no more gastric surgery

[cherylxx]

hi everyone,
i cant believe it, im furious.
i was referred to the weight management team on 24th april and hadnt heard a thing from them and so i mentioned it to the doctor for the 3rd time this week. (she had already chased it up twice to no avail).
when i saw her this week i was hit with the worst thing she could have said......
she said that our pct (actually she said the nhs in general but i assume she meant stockport PCT) are no longer funding any more gastric surgery (neither band, sleeve or bypass).
the excuse she had heard was due to the long term effects of gastric surgery not yet being fully understood and that they had already decided a figure they were going to operate on and had now met the quota.she said she has referred a good few patients and they have all been told that surgery is not an option anymore.
im furious, im sitting here crying my eyes out. im confused and i feel like i have just missed the last train out of obesity.
there is no way on this earth i can afford to go private, omg, i feel so downhearted im sure i must be rambling but i need to get this off my chest before i blow.
why have i not heard this anywhere else? was my doctor just full of sh*t? does she just NOT want me to have the surgery and if so why? why refer me if she is against the idea?
i am having a wheelchair delivered this week due to crippling osteo arthritis in knees, hips and wrists and i know all too well that my weight is having a huge impact on the pain. im in pain around the clock and am barely sleeping as a result. my blood pressure is on the high side of normal and i have pressure related reflux due to my weight. my doctor knows all of this and has constantly been mentioning how much this will improve once i have the surgery and lose some weight.
i dont know what to believe right now.
i just know i feel like it is now official that i will indeed be horribly fat for the rest of my life. :cry:
sorry to go on so much everyone.

 

[Fashionably Late]

OMG! I had not heard anything like this. Have you phoned your PCT to verify what your GP told you?

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

hi cheryl thats terrible news, ring your local pct and find out for sure if what the gp has said is true x

 

[Bonita]

Awwwe Cheryl thats horrible news for you. I would ring your PCT just to make sure its right though.

My own doctor told me a couple of weeks ago that our PCT is about to go bust and is hundreds of thousands in debt and also thinking about capping their gastric surgery output. I spoke at length with both Mr Khan and our bariatric nurse Anna during my recent visit to hospital and they said the exact opposite, that their funding is being increased so that they can do more laparoscopy patients (at the moment most are done open) and more funding is being put in place for follow up cosmetic surgery.

Check with your PCT hun.

 

[thinkbethin]

Cheryl I feel mad for you too. What a performance! Building someones hopes up like that only to drop this bombshell is appauling. Get on to your PCT yourself and find out whats going off.Surely they can't just cancel all surgery like that.There will be people on a list waiting for their op so they can't just turn round and say fk you we're not doing any more. Gat chasing Cheryl and kick ass if you have to.
Good luck xxGaynorxx

 

[cherylxx]

thanks for the replies girls.
just knowing someone cares helps so much as my family dont seem to realise how important this is to me.
tried ringing my pct today but couldnt get through (typical) so will be trying again on monday.
in the meantime i will just put on a fake smile and pretend i feel fine :sigh:

 

[margaretmc]

Hi Cheryl
That is awful I hope to god its not right . I know that its been stopped in N.Ireland from last year no more new referrals for surgery . Good luck .
Margaret xx

 

[Snowcrystal]

I'm sure I posted on this thread earlier but cannot see it......Hmmmm!

Anyway Cheryl just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear this...I hope you are going to keep fighting...I know it's draining, but don't give up.

Good luck

~hugs~

 

[ditsy_dame]

Cheryl I'm so sorry. Of course you're devastated, what a horrible thing to happen. I agree that it's good advice to check with your pct. If you're in so much pain from arthritis, surely you deserve an appeal at least for the surgery?
I hope something works out for you.

 

[dreamofbeingslim]

(((hugs))) I really feel for you. Please keep on at until you get through to your PCT so they can give you the answers you deserve. Good luck.

 

[zetacatty]

What about going on next years list???? They didn't say that they had scrapped all bypasses. I really hope something is sorted out for you. I'm so sorry. Zxx