Have my first appointment with surgeon 6th June, what should I expet?

Thread Starter  

Hiya guys been hanging around on here for quite some time now reading and researching,thought i'd say Hi to the UK group....
I have an appointment on 3rd June to see a surgeon on NHS.
Was wondering if any of you guys know what I should expect at the appointment?

Are you seeing a surgeon, or are you seeing another member of the obesity management team?
Also knowing what the aim of the initial appointment is, and where you are on your battle with obesity?

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Thread Starter  

Hi, to be honest I am not exactly sure, I'm just guessing it is the actual Surgeon I will be seeing.
My Doc said he would refer me and to expect an appointment within 6 weeks, that was the begining of March, my appointment is for june 3rd at the upper gastrointestinal specialist department at my local hospital.
I have been dieting since I was 14 yrs old, yoyo dieting for 10 yrs, and erratically loosing and gaining weight the past 4 years .
I have PCO, borderline diabetic with type 1 in family + evry member of my immediate family are over 16 stone, and have depression due to my body image and state of health, resulting in overeating.
I have had 3 diff types of prescripion diet pills over the years, Addifax, Orlistat, Reductil, the latter being for over a yr, with no real effect.
I finished those in March apparently the side effects are too bad if they don't work properly for you, so I have been taken off them.
My Doc suggested surgery to me not the other way round.
I understand that until I get the go ahead from the right people, I'm not to get my hopes up, fingers crossed.
Cheers, H x

OK, it sounds like you're seeing the surgeon.
You need to ask about the different types of surgery available, what the relative advantages and disadvantages of each is.
You should have a list of questions with you, like what life will be like after surgery, what sort of pre/post op diet they would like you to follow. How long will you need off work.
How many times has the surgeon, done the surgery. Are there any support groups where you can speak to other patients who have had the procedure?
This isn't an exhaustive list and you may not want to know everything that I've listed. They're just some suggestions on what might be useful to know.
Hope it helps a bit.
Hx

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Hi, my 1st appointment with my NHS surgeon, he said to me that he wanted to see that i could commit to weight loss for so long, as the band is a life long commitment. Id previously been on all the weight loss pills and he re prescribed me xenical, gave me 3 months to lose what i could, he said if i show commitment with it he would put me on his waiting list after that, then if hes happy with the weight loss, the approximate waiting time from that point is around 6 months. Hope that is some help to you.
Liz xxxxxxxx

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DOB 29 JULY 1974
LOCATION UK ENGLAND
BANDED ON 22ND MARCH O5
NHS FUNDED
START WEIGHT 19STONES 2POUND
WEIGHT NOW 12STONES 5 POUND

Thread Starter  

Hi there Sugarplum,
Thanks for that, someone else said exactly the same to me.
Well... if they do send me away with more pills then reluctantly I will try again, afterall surgery is a last result and specialists wouldn't be doing their job properly if they offered surgery so easily.
You look fantastic by the way,
H x

Thread Starter  

Thanks anon, good advice.
I read that before on one of the posts on here, I took mental notes at the time, and will defo compile a list of things to ask closer to the time.
I was told by my GP the surgeon didn't like doing banding because he deems it unsuccessful compared to other forms of WLS.
So I reckon that meeting will be fun.

How you feeling by the way?


H x
Funny we both sign our names the same