bariatric surgery

Hi All, I’m 5ft 7 and nearly 18 stone, I suffer from chronic pain in my joints knees, hip and feet etc including Arthritis in my knees i also have other health/mental problems . My specialist said I need knee replacements but won’t do there because he said I’m to young (47). But said losing weight will help and has ask my GP to refer me for bariatric surgery . I have my appointment in a few weeks. However, I’ve read Bariatric is only usually given to people that are morbidly obese. I was wondering if anyone on here had Bariatric surgery that wasn’t morbidly obese, but had it done for another health reasons?

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Welcome back, Newme2017

I'm not sure why you're GP has referred you for bariatric surgery, as losing 7st would put you well within your healthy BMI range. I lost that amount in 15 months, without having to go under the knife and without the possible post-op complications.

Have a look at these, for an alternative way of eating, that's also anti-inflammatory. I have osteoarthritis and found it to be hugely beneficial, long before I'd lost all the weight. healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... and phcuk.org/wp-content/upload...

As a reminder, Follow this link to our chat thread and a list of all the activities we run. We've found active participation to be key to success, especially with our weigh-ins and Daily Diary.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

To make navigating the forum easier, we've put all the information you'll need in a newbie pack and here's the link

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Please take the time to read it carefully, so that you're able to enjoy everything that we have on offer.

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Wishing you all the best

[IndigoBlue61]

I don’t have any experience of bariatric surgery but I do have arthritis, and had to lose weight for orthopaedic surgery. Could you use the pain and discomfort as your focus? For myself, the wish to be fit and pain free was stronger than the desire for the tempting food.

Also, losing small amounts will help (I was advised to aim for 5% loss initially) Breaking the weight loss down into manageable chunks was very helpful.👍

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

Nobody needs bariatric surgery. It's just doctors wheeling out their favourite sledgehammer to crack a nut-sized problem. Apart from any other considerations, it simply doesn't work (don't take my word for that - check the research). The reason it doesn't work is that it's based on a flawed understanding of what causes obesity.

Read and absorb the PHCUK link that moreless has given you. Obesity boils down to eating the wrong things, and as soon as you start eating the right things, your body will start to fix itself.

You can do this. Weight loss doesn't have to involve pain, willpower, or surgery.

[Hidden in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Following you

[2718281]

Hi NewMe2018

I know people who have had bariatric surgery. I'm not sure if they were obese or morbid obese. Their doctors recommended it after years of trying other ways (one friend) and because of other complications (heart issues, other friend). They have been successful, but it's been really hard, harder than it's been for me (I've lost over 60 kgs in the last 18m months without surgery). It's been really hard because they had to follow a very specific diet, with many restrictions, and psychologically that meant that they felt different in social situations, leading to depression, and when they slip, it's not only frustrating, it also comes with pain and other unwanted secondary effects.

I don't want to discourage you and I believe that the surgery is the best way in certain circumstances, but I also think it's a bit extreme, and it's really hard to lose weight anyway, so you should try other things before you try it, if that's possible.

[Cosmo501 Restart May 2024]

Hi Newme2017, sorry, I can't give you any advice about the surgery, but just thought I could give you some encouragement regarding the posts above from moreless, TheAwfulToad, and IndigoBlue.

They all advised me with the same information when I came to this website in March/April. I'm the same age and height as you, and was 17 stone. By changing the types of foods I eat, have lost 3.6 stones really very comfortably since February. I've also lost the pain in my foot, and other random health issues have cleared up. It has not been a difficult process.

I really hope you're able to have a read through all the info above and give it a go. I just cannot describe how much it has turned my life and my health around.

Good luck. Wishing you well.

[Purplesunshine78]

Hi Newme2017

I thought I would give you a different take to the others. My GP has referred me to the weight management service at the hospital. I wasn’t referred for bariactric surgery but for help in loosing weight. I’ve only just started but it is the same course if you do end up with surgery. It’s a 12 month program. To hAve surgery you have to loose 10%weight and show you can eat small portions as that would be your future. So you don’t have to have surgery at the end if you do really well. Hope that helps.

[Hidden]

Thanks everyone for your advice and comments. I personally don’t believe I qualify for weight loss surgery. I feel the specialists only suggested it to further avoid giving me knee replacements. I went to him for a second opinion because a previous specialist at first said I was to young, then sent me for a scan, after looking at the scan in front of me said “ oh dear, your knees are pretty bad, you need the knee replacements sooner rather than later. Then he changed his mind and recommenced a guided injection. But what was interesting one of his colleagues in the same hospital saw me to arrange the guided injections appointment, she looked a my scan, then said the guided injection is a waste of time, that it’s just prolonging what I need which is knee replacements and put me back in the waiting area so she could speak to the specialist. He then basically bullied me to sign a consent form for the GI. So when he gave me my file to take it to another department I removed my consent form, handed back my medical record file and left the hospital. But that specialist kept having appointments sent to me. So I went to my GP and asked for a referral at Stanmore hospital. To cut a long story short. This specialist wanted to know from me what the previous specialist gave for not doing my knee replacements. When I finished explaining to him... he said he tends to agree with the previous specialist. But added he “would need to see the scans which my previous specialists hadn’t sent over” He the booked me on for guided injections (which I haven’t had ). He said why loss will help too, hence why he ask my GP to refer me for bariatric surgery .

What I really need is someone to speak up for me, like a NHS advocate service but I don’t know where to find one or if the even exist.

I hope I’ve explained this well... Dyslexic

[Cosmo501 Restart May 2024 in reply to Hidden]

Sounds like a really frustrating journey! I hope you're able to find the support you're looking for in dealing with all the various specialists and different departments.

Have they offered you any advice previously on losing weight to help with your knees?

[Hidden in reply to Cosmo501]

Exercise and healthy eating. Exercise/walking is a problem because I end up in extreme pain afterwards... the pain is that bad it has me in tears, it’s burning inside. Then I feel like I’m playing Russian roulette with my pain medication until I get the pain to stop. I can get out of my bed for days. I lack lower body strength I’ve be told so I need to exercise. I fear losing weight with out exercise will leave me with excess skin.

[Cosmo501 Restart May 2024]

I really feel for you! I'm so sorry to hear you're in such pain. It's no fun at all having to take lots of pain medication to control it either.

Hopefully, once you've got started with weightloss, the pain will ease. The beauty of the low carb/low sugar approach is that it can work whether you're exercising or not. There are people on this site that have lost significant amounts of weight even whilst wheelchair bound - so it really does work

Maybe a little weight loss through dietary changes to start will make it easier to increase gentle activity without increasing pain. It might make a difference and help you break through this situation.

What do you think about the info sent through by Moreless? It seems like a lot to take in to start with, but it's life changing stuff, and maybe having a read on the low-carb forum might help too:

This post from TheAwfulToad might help you healthunlocked.com/lchf-die...

And have a read of S11m 's profile - I think it might interest you.

Take care, be kind to yourself, and you'll get there! There are lots of supportive people here, and we'll all be cheering you on in your goals to improve your health.

Check-in on the other chatty threads here, like the Daily Diary, and the Weigh-in. Lots of support there too.

[Hidden in reply to Cosmo501]

Thank you. I haven’t read it yet... but it sounds helpful and I will read it. Thanks again.