I have just gone to my first doctors appointment and was told he will refer me to Castle Hill hospital, Hull. Very happy to get the process started and since he said that 5 days ago all I've done is researched online! I stumbled across this amazing site and it's wonderful users and hoped you could indicate how long this process is likely to take before surgery (totally understand that each persons journey is different but any indication would be appreciated! BMI is 56 if that helps). I was also sent for a blood test today which I was told will be sent to Hull, although I haven't read about anyone else doing a blood test before having their referral appointment? Looking forward to hearing any advice/guidance!
I had surgery at Castle Hill in January. Referred in February 2016, seen in April, listed in October. The team there are incredibly supportive. Ask me anything you like.
At your first appointment at Castle Hill you will first go to a group talk. You will meet the dietician (Beryl, she is really good), then the specialist Bariatric Nurse (Clare, lovely lady), then the consultant (mine was Mr Pellen, really good at answering any questions). You'll then have individual meetings with your surgeon and the psychiatrist. Allow all morning and take a book. You'll have several forms to fill in and part of this is to look for signs of sleep apnoea (sp?), the consultant will refer you for a sleep test if they suspect you may have it. You'll be asked to keep a food diary from this day.
Beryl will give you a number to book a group dietician meeting. Do that as soon as you can as places are booked quickly but not everyone turns up on the day. These are held at the Women's hospital at the Hull Royal site so arrive early because parking is a nightmare and the seminar room is in the staff area that you can't get to unless you are escorted.
You then need to book a one-to-one with Beryl. She may offer them the same day or you may need to wait a week or two. It's up to you to book it. She'll read your food diary and ask you questions to make sure you have taken in all the information and implications so far.
Then they will discuss you at an MDT meeting and you will get another appointment to see your consultant (be prepared for this gap to be three or four months). Then, provided you have no other issues that need following up first then the chances are strong that you will be listed at this point.
I've loads more information based on my experience but I guess I've probably overloaded you already!
Oh, and they will give you information on support groups available to you. You are expected to go to at least one meeting so that they know you have somewhere to meet other WLS people outside medical professionals. Not really my thing but everyone is different and some people swear by the support they can access through these groups.
Oh, and they will give you information on support groups available to you. You are expected to go to at least one meeting so that they know you have somewhere to meet other WLS people outside medical professionals. Not really my thing but everyone is different and some people swear by the support they can access through these groups.
Thank you so much for the help, and the tips! I'd love as much info as possible so don't worry on overloading haha. Do you think I could be fast tracked due to high BMI?
Hull is one of the NHS trusts that sets a BMI of 50 as the lower limit for funded surgery so I don't think 56 will be considered very high, but I could be wrong. There's no harm in asking them.
Hull is one of the NHS trusts that sets a BMI of 50 as the lower limit for funded surgery so I don't think 56 will be considered very high, but I could be wrong. There's no harm in asking them.
Ok thanks,
Can I ask a few questions, how long your referral took to came through? Also, how long was you on the waiting list? And how many appointments at Hull would you say you had all together?
Sorry for the bombardment of questions haha
Total time was 11 months from the doctor's referral in February. First appointment was May, I got on the July group dietician meeting and had my 1:1 with Beryl a few days later, next appointment was October with Mr. Pellen when he listed me.
I had a total of five trips to the hospital before surgery. You might have more if they want to investigate anything else such as sleep apnoea or want you to be seen by a consultant anesthetist.
With the Hull team they don't ask you to go on a diet to lose weight whilst you are going through the process but they don't want you to gain any more weight. You are asked to change your eating pattern to prepare for life after surgery. You are asked to eat three meals a day and at each meal eat enough to be satisfied but NO snacking between meals, not even an apple. Each meal should take about 20 minutes to eat. Fizzy drinks of any kind are banned.
With the Hull team they don't ask you to go on a diet to lose weight whilst you are going through the process but they don't want you to gain any more weight. You are asked to change your eating pattern to prepare for life after surgery. You are asked to eat three meals a day and at each meal eat enough to be satisfied but NO snacking between meals, not even an apple. Each meal should take about 20 minutes to eat. Fizzy drinks of any kind are banned.
Again, thank you so much! I have anxiety and so any kind of preparation I can have before appointments really does help me out. I've been called back to my doctors this week to have more blood tests as apparently Hull require 3 vials (?). So hoping this is a relatively quick process but I understand I need to be physically/emotionally/psychologically prepped for such a big life change. How has your journey been so far?
I'm sure he does but wait to make your decision until after you've spoken with the professionals. I was thinking sleeve before I went but was advised the bypass would be better for me and I trusted them.
I should also tell you that my surgery had a problem that was incredibly rare and I ended up with three surgeries, six days on ICU, and three weeks in hospital. A bit of my bowel was perforated when it was held out of the way during the procedure. I want to be honest with you but I also don't want to scare you unnecessarily. Mr. Pellen has never lost anyone and it has never happened to any of his other patients. If you believe in statistics I have used up all the complications for the team this year so you should be OK.
He told me that on average he gets one return to surgery a year so I have used up this year and next year's quota.
I am now very well, I still have a small issue with the surgical wound but that is because of the complications I had and it means I can't swim yet which is frustrating for me. The first 12 weeks were tough because I was very weak after all the surgery and the diet for the first few weeks is challenging. However, I now have more energy than I've had in years, I don't have anything that I can't eat, and I am down seven stone in six months.
Really rough start for me but now the vast majority of it is going well.
I am now very well, I still have a small issue with the surgical wound but that is because of the complications I had and it means I can't swim yet which is frustrating for me. The first 12 weeks were tough because I was very weak after all the surgery and the diet for the first few weeks is challenging. However, I now have more energy than I've had in years, I don't have anything that I can't eat, and I am down seven stone in six months.
Really rough start for me but now the vast majority of it is going well.
Thanks for the extra info, and I'm happy to hear that you're recovering well now. I will admit that has scared me, but I'm glad you've let me know. With meeting the psychologist, obviously it's best to be honest, but are there any issues you should avoiding divulging that could delay surgery?
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It's a really great place to be when you're waiting for surgery
