took the day off so he could drive me and my son got a lot of flak from work after changing his shift to make sure he could take the little 'un to school. This was the best option as it takes just under 4 hours, and three buses to do the trip by public transport. Anyway, I didn’t get off to a good start. First, they'd sent the wrong directions, and I had to walk for ages to find the actual place which wasn’t even on the hospital grounds. Finally arrived where I was supposed to be, was weighed, had my height and blood pressure taken. Sat back in the waiting room for 20 minutes to be told that the consultant wouldn't actually be coming in that day, so I should go home and they'd send another appointment through for early the following year - aarrgghhhhhhh! I wouldn't have minded quite so much if they hadn't actually called me the day before to make sure I was going as (and I quote) "We like to call with reminders of appointment times as the consultant is far too busy to have his time wasted by people who either forget or simply don't show up!!"
A few days later, I got a letter with a replacement appointment for that very afternoon at 1.30. The letter arrived at 12.25 - it takes an hour to get to the hospital by car, except that I don't drive and DH is at work, and as I said earlier. Almost 4 hours by public transport, the next bus that I could catch wasn't until 2.05. So I called them to say there was no way I can get that day (due to short notice; lack of transport; lack of childcare; etc.). Only to be spoken to as if I was a small child wasting the doctors time. Apparently this was a replacement, one-off special clinic that the doc has put on for those he inconvenienced the previous week by not turning up and it was unfair of me not to go!!! The woman refused to make me another appointment there and then - but put me back on the waiting list saying that it could be another 3 or 4 months. I was absolutely fuming.
The following week, I received a telephone call, offering a cancellation appointment (to see a different Consultant - but who cares) on the 30th. I was so pleased that I wouldn't have to wait another 3 or 4 months for my first appointment. Off I went. [/FONT]
[FONT="]I returned from the appointment feeling very positive. The consultant I saw was lovely; he said that he was more than happy to apply for funding for me to have a gastric band. I was to go back to see him in April/May. Before then, I had to cut down on carbs to lose 7 - 8kg, attend a sleep clinic to check for sleep apnoea and to work on getting my fitness levels up by swimming. He said that all being well he thinks I should have the surgery in the latter half of 2010. I'd been keeping a food diary since October that year and he was very happy with what I eat (as in I don't eat takeaways, processed stuff, choc or sweets (due to nut allergy) - my 'problem' is carbs. I love bread, pasta etc. He did start talking about other options and before I knew what was happening I'd sort of taken over the conversation and told him everything I'd researched. He did say that he was a little stunned by my honesty (about eating habits, lack of exercise, etc.), but he was quite happy with what I'd shown him and apparently I clearly demonstrated that WLS is something I've spent a long time researching and I don't see it as an easy option. He did say that because of my size, the PCT are likely to recommend a bypass.
As a side note - both times I visited the clinic I was seen by different staff and none of them were what I would call 'normal', average or even slightly overweight. The receptionist (same one both times) was bigger than me; I saw three different nurses - ranging from about a size 24 upwards, even the doctor must have weighed about 17 stones - I just wondered if it was specific to this clinic, or if it was usual to see bigger people working in obesity clinics? I had conversations with two of the three nurses and they all made a point of telling me about their issues with their weight and how difficult they were finding it to lose any. Not sure if it is coincidental or if they get 'chosen' to do that particular job - either to make us lot feel better, or to make them lose weight (if that makes sense - I do tend to waffle lol).
Anyway - on with my ramble - after seeing the consultant on 30th December (remember this is still 2009) and was told that I would get an appointment for a blood test, one for for a sleep apnoea test and a call from some person who can help with 'offers' and things for exercise, as well as my next appointment to see the consultant for May to make sure I've lost my 5% - by which time all the other things should have been done and results in (as it were). Four weeks later I still hadn't heard a thing. So, once again I was chasing things up and I called them.
After leaving a number of messages asking for my calls to be returned, I finally managed to get hold of the consultant’s secretary - nothing had been done at all!!! She said (rather smugly) "oh well - you're not coming back until 5th May 2010, so there is plenty of time". To which I pointed out that there was a total of 14 weeks before my next appt. During which time they have to make the appointment’s for sleep apnoea test/clinic (arrange for me to have the equipment at home and do the tests), glucose tolerance tests, diabetes tests. I have to attend and then they have to get the results back to the consultant in time for 5th May.... this is the NHS, not well known for their speed. Allowing a week for her to make the initial contacts, a couple of week to go through various systems, another week or two to get the dates to me, with at least three weeks’ notice until any appointment (supposedly their current policy) and having already lost most of January - we were in line to lose February, and March. Thus leaving April (not mentioning Easter) to get things done and get the results to the consultant!! Her reply???? … A very nonchalant - "Oh that’s a point. Tell you what, why don't you arrange the glucose tolerance test at your GP surgery and I'll see what I can do about the other stuff" aarrgghhhh!!!
