Whoooooooosh

Hi Jenny I went to my doc only last week & just told her straight, I wanted referring for gastric banding, or at the very least considering for it. Because of my weight & height my BMI is 40.5 & this puts me in the 'morbidly obese' range. I also have diabetes & had a heart attack 2 years ago, when I was 38 years old. I don't actually have high BP but I'm on medication to prevent that anyway. A lot of sites/info leaflets refer to other conditions that cause a serious health risk as 'co-morbidities'. I found the NHS Direct website really informative, especially as I didn't find this forum until after my referral. Here's the link NHS Direct. This quote from their site may help you work out if you think you would qualify for the operation on the NHS:- What is gastric banding? Gastric banding is a surgical procedure that involves fitting a band around the upper part of your stomach. It is usually only recommended as a last resort for people who are morbidly obese (those with a BMI of over 40), or those with a BMI of between 30-40 who also have a condition that poses a serious health risk, such as diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), or heartdisease. I calculated your BMI using the calculator on the NHS Direct website & it comes out with the following results:- Your BMI is 39.15 If your BMI is between 30 and 39.9 you're obese. This means you're well over the ideal weight for your height. This could cause serious health problems and affect your life expectancy. Both myself & a friend in Scotland have come across issues about being accepted by certain hospitals though. In her area there is absolutely no NHS funding for this type of surgery. For myself I could be referred to Sheffield or Derby, however we found that Sheffield have upped their referral criteria & you now have to have either a BMI of over 50, or over 45 with co-morbidities. Unfortunately it seems to be a bit of a 'postcode lottery' :sad: I would just be straight with your doc Jenny. He/She will know a lot about your weight history anyway, mine also went through my weight loss attempts with me, what I'd tried in the way of slimming clubs, DIY, slimming tablets etc & exercise regimes. The referral forms required all this information too. I'll look forward to hearing how you got on - good luck xxx

Sorry for delay in reply Ann, I've been away to not-so-sunny Cleethorpes for the weekend. Congratulations on the weight loss so far, that's absolutely brilliant :sad: Are you finding the liquid diet hard to stick to & are you feeling hungry at all? I'm also curious about how ppl cope with the 2 weeks liquid diet before the op too - or does motivation alone make you feel full? lol

I have filled up with tears more times reading all your wonderful messages of support & encouragement to Gail. I went to see my GP asking for banding today & was lucky enough to get a referral straight away - no pleading or begging. I'm 40 years old & 2 years ago I had a heart attack - wow that was a shock !! I stopped smoking instantly & due to that plus angina I put 3 stone on & I was already overweight enough :biggrin: My heart was stented in the November & I've not looked back since, but I can't shift the weight & I was reading so many of your messages & thinking "That's me !! I have that !! OMG that's me too !!" I loved Dan's post about what it's like to eat afterwards too, that's what I need to read more information on, so that's what I'm searching for next. Gail, you're gonna be fine !!!!! I can't wait to see your stats when the weight starts dropping off you :frown:

That's excellent news :biggrin: I had a look at your blog earlier, you look so great on your most recent pic. You can see the weight loss on all of em so clearly though. I can't wait till I am doing the same !!!! I went to Portland School btw, left in 1984, before your time there I am sure.

Your story was so interesting to read Ann. I've been referred to Derby today by my GP. How long did it take till you heard something after your first referral? How are you feeling this week too?

Hi all :teeth_smile: I've read this thread with such interest as I too am being referred to Doncaster today by my GP. I'm from Worksop, so nearest hossie to me should ideally be Sheffield, but for the moment Sheff have tightened their criteria & although I've had a heart attack at 38 years old & am diabetic, they require me to have a BMI of 45 or above. Mine is currently 40.5. I've particularly enjoyed reading Steve's story. How did your second op go Steve?