Hi

I have just been refered by my GP for weight loss surgery and have an appointment next month in Maidstone. Has anyone else dealt with the NHS as would be interested in what happens, and how long you have to wait for surgery etc

Hi im in bromley dont know if u know it?? i had my band fitted just over a year ago on the nhs after my first appointment i think it was about a year until my actually surgery seemed like a long time but was well worth waiting for!!! hope everything goes ok with ur appointment keep us posted would love to know how u got on. Nicola x x

Hi I am on the waiting list for the op in Romford, Essex.

From the first appointment at the hospital to now has been 18 months.

I was referred by my GP, I saw a medical doctor for over a year while he tried diets and visits to the dietician and then finally he referred me to the surgeon. Since I saw the surgeon I waited 6 weeks to see if my funding had been approved then I was on the list.

They tell me the op should be done within 18 weeks of getting funding so that works out to the middle of Feb 2010.

I am hoping something comes up sooner and I have an appointment with the dietician to start the low carb liver shrinking pre op diet on the 4th of Dec.

It seems like a long time but what is the alternative? It really has gone by quicker than I thought and I am really glad I stuck it out. I could not afford to have the op privately so there was no other choice for me.

Just persevere and take all the help and advice offered and dont get downhearted.

The first time went to the hospital they told me to stop eating biscuits and crisps!!! Seriously if it was that simple I would be thin by now. But I kept going back, never missing an appointment not matter how much I thought they were a waste of time, and here we are.

Good luck, you will get there in the end