Then in February that year, I became very ill. I had developed Pancreatitis (caused by gallstones of which I had no symptoms), and Jaundice - for almost two years. Ended up in hospital for over a week, followed by 6 -8 weeks of recovery. I was ill for over two months. During my 'recovery' I had all the tests requested by the band consultant; glucose tolerance test (clear); sleep apnoea test (clear), etc., etc.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Once well, I had to have a MRI scan (to check for gallstones); luckily it was clear, but I have definitely got to have my gall bladder removed. I asked the doc dealing with the Pancreatitis and gall bladder stuff if it would be possible to have my gall bladder removed at the same time as having WLS - he flatly refused and said it isn't possible. Yet I knew of people who have had their gall bladder removed at the same time, so I didn't understand his remark. Surely it would be cheaper for the NHS to combine the two (they would be performed by the same blooming bloke anyway) and only one lot of 'recovery' to do. I contacted Bospa and the consultant for the WLS and both said that it shouldn’t be a problem having both done at the same time.
On top of all that, I received a copy of the original letter that the consultant sent to everyone after our meeting back in December 2009 and he had the wrong initial weight on it. He has me down as being 155kg (I was 165kg on the day). I was 155kg after the illness and dieting and was panicking in case he weighed me and says that I hadn't lost weight. I also learned that Cornwall PCT guidelines state that patients with a BMI over 50 should be put through for surgery with no need for all the dietician, etc., stuff. However, the consultant insisted that no-one was allowed to have the band unless they followed the procedure he outlined. So, I followed his 'instructions' to the letter.
I then discovered that three people within my acquaintance had already got their funding and dates. One person went for his initial appointment - did all the dietician, glucose tolerance tests etc., on the same day and his funding was applied for immediately - he was due to be banded a month later. A woman who had her initial appointment in March 2010 had her date for the op - April 2010 and another woman had her date - May 2010. What annoyed me is that they all weighed less than I did (in one of the women’s cases - significantly less) and have no co-morbidities (neither did I). They saw the same consultant (the one I should have seen originally) and he is following the NICE guidelines.
Being messed around continued for some time with consultants resigning and moving on, new consultants having to be appointed, my medical notes were lost, the NHS forget twice to send me appointments and every time I went back to see anyone, they changed the goal posts AGAIN. I complained to PALS, who were absolutely useless, I was told that I just had to wait, they were very busy!!! [/FONT]
[FONT="]Finally, I thought that I was getting somewhere. I had an appointment with the dietician in March 2011. She actually said that she thought they had messed me around enough and as I had met every criterion they set, she would be recommending that funding be applied for. I just needed to see (yet another newbie) the doc in May 2011, and she would accept the dietician’s recommendation and apply to the PCT and that’s it… supposedly.
Guess what - the appointment never came through. I repeatedly contacted the Hospital asking where my appointment was, to be told every single time that the waiting list for that particular doctor was very long and I wouldn't hear anything until at least November 2011 about an appointment. Finally, in November, my appointment arrived - for March 2012.
YEP it took over a year to get an appointment that should have been 6 weeks after my previous one. It had been a difficult year - I have been diagnosed as having arthritis, in my knees, one hip, shoulder neck and hands, this has taken hold very quickly. I have no cartilage in the left hand side of one knee and the natural process of cartilage replacement has stopped (I never even knew it existed). As a result, we were waiting for a move to a property suitable for someone with mobility issues as on bad days I struggle to get up and down stairs, etc. The house we finally moved into was disgusting, professional cleaners were sent in on the day it became empty, but even then it took us 8 months just to get rid of the smell and make it suitable to live in comfortably - we've moved into a village that doesn't have any gas in it, so accepted the cooker that was in the house (professionally valeted of course) however, it was a dud, we finished up living with a 2 ring hob and no oven from June to December. Consequently, I had managed to regain all the weight I had lost whilst jumping through all the NHS hoops.
Going for the appointment, I was panicking. I was expecting them to turn me away as I now weight only a couple of kilos short of what I did when this whole fiasco started in 2009. The doctor was lovely, she asked why I'd put the weight back on and I answered honestly, and said; "...eating all the wrong things due to not having a cooker for almost 8 months whilst saving to buy one." I really had, had enough of being passed from pillar to post and was prepared to be quite snotty with her - she was great. She actually apologised for giving me an appointment 12 months late and said that it was entirely her fault, if she had seen me last year, I would have been almost three stones lighter than I am now and would have now been post op. She has no problem putting in for funding. But warned that 'they' are likely to recommend the bypass due to my BMI. Needless to say - I cried lol -poor woman, I asked if I could hug her and she let me. I cannot believe that I am finally going to get some help with trying to get my weight down. Scared now - but should hear about a date within the next three months. FINALLY!!![/FONT]
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