Welcome to the 30+ Kg club BB well done and keep it going i am now levelled of at 80.5 Kg down from 112 Kg I keep that steady by NO NIL ZERO snack eating except for one inch squares of older coconut (I get funny looks when i buy it) but if i feel snackish i eat a cube it strengthens gums and teeth and is full of fibre and is a natural diaretic and does not put any weight on. It works for me.
My new lady always prepares half a pineapple with half a lime squeezed over it for eating when i return from my 30 to 50 Km bike rides every other day.I am also a glutton for som oh (thai grapefruit) so i am getting lots of citric acid into my system. That acid is supposed to cut fat if the washing up liquid producers/adverts are to be believed
I am also working my arse off doing up the derelict bungalow we live in (and loving every single active minute of it )
But i think the main reason is a great/fantastic completely NEW LIFE
Hi BB. I assume your hometown doctor has vetted you for bariatric surgery, and you know what you want and what's best for you. For any surgical needs (and general medical needs, I suppose) you are best advised to go to one of the top JCI-accredited hospitals in Bangkok (Bumrungrad, BKK Hospital, Samitivej, BNH). Forget getting bariatric surgery help or advice in Hua Hin or anyplace other than BKK. You can get a lapband adjustment at Bumrungrad, Samitivej or at Siriraj Hospital. Probably BKK Hospital, too, though I don't have direct doctor experience there. I have had patients successfully complete surgery with wonderfully skilled surgeons at the 3 other hospitals.
But... I always caution people who are medical travelers to be wary of the lapband when away from their home turf, simply because it can be so unpredictable... when you need an intervention, you may not be able to get it right away. Or you may get it, but conditions (sterility, experience of doc, experiences of nursing support, etc.) may not be acceptable. Please factor this into your decisions.
Good luck with everything.
Thank you all for your kind words, and your concern. The message I'm receiving so far is that there is no centre of excellence in Thailand for maintenance or extending the procedure. This is really convincing me that the 2nd option is best for me - Sleeve Gastrectomy, which requires very little after care providing I am sensible.
Why am I so determined? I have always been the fat kid for as long as I can remember - I can actually remember being fat since the age of 3. I have reduced my size numerous times in the past (never dropping below a size fat though), but only have to look the wrong way at a piece of food and the weight comes back again. I have failed miserably for 50 years to successfully lose weight.
I see the sleeve gastrectomy combined with a changed lifestyle in Thailand, where I actually love walking as being my way to sustained weight loss.
This is not a spur of the moment thing. I have been working with doctors here in the UK for well over 5 years to get this far. My imminent departure to Thailand has brought things forward somewhat, but they are all agreed that it is the most sensible way forward for me.
BB, As you set your schedule for surgery and travel, take into consideration that post-op you may need to give yourself a little longer time for recovery prior to physically extending yourself with travel or moving of a household.
There are several surgical proceedures. In Sleeve gastectomy a significant portion of the stomach is removed, in the Roux-en-Y operation the food is redirected along the gut avoiding some of the area in which food is absorbed--Both of these proceedures are essentially non-reversible and if side effects occur they are difficultto treat.
In a newer approach, the Banding operation, an inflatable bag is placed around the stomach and inflated, this essentially makes the stomach smaller and so makes the patient feel 'Full" after a small amount of food. The bag can be removed if the opatient is not happy.
At the BKK Hospital in BKK all of these proceedures have been used and the banding is now the preferredc method.
As other posters have mentioned a good deal of thought and counselling is needed before the operation is peformed and as in any cosmetic operation the patient must understand that it may not totally change their lives, as some patients expect.
Sorry, Dr. Mike, bariatric surgery is not a cosmetic operation.
Most who choose this path to weight loss do so knowing full well the serious nature of the surgery and its long-term requirements. They do so not so much to "look good" but to preserve or improve their immediate and future healthfulness. Their lives will never be the same after surgery - good because of improved health but bad because they will need to continually monitor their nutritional intake, their calories and their weight.
Being able to reverse one's diabetes, significantly lower one's blood pressure, reduce joint pain, exercise or walk again are not cosmetic improvements.
In fact one of the critical practical differences is that whereas cosmetic surgery is never covered by insurance weight loss surgery may be--I said MAY be. There is a body of opinion that as it can help prevent other troublesome conditions it is a 'good investrment ' by the companies.
Is removing all the excess loose skin that hangs down after considerable weight loss part of the procedure or is that considered as cosmetic (especially on NHS) and a separate issue ?
Dr Mike wrote:as it can help prevent other troublesome conditions it is a 'good investrment ' by the companies.
Insurance companies in the U.S. used to cover gastric bypass surgery, then (as requests for it grew) insurers decided it should be considered optional, and they withdrew coverage of it. Now that the healthful benefits of bariatric surgery have been extensively documented, public support has pushed pendulum to swing back again. Many insurers are now adding it to coverage. It helps of course that Michelle Obama is on a roll about childhood obesity.
chopsticks wrote:Is removing all the excess loose skin that hangs down after considerable weight loss part of the procedure or is that considered as cosmetic (especially on NHS) and a separate issue ?
In most cases, the "pannis" which is the excessive skin of the abdomen that hangs like an apron, has been deemed a hazard to good health and has been covered by insurance. Excessive breast drooping is generally covered whether weight loss related or not. As to excess skin elsewhere, I've not known it to be picked up by insurance.
When I read 'on a roll' I thought you were talking about her actually accomplishing something with child obesity problems but now I realise you were simply referring to her mouth being 'on a roll'.
After posting about insurance companies yesterday, last night on FOX (Iwas just watching by accident) they had a debate on this very issue.
Bythe way, Breast reduction surgery is often covered by insurance, the back pain that can be caused by this problen can be debilitating --enhancement however you pay for yourself.
