Hi
I am from Australia and I dont have the insurance problems a lot of you seem to have. If you are privately insured over here you are covered for most of the operation. Even if you dont have private health insurance you can be covered for a lot of the cost of the operation through the public insurance system. Sometimes it will just take a little longer before you can be done due to the over crowding in the public system.
I was totally covered by insurance when I had my first GBS back in 2001. I have had to have it done twice more due to weak collegen in my system and my stoma (not stomach punch) stretching. The final op that was done in 2005 my surgeon bypassed a lot more of my small intestine because of the stretched stoma was creating increadible hunger as my tummy was never getting any food in it to fill it, it was going straight into my intestine. So by shorting the small bowel I was now mal-absorbing what I did eat and if I was to eat a little too much due to the undying hunger I would not put weight on.
The problem is though I have been really very unwell since 2005. I just can not eat enough to stay healthy. I take all the suppliments and I eat from sun up to sun down and beyond but I still can not stay healthy. I have had to have several trips back to hospital to be fed through an IV with TPN and I am basically now fighting to stay alive.
I guess what I am saying is that surgery can help but you do need councilling as well as surgery as you lose weight and you have to know that things will and do go wrong. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place now and my life is much worse healthwise now that I am the way I am. I am nauseous 24/7 and that makes eatting very hard. I have been back to lots and lots of speciallists but no one has any answers for me about the symptons I have. My whole body is suffering from the mal nutritian and I am very depressed. I have been offered yet another major operation to partically reverse it all but they are usure that that will change my health state. I am not willing to put myself back under the knife for a maybe.
Please be careful when chosing surgery for weightloss and reseach and make sure its right for you. It isnt for everyone. I hope no one has to suffer what I am right now. Life is pure hell.
Take care
