Who Should Do My Surgery?

Weight loss surgery is highly in demand and steadily increasing, which is making this kind of surgery a real money maker.

There are lots of companies and surgeons now providing obesity surgery such as:

Streamline Surgical

Spire

Weightloss Surgery Group

The Hospital Group

Healthierweight

Cosmetic Bliss

Surgicare

Prices vary so really do shop around and also google any providers you are interested in going with.  The best kinds of reviews however, are by people who are active on forums.  Nothing like real time and up to date information!  Research your surgeon too!!  One surgeon could be working for up to 3 different providers who's cost will vary!

Back in September, i came across a company called Cosmetic Bliss.  I had read many favourable posts and feedback from people who had used this provider.  I tried hard to find any negative feedback or reviews, but amazingly i couldnt find any!  I came to the conclusion either those paitients who had bad experiences had died because of them, so therefore unable to provide reviews on forums, or that people were genuinley satisifed!

Now i knew i was definately going to have the surgery, i went through a period where i was scared, i mean heart palpatating fear.  Ive never had an operation before and it was a breathtakingly frightening concept.

Research and fat forums have become my obsession -  i wanted (and still do!) as much information as possible.  I was reading articles, reviews, researching and visiting forums on a daily basis.

It took from September to January to finally decide that Cosmetic Bliss were the company for me.  I had been speaking to, and still am speaking to, a girl who had undergone her surgery with them in October 2010.  She could only say positive things and i jut got to the point where i was like, its now or never!  So i sent my deposit off...there was no turning back

What Kind of Weight Loss Surgery?

It all started by googling 'gastric band'.  Afer reading press stories on celebraties such as Fern Britton, it gave me hope that there was something 'out there' that could actually work.

I joined a few fat forums that i came across, and ill be honest, the wealth of information from these groups is invaluable!  Anyhoo, whilst browsing these forums i came to realise that there were actually other weight loss surgery options.

Gastric Band

The gastric band is placed around the top of the stomach.  In essence it acts like a funnel.  Your new smaller upper stomach pouch is about the size of a golf ball, with the larger part of the stomach sitting below the gastric band.  This means that the pouch above the gastric band can only store a small amount of food, which then passes through the gastric band into the lower part of the stomach.  The gastric band controls the flow rate of food from the upper to the lower part of the stomach.  The drier the texture of food, the slower it will pass through the passage created by the gastric band.  After the band is fitted, paitients are required to have incrimental fills of saline to expand their band (much like an inflatable rubber ring) which reduces the amount of food that passes through the pouch via a port which is attached to the muscle lining.  Paitients may also require de-fills if the band is too tight.  This option can require alot of aftercare. 

Weightloss is achieved by smaller portions being consumed, taking longer to digest,  and the paitient feeling fuller quicker.

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (aka Gastric Sleeve)

Rather than creating a pouch with a band, the gastric sleeve actually resects or removes the majority of the stomach. The portion of the stomach which is removed is responsible for secreting Ghrelin, which is a hormone that is responsible for appetite and hunger. By removing this portion of the stomach rather than leaving it in-place, the level of Ghrelin may be reduced to near zero, actually causing loss of or a reduction in appetite. 

Weightloss is acheived by reduced stomach volume, and smaller portions being consumed.

Gastric Bypass (aka RNY)

The Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass involves the stapling of a small section at the top of the stomach to create a small pouch, similar in size to the one formed by the gastric band. The first section of the small intestine is then bypassed and the intestines re-attached to the new pouch, allowing the stomach contents to empty directly into it.  Paitients will require vitamins for life, and most will require regular B12 injections.

Weightloss is achieved by redcued stomach volume with less absorption (absorbing less calories and fewer nutrients).

I felt the gastric band was too faffy.  I didnt like the idea of having to have 'fills' and 'de-fills'.  Also the thought of a plastic port poking through my tummy didnt appeal.  I also later learnt that a band is not for life, they can errode and slip, which would require a further operation - frankly my purse could not deal with this!

I liked the idea of the sleeve.  One op and then im done for life - no faffing. 

