Newbie here from Ireland

[irishgal21 27]

Hi all,

Just joined today! Have been scouting the site unregistered for about a week - and said I might aswell join up.

Have gotten a letter from a referral to a Bariatric Surgeon here in Cork in Ireland - a highly recommended Dr. I havent visited yet - as I am hugely petrified. Petrified of surgery and everything that goes with it (only surgery I had was a tonsillectomy about 15yrs ago). I am currently at my heaviest weight of 357lbs - depressed and need to get my life back and take control. Have tried many slimming classes and cant seem to stick with it so definitely need a tool to help me with it. I know its by no means an easy fix - I understand it is a complete lifestyle over haul - but feel this is my last chance.

Can I ask all the ins and outs? I need some more info. What's the different procedures after I go visit my bariatric surgeon's clinic... I am not even sure if my health insurance will cover me, as been told that if I have symptoms they will not cover me for up to 5 years... So this may not even be a step I can afford to take.

Would love some more information, as booking app with the doctor tomorrow.

Thanks x

[James Marusek 5,244]

Welcome. There are primarily a couple of types of surgery that are most common. These are RNY gastric bypass surgery and gastric sleeve surgery. If you have severe acid reflux (GERD) then bypass surgery is the primary choice because the sleeve will only make that condition worse.

You might review the requirements of your insurance policy for bariatric surgery in Ireland. Many insurance plans can be accessed on-line. That will give you the requirements to qualify for the surgery.

[FluffyChix 17,409]

Welcome to the boards!!!

I think the qualification process is different in the UK than in the US? But I think we have some folks from across the pond who will hopefully jump in here and help!

Cheers!

[irishgal21 27]

Thank you both. I should have said really looking for the ins and outs on what to expect from here on in in regards to surgery. (Obviously the insurance is a big thing) WLS is a very taboo thing here in Ireland so not a huge amount of info available locally. Would love to hear all your experiences - good and bad!!



Sent from my SM-G955F using BariatricPal mobile app

[Frustr8 7,886]

Greetings and a Top of the morning to you from,2 very distant cousin from Midwest r rn US, proud enough of n the heritage my sons names are Kevin and Bryan . And,my son Kevin, who became an Angel at 31, his first lullaby was "Kevin Barry" and I rocked them to The Rising of the Moon both.
And I look a Celtic princess, fair skin and red gold hair. Alas until i,lose more weight I'll look less a princess and more the size of the Blarney Stone.
But I do welcome you heartily, if there is anything I can do to make your weight loss journey easier you have but to ask.
Next month(June) I hope to have a RnY bypass surgery, at 72 a little late in life, but if God grants me a few more years anfd I am healthier I will be extremely grateful. .Frust8😛

[EsoKev 94]

2 hours ago, irishgal21 said:

Hi all,

Just joined today! Have been scouting the site unregistered for about a week - and said I might aswell join up.

Have gotten a letter from a referral to a Bariatric Surgeon here in Cork in Ireland - a highly recommended Dr. I havent visited yet - as I am hugely petrified. Petrified of surgery and everything that goes with it (only surgery I had was a tonsillectomy about 15yrs ago). I am currently at my heaviest weight of 357lbs - depressed and need to get my life back and take control. Have tried many slimming classes and cant seem to stick with it so definitely need a tool to help me with it. I know its by no means an easy fix - I understand it is a complete lifestyle over haul - but feel this is my last chance.

Can I ask all the ins and outs? I need some more info. What's the different procedures after I go visit my bariatric surgeon's clinic... I am not even sure if my health insurance will cover me, as been told that if I have symptoms they will not cover me for up to 5 years... So this may not even be a step I can afford to take.

Would love some more information, as booking app with the doctor tomorrow.

Thanks x

Hi Irishgal and welcome to the boards,

There are great resources about the different procedures available here. Your surgeon should also be knowledgeable about what surgery would work best for your circumstances and why. Unfortunately, you will find a lot of the information here is focused primarily on those of us that live in the United States in terms of cost, information criteria, and other matters like that. If I remember correctly, Ireland has medical care provided by the government, yes? Or do you have a private policy? Each is likely to have their own criteria that you will need to meet. I would recommend thinking about gathering medical records if possible, even if you can't get them in time for your consult with the surgeon. I'm about 3/4 of the way through the journey now (and it's definitely a journey!) and I'm still not sure what surgery I will be having.

