UK Surgery or Abroad because its cheaper ? - My experience

[bignik 0]

Ive posted this topic as it was a very valid point I had to consider prior to my get my band fitted , Get fitted in UK or abroad in Belgium as was the cheaper option. UK Price £7000 , Belgium £4,100 ( 4,500 Euros ) , obviously for belgium trip travel expenses and hotel expenses post op for a few days extra costs.

Now I struggled with this for a while , what if this what if that , the clinic and consultant both been very highly rated , but finally I decided with the UK option and pay the extra , it included 1 year after care , as many consults , monthly dietician and free fills throughout the year to get me started. Still a little much but I finally decided nope Local is best.

Now .. ok Im sure your thinking to yourself , we all think this , so I will leave my experience with you.

25th March , first band fitted , everything fine for two days , everyone great at hospital etc, surgeon consultant great , I was exstatic thats me on the way ....

26th March , get home ......

27th March ... My wife picks up my meds I left hospital with , and says ( because I know tablets an issue , so had been breaking them down ) , these decoflanac tablets Nick it says you have not to break up , they must be taken whole, oh I said so thought well the pharmacy would not have gave me them if I m not supposed to take them I thought , pops one in .... oh no ... dear I choked ... choked again ... the damn pill had gotten stuck ... I wretched , and wretched and was violently sick all night .. oh a terrible state I was in , called my consultant next day , come straight in he says , Saturday straight in , and he checked me immediately. He felt perhaps the little fill to prime the band was problem , drained that , and that possible my stomach where pill had gotten stuck perhaps inflammed, but I tried to drink some Water as he refused to leave it was until it was cleared Fluid was staying down , and I wasnt being sick .. previously being sick immediately after drinking anything prior , it staying down 30 mins all appeared ok and we were both convinced it had sorted.

So went home in car with wife , 30 mins later , up it all comes , I try to drink , up it comes again , I reassure my self its still possible inflamation thats causing the blockage and decide stay with it a couple of days .. by Monday I was readmitted by the Consultant as he was concerned my dehydrating in addition to the problems ...

Mon 30th , readmitted , a series of x rays carried out , this horrible aniseed tasting stuff , Bariaum Meal whatever so he could track where fluid going , X ray showed above the band the pouch as if it had expanded 4/5 times its size , but the fluid I was drinking some was getting into lower part of my stomach. So still on the its inflamation of the stomach at the band , he then decided back to theatre to carry out an endoscope ( camera down the throat and into the stomach )

Tues 31st - Endoscope , goes down , he could see a little inflamation but the camera had passed thro the band , and he still couldnt understand as to why I couldnt drink anything or what I did drink immediately came back up , so he decided sorry NicK we have got to open you back up again , and look back in side and get to the bottom of this, yes I agreed as for me to be honest I am seriously thinking oh Ive had enough of this , rip the damn thing out of me, but consultant reassuring me to hang in there we would get to the bottom of it ..

Weds 1st - Back to Theatre , opens me up , turns out part of my lower stomach , had managed to get back up through the band , twisted itself , he believes this had possibly happened due to my wretching so bad and being so violently sick all night initially when the tablet got stuck , so he straightened everything back up , done some extra stitch work to the band to stomach to ensure no further problems , apparently he said I had an extremely mobile stomach .. ie moves a lot ... but anyway by 5pm Im awake , Im sipping fluids .. and finally Im happy .....

Thursday 2nd - Im back home and everything fine.

Now the moral of my story , my lasting thoughts ...

Had I gone to Belgium and flew back 2 days later and this happend .. what would have I done ????

Would I have managed in agony to get back onto a plane , to go to Belgium ? Would I have had to wait ? Would I have had to go to A & E local hospital ? On the cheaper option ie Belgium at 4500 euros , would I have to pay for all the remedial surgery that was required in my instance , nearly another week in Hotel , well if Belgium it would have had to be in hospital still so definate charges there ...

Think about it long and hard as to where you have it carried out , yes Im sure not everyones experience was not like mine , but I didnt think it would be mine either a few weeks ago .

I had to share this , I didnt mean to go on either or make dramatic , of which the experience was for me , remember it is your health and make sure you cover all aspects of having it done good or bad.

Finally , I do want to say and appreciate I was just unlucky, one of the statistics, The staff and care I recieved in UK was excellent. The consultant superb ... and finally well Im here and finally a bandster , so managed to get there in the end.

apologies if gone on a little too long type as I talk LOL kind of .... Nick:thumbup:

[debbie_7155 0]

Hi Nick,

so glad everything is ok with you now, sorry you went through a rough ordeal,

did you try for the operation on the NHS?, where in the UK do you live?

I got told the only tablets i was allowed to swallow were very tiny ones, docs tell people diff things all the time...

glad your a bandster & hopefully you can put this experience you had behind you & look forward to the new you as you lose the weight

good luck nick :scared2:

[JayTee562 1]

Nick, Glad that things are getting better for you WOW what a bad first week. I lived in the UK many years ago, Suffolk County, so when I picture going to Belgium I imagine an over night ferry ride from Fliexstow to Zebrugge....how horrible that would have been. Good argument on choosing local Dr.

[bignik 0]

Hi Debbie,

Just outside Glasgow , Scotland .

NHS no one intrerested , despite constantly being reminded everytime you meet with any of them , diabates , heart attack , blood pressure ... blah blah blah ......GP was against it , my Dietician at Hospital was against it , always saying you dont need it , yet Ive been fighting my weight most my adult life , depsite being at heaviest in excess of 20 stone , Im kinda chunky all over LOL , even when in Hospital getting the band fitted the nurses chatting , ooh you dont look like you need this .. but at my weight a couple of months ago , my BMI was in excess of 40 , ie morbidly obese , like you say they chop and change like the wind the medical profession at times.

Anyway what did bring it on and my decison to finally go with it privately , I have also been having problems with back , to extent last year I was flat on back for three months , I have compression and protruding discs , the specialists will not operate and fix due to my weight, they even feel if I lose 5/6 stone the problem will become manageable , the pain will ease and I will regain full use of my leg again if I get weight down. Im relatively young only 43 , still 2 very young kids and well it wasnt a really hard decision , it was get the weight down at whatever cost .. the back problem is degenrative and will get worse but neuro specialist says , the lighter I am and get my body down to , the less wear and basically the longer I put off the situation worsening to the extent I have very serious problems. Even getting the weight down and still have problems later , they will if I wish operate to try and fix ... its not a easy fix answer so my last resort .. the weight loss best option I felt to attack and conquer first.

oops forgot , yeah the tablets , no I was aware re size , I had even read it in my research , just simply on the packet it saying do not break up, I coonvinced myself ah well must be ok , in hindsight what I should have done was not take any , and called the consultant next day and queried, but at times one just doesnt think right do they LOL .. ( LOL laughing now wasnt last week :scared2: )

and Hi JayTee , You left our great Nation ???? ...........

Lucky You :thumbup: , just seems to be going downhill these days , get the weight down , retire and find meself somewhere sunny I think .. so I can bask in the sun with my new manly body ...

[JayTee562 1]

and Hi JayTee :welldoneclap: , You left our great Nation ???? ...........

Yes I had to leave I'm a Yank and was stationed there in the mid 80's just north of Ipswich. I loved your country particulary liked going to London on weekends. I watch a lot of BBC America and see how much has changed since I lived there. I'd love to go back a visit one day.