I wasnt keen on the bypass as i was worried about the malabsorption aswell as the complication of the actual surgery.  Taking pills for the rest of my life didnt appeal either. 

My decision was made, i wanted a sleeve!

The Tipping Point

In Febuary 2010 i went to my GP to get my combined pill as usual.  He told me that as i weighed *bleep* i could no longer take the pill as it put me at risk of a stroke and heart attacks.  Honestly, i think this was one of the lowest blows ive dealt with -  i dont know why it bothered me so much but i sobbed and begged for my mini pill but my GP wouldn't budge.  So i went home with a prescription for the mini pill in my hand and tears streaming down my mascara smudged face.

In April 2010 i went back to the GP to renew the mini pill.  I had tried to loose a bit of weight during this time to see if i could go back on the combined pill, but it wasnt enough.  My GP, could see i was still upset and suggested that he could refer me for a gastric band.  Gastric Band?!! Jesus wept!  I was so offended and told him i could do this myself, and that i didnt need surgery to loose weight.  I practically told him to kiss my fat ass as i walked out of surgery.

By August 2010, reality slapped me round the face like a cold kipper.  I couldnt do this alone.  I sheepishly went back to see my GP, tail between my legs, eating humble pie (mmm pie) and asked him to please refer me.  It was during this time i started researching the gastric band....

The first hoop was to prove id tried dieting before, luckily the GP had prescribed me stuff in the past (Orlistat and some other foul type of medication).  All that was left was to attend a 6 month weight loss management group at my local hospital - joy.

I met with the Dietician in September.  I was really nervous and not looking forward to some (undoubtedly) skinny wench telling me i needed to loose weight (duh) and excercise.   I was pleasantly suprised to find a sympathetic skinny wench.  She went over my eating habbits, diets, excercise regime and i was honest and open.  She told me that the only way to loose as much weight as i wanted to loose, and to keep it off was surgery.  I was pretty gobsmacked!  She said that although i was obese overweight, i was very healthy.  And this meant that more than likely, funding by the NHS would be refused. 

I spoke to my local PCT (Primary Care Trust) about funding for a gastric band.  They simply told me that unless i had other serious illnesses, there would be no funding for weight loss surgery for someone in my situation.  Oh..so i must be get worse to get help?  What kind of help is that???  It's like telling a smack head that yes, you are addcited to drugs but until you slip into a coma, im afraid the NHS cant help you.  After my phonecall to the PCT i was really pissed off.  Having worked all my adult life and paying my regular national insurance payments (i add here that ive not used NHS resources prior to this) why wasnt i allowed the help i was asking for??  What they were pretty much saying was

a) put on much weight and then we'll help you, or
b) develop type II diabetes

Great choice there...

At this point i started to look into private surgery

How I Arrived Here

Firstly i apologise for the ginourmous first post!  And well done if you manage to stick with it!

I think the last time my weight was appropriate for my height was when i was about 12.  Since then my weight has steadily been on the increase, unlike my salary.

I think my biggest problem is that i really love the taste of food.  Im my family, food is the epicentre of the universe - we laugh, cry, mourn, debate, argue and talk whilst eating.  As ive grown older, food has remained a focus of the typical social gathering.  I eat for every occasion, im really not fussy.  Happy?  Then i shall eat!  Sad?  Then i shall eat something particualrly calorific.  Depressed?  I will eat more crap.  Bored?  I'll pick and eat stuff.  See where i am going with this?

Throughout my teens, i tried to spend as little time as possible at home.  So most of my dinners were of the take away variety, which suited me just fine.  By the time i got into my 20's i was very overweight.  I knew it, and i felt ashamed that it seemed only me that had put on so much weight, whilst the rest of my friends had remained stick insects.  Herein started the eat/diet/purge/guilt cycle.  I'd eat, feel bad and diet for a few weeks, then cave in, then feel bad for being so weak, then id eat again etc 

Its also dawned on me recently, that i have used my fat suit as a test for the men of the world.  I wanted someone to see beyond the fat, and love the woman inside.  Well men out there...you failed!  Which unfortunately leaves me stuck with this fat suit.