no money left!!

hey nice to be a member! to start from the beginning i had wls but my doctor would not help me even tho my bmi was 54! so my partner helped and i went private. i lost 3 stone but that was due to my pre op diet. when i began my fills  i found i had no restriction on my last fill the lady explained i had blood and derbis in with my fluid which suggests something serious! so i phoned up my clinic but they said i had to pay for my xray so i went to my doctor and they will not help me and i cant afford the xray so i feel stuck and i have put a stone back on. i had the band last june and due to this stress me and my partner have split up. he met a slimmer girl and told me it was just easier to be with her as she has no such problems! can any one please lend a ear and some advice? x

Hi Jabodie,

I wish I had some answers. I don't know how NHS works according to private WLS.

I know others will offer what they can and you can certainly get support here. I am realy sorry your partner left you and you are feeling alone and scared.

True-maybe you cannot afford a fill right now-but that doesn't mean forever. It also doesn't mean that your life cannot improve in some ways that will help you feel more hopeful.

Hang in there and keep posting!
Therese

Do you know what was included on the original agreement that you signed?  How much after care was included?  I don't know much about it, as I had rny with no aftercare, but it may be different with the band.  If there is something wrong with the band I would have thought the original surgeon should investigate and fix it.

I'm sure there are others that will post who have more knowledge that I do.  It might be worth going back to the clinic and explaining the situation?  If it's something serious it should be sorted for you one way or another.

In the meantime, I know how difficult it is, but try to modify your eating to how you know you should be eating if the band was working right.  Get some exercise in if you aren't already, and hang in there.  At least you can stop the upward trend even if you can't lose anymore.  Small steps can really make a difference.

Let us know how you get on

Ruth

I was told by my surgeon (I am banded) that once the band was in place, if there were any complications, he would see me on the NHS. I have in fact had my annual barium swallow about an hour ago - all on the NHS even though my band was put in privately.

It is my understanding that if we have health problems (and blood and debris in the band fluid is definitely wrong) then the NHS would step in. I am not the only person to have been told this. A friend I met on here (and subsequently met in person) from Telford in Shropshire was told exactly the same by her GP.

IMO as a bandster of almost three years, you must get this checked out. Two reasons - firstly, it should not be like that! The band is a sealed unit and the only "way in" is through the membrane of the port which is supposed to be self sealing after injections. Either there is a fault in the band / port or the person doing the injections did something odd! In either of those two cases, someone is at fault! Even in the very unlikely event of the band eroding the stoamch tissue, there should not be anything INSIDE the band.

And secondly, the band is all about restriciton, if you don't have that, there is no point in having the band!

Kate