Hi Novamay,
I am also being seen at Sunderland. I am 2 steps ahead of you. You will have the counselling session then you see the consultant. In the counselling session they will weigh you and give you some questions to fill in about how you feel about yourself. You will also get your target weight, and you tell them which surgery you prefer. They will ask what sort of foods you eat, and how often. They then go away and discuss what surgery THEY think is best for you.
I didnt get my next appointment until several months after that. It was with one of the consultants. They weigh you and then put you on the waiting list if you have reached your target. But in the meantime you then have a gastroscopy. I had mine a few months back, and am now waiting for a surgery date.
I had reached my target weight (just !). On the day I actually didnt know if I would be classed as reaching it or not as it was very close.
I have to be honest, I don't feel that the support has been that good. The first group meeting was pretty good. The first lady (at the counselling session) was also lovely. However the consultant I saw after my counselling session (the first consultant I had seen and the one who checked my weight), seemed very rushed. He had someone waiting to be weighed in the next room and I just felt that he couldnt wait to get rid of me. I dont even know what his name was. I didnt really get chance to ask any questions. He asked me if I had any, but was already getting ready to leave as he asked me. He told me that my next appointment would be the gastroscopy (I only had chance to ask what would happen next), and he said it would be him that did it. I dont know who he was, as the name listed on the appointment letter was not the man who came to the appointment)
When I went to the gastroscopy, it was not him as he had stated it would be, but a different man. I had no idea if he even knew why I was there, until he weighed me (I didnt know I would be getting weighed again at this point). He told me off for putting on weight, and generally seemed annoyed. He also did the procedure very quickly. Even the nurses made a joke to him about the speed he did it, and about it being close to dinner time. He told me he didnt know if I could continue due to putting on some weight, but then said "oh you've already been put on the waiting list". It seemes like he wasnt sure himself of the process ?
Anyway, my advice would be to make a note of any questions you have, and make sure you ask them. I STILL dont feel that I've had chance to ask questions. Really there needs to be an opportunity to ask questions after the appointment where you are told you have been accepted. As you can't really let anything sink in properly, or get your hopes up until that time. There definately needs to be the opportunity to ask questions with a consultant who takes his time.
It would also be helpful to see the same consultant each time (I still dont know who is doing the surgery). Or at least for the name on the letter to match the name of the person you actually see.
I think with such major surgery, it's important to at least meet the surgeon. It's hard that you are putting your life in the hands of someone who you potentially don't meet until on the day.
It would be also nice if they could understand that losing the weight and keeping it off isn't easy. If that was the case then why would any of us need the surgery in the first place ...