EsoKev

PS: I'm a wannabe Irishman. I've been to Dublin, Galway and Limerick three times. Need to make to Cork though!

[irishgal21 27]

Hi Irishgal and welcome to the boards,
There are great resources about the different procedures available here. Your surgeon should also be knowledgeable about what surgery would work best for your circumstances and why. Unfortunately, you will find a lot of the information here is focused primarily on those of us that live in the United States in terms of cost, information criteria, and other matters like that. If I remember correctly, Ireland has medical care provided by the government, yes? Or do you have a private policy? Each is likely to have their own criteria that you will need to meet. I would recommend thinking about gathering medical records if possible, even if you can't get them in time for your consult with the surgeon. I'm about 3/4 of the way through the journey now (and it's definitely a journey!) and I'm still not sure what surgery I will be having.
EsoKev
PS: I'm a wannabe Irishman. I've been to Dublin, Galway and Limerick three times. Need to make to Cork though!

Thanks for the warm welcome EsoKev.

Yes it definitely seems like a hell of a journey but having read all the positive posts on here I definitely think I need to progress with it.

Whilst the Irish healthcare system is a godsend in a lot of ways, WLS is still classified as cosmetic with an emergency wait list for surgery under this scheme of 3-4years... I do have private health care but all depends if they will cover it based on the pre authorisation form my surgeon will submit. So fingers crossed.

I love Cork... It's a fantastic place!! You should visit again. Also Kerry is beautiful and would be rude to miss if visiting Cork.

Sent from my SM-G955F using BariatricPal mobile app

[Albus 129]

Well done for considering surgery! I procrastinated for too long and am now 1 week post op and so glad I did it.

I’m from the UK and didn’t want to wait on NHS and couldn’t afford private treatment here so I went across to Belgium, couldn’t be happier with everything. Much cheaper than here, fabulous hospital and the surgeon is probably one of the most experienced in Europe.

It was actually arranged through an Irish company International Surgery Group who were extremely helpful, may be worth considering if your insurance doesn’t cover you.

[irishgal21 27]

3 hours ago, Albus said:

Well done for considering surgery! I procrastinated for too long and am now 1 week post op and so glad I did it.

I’m from the UK and didn’t want to wait on NHS and couldn’t afford private treatment here so I went across to Belgium, couldn’t be happier with everything. Much cheaper than here, fabulous hospital and the surgeon is probably one of the most experienced in Europe.

It was actually arranged through an Irish company International Surgery Group who were extremely helpful, may be worth considering if your insurance doesn’t cover you.

Glad to hear you are on the mend Albus - I would rather stay local if the insurance will not cover me... Hopefully I will not have to think about this - as do not wish to wait for the local health scheme to come around to me... I've got it in my head now this is what I want to do. How are you feeling? I suppose what I am mostly concerned about would be the initial surgery.

5 hours ago, Frustr8 said:

Greetings and a Top of the morning to you from,2 very distant cousin from Midwest r rn US, proud enough of n the heritage my sons names are Kevin and Bryan . And,my son Kevin, who became an Angel at 31, his first lullaby was "Kevin Barry" and I rocked them to The Rising of the Moon both.
And I look a Celtic princess, fair skin and red gold hair. Alas until i,lose more weight I'll look less a princess and more the size of the Blarney Stone.
But I do welcome you heartily, if there is anything I can do to make your weight loss journey easier you have but to ask.
Next month(June) I hope to have a RnY bypass surgery, at 72 a little late in life, but if God grants me a few more years anfd I am healthier I will be extremely grateful. .Frust8😛

Top of the morning to you too Frustr8 - better late than never to be able to enjoy hopefully many more years of benefits that the surgery will give you hopefully. Lovely strong Irish names btw!! Sorry to hear of your loss of Kevin. Best of luck with your surgery. x

[Albus 129]

I’m feeling pretty good, 8 days post op now and very minimal discomfort. Quite tired and somewhat fed up of liquids but otherwise great 👍🏻

