VIDEO: Chef's fury as NHS refuse to remove three and a half stone of excess skin after weight loss
A CHEF who lost 13 stone after gastric bypass surgery is furious after the NHS denied him an operation – to remove three-and-a-half stone of excess skin.
Super slimmer Jason Young, 29, ballooned to 31 stones and, after years of bullying, was given a £10,000 gastric bypass.
His weight has since plummeted to 18 stone and he has been left carrying huge folds of saggy skin.
Watch Jason speak about his ordeal
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But Jason claims the follow-up operation he was promised to remove the skin has been repeatedly turned down.
Jason – who says he gained weight because of an overactive thyroid – said: "They promised me a follow-up operation to remove the skin but they keep fobbing me off and I'm getting desperate.
"The skin's so heavy on my front it makes my back hurt when I stand. I don't understand how I can be rejected for surgery which I clearly need."
Jason, of Clifton , had the gastric bypass eight years ago.
A gastric bypass is a permanent operation where part of the digestive system is removed so the patient's calorie intake is halved.
Within a month of the op at St James University Hospital, in Leeds, Jason shed more than three stone.
The bachelor says his last relationship broke down because his girlfriend could not handle his stress and mood swings.
He has recently moved in with his dad, Peter Prime.
He said: "I've got excess skin everywhere and it's horrible. I've got no self-confidence and I'm too ashamed of my body to go swimming or wear tight clothes. I feel like I won't be able to have another relationship until I've had the surgery and it's removed."
He is now planning to appeal against the refusal to give him the operation.
A spokeswoman for the Leeds hospital said: "If a patient after surgery feels they subsequently need another procedure, the normal route is to speak to their local GP in the first instance.
"The GP would make their assessment based on the clinical need in the case and could decide to recommend a referral for surgery to a hospital.
"Any referral would obviously be subject to local protocols set by a patient's commissioner on what procedures they are prepared to fund.
"Usually, procedures defined as essentially cosmetic are not funded by the NHS unless there are special circumstances."
A spokeswoman at the GP practice in Mansfield that originally referred Jason said it could not comment.
Have you had a bad experience after weight loss surgery? Call Dominic Howell on 0115 905 1953 or e-mail dominic.howell@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk
14 Comments
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by smshogun
Thursday, February 21 2013, 4:59PM
“No arguments Andy, just the fact that we only have the story to work from and a modicum of comon sense of the individuals concerned. In recent years there have been increasing numbers of similar cases where additional follow up treatments have been promised, then declined.
When such surgeries are undertaken all the benefits and pitfalls are carefully explained, particularly when there are other issues such as sagging skin in this instance, and most people would apply common sense and ensure any follow up treatment would be available. When such assurances are made they factor in an individuals decision to proceed with treatment, and in most cases assurances of follow up treatment are made which influences peoples decisions to proceed. If such assurances were not made then most people would refuse treatment if it left them in such a state.
Given that its medical staff making the assurances, then its the bean counters countermanding the decisions and assurances originally made; its no wonder there are an increasing number of such cases.”
by andyjsy
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 7:46PM
“Just to avoid further argument
http://tinyurl.com/asgw59n
Cheers”
by andyjsy
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 7:21PM
“Shogun, read it again, carefully.
He CLAIMS they promised him, not that they did, and, believe it or not, you are wrong. A gastric band op is a standalone operation. Cosmetic reconstruction is only offered afterwards in certain circumstances & at the nhs trusts discretion.
The NHS spokeswoman very clearly backs that up.
Good luck to the fella, but I reckon he'll either be in for an extremely long wait, or will (as I suggested earlier) end up going private.”
by smshogun
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 7:08PM
“Andy, no you should.
The first part of the treatment is the gastric band, the second part of the treatment is the cosmetic surgery.
But Jason claims the follow-up operation he was promised to remove the skin has been repeatedly turned down.
It clearly states he was promised that they would follow up the gastric band operation with the additional surgery to remove the excess skin.”
by andyjsy
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 7:04PM
“It does quite clearly state that in the story.
A spokeswoman for the Leeds hospital said "if a patient after surgery subsequently feels they need another procedure"
He wasn't halfway through an operation as you state in your pointless analogy, but is now requesting another, because now the nhs have saved his life, he's not happy with the way he looks...
Maybe it's you that needs to brush up on the reading skills??”
by andyjsy
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 6:58PM
“Shogun,
Yes I've read, they gave him the gastric band op, the skin removal op is not 'the second part' it's an entirely different operation. It isn't a life saving operation & as such, he's being refused. This is pretty common (the nhs deem it a vanity op).
My comment was in response to your 'if they did it it would save costs down the line'
If they didn't do the gastric band in the first place (this Savin £10000), he wouldn't now be demanding the skin removed (saving even further expense).
See?”
by smshogun
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 6:42PM
“Andy:
Can you actually read? what it means that he has acted and had the first stages of treatment and they should have given him the second part to remove all the surplus tissue, you wouldn't stop halfway through a heart operation and let a patient leave.”
by andyjsy
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 12:31PM
“by that reasoning smshogun, maybe they shouldnt have given him the gastric band op & let him die early, hence saving a fortune. See that slope we're going down..”
by smshogun
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 12:16PM
“So, this individual works and contributes to society, has a genuine issue and deals with it, then is refused NHS treatment. Since when has the NHS allowed to become selective about genuine medical treatment when you have so many non contributors to society demanding and receiving treatment.
How much would this save the NHS in the longer term when they don't have to treat him for a multitude of possible conditions he may have suffered if he hadn't lost this weight.”
by HizzyG
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 12:01PM
“I don't believe the NHS was set up to provide fertility treatment to Lesbians....but they're doing it!”