[J San 1,071]

Welcome and good on you for signing up. I Joined for the same reasons, wanted more info than what I had and what I knew. My brother had lap band surgery years ago and it did not work for him. I knew that was a no go for me for sure but knew nothing about bypass or the sleeve. I know your looking for specific answers here but I think the best way to have your questions answered is to look through the different posts. As far as experiences I have read many pros and a few cons. Not to sound morbid but the bad experiences are the ones that interest me more as I want to know what they could be and how others are handling them. Always good to be prepared. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I mainly stick to this board "Gastric Sleeve" as I know this is the surgery I will be getting but I'm sure you can find great info in the other boards as well. Best of luck to you on this journey, much success!!!!

Edited May 8, 2018 by J San

[Dawn Marie Silvestro 22]

Hi Irish Girl,

Don't be afraid, its a journey you will never regret.

I had lap band in 2011 and had it out recently and was sleeved and I love my sleeve. I was afraid of surgery too. But I really hated being fat and unhappy. There is no shame in this game. And I want you to know I will pray for you for clarity and peace of mind for what ever you decide.

this is not a cure but an amazing tool that allows people like us the ability to stick to healthy eating plans.

Regards

Dawn Marie

[Dawn Marie Silvestro 22]

On 5/8/2018 at 8:58 AM, J San said:

Welcome and good on you for signing up. I Joined for the same reasons, wanted more info than what I had and what I knew. My brother had lap band surgery years ago and it did not work for him. I knew that was a no go for me for sure but knew nothing about bypass or the sleeve. I know your looking for specific answers here but I think the best way to have your questions answered is to look through the different posts. As far as experiences I have read many pros and a few cons. Not to sound morbid but the bad experiences are the ones that interest me more as I want to know what they could be and how others are handling them. Always good to be prepared. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I mainly stick to this board "Gastric Sleeve" as I know this is the surgery I will be getting but I'm sure you can find great info in the other boards as well. Best of luck to you on this journey, much success!!!!

I failed the lap band as well and took me so long to come to terms with it I recently had a revision to the sleeve and could not be happier. Please tell your brother. The Band failed for a lot of people tell him there is hope and the band is the failure not him.

[jules1 51]

On 07/05/2018 at 9:31 PM, irishgal21 said:

Hi all,

Just joined today! Have been scouting the site unregistered for about a week - and said I might aswell join up.

Have gotten a letter from a referral to a Bariatric Surgeon here in Cork in Ireland - a highly recommended Dr. I havent visited yet - as I am hugely petrified. Petrified of surgery and everything that goes with it (only surgery I had was a tonsillectomy about 15yrs ago). I am currently at my heaviest weight of 357lbs - depressed and need to get my life back and take control. Have tried many slimming classes and cant seem to stick with it so definitely need a tool to help me with it. I know its by no means an easy fix - I understand it is a complete lifestyle over haul - but feel this is my last chance.

Can I ask all the ins and outs? I need some more info. What's the different procedures after I go visit my bariatric surgeon's clinic... I am not even sure if my health insurance will cover me, as been told that if I have symptoms they will not cover me for up to 5 years... So this may not even be a step I can afford to take.

Would love some more information, as booking app with the doctor tomorrow.

Thanks x

Hi Irishgal, did you find out about health insurance? I think Its great you are doing something for your weight. I am in oz but travel to Ireland regularly and I know it will be hard particularly with parents and grandparents generations. They have a very conservative approach usually plus a lot of them won’t be shy about commenting in with their opinion. Also it’s only the younger generation there that are starting to be bigger. I always feel so big, fat and awkward beside everyone else there. Honestly the biggest Irish friend I have there is about a size 16. There are only a couple true plus size clothing stores apart from tesco also. I will have my fingers crossed for you and the insurance.

[Frustr8 7,886]

And would you look at all the love you are getting! US, UK, Australia, you may even have,the blessing of consult from my frien BiddyNZ in New Zealsnd, a truly lovely lady..
In the words of the late Greek-American actor Telly Savalas " Who,loves you , baby?"
Answer: WE ALL DO!
Smiles😝Frust8