Katie’s story

Most teenagers enjoy spending time with their friends, but for Katie Hill life was miserable because of her size. At 18 stone, she was more than double the weight of most of her friends and she confided in her mum about just how unhappy she was with the way she looked. Katie had tried a series of diets but had not been able to lose weight. Katie’s mum, Juliet, decided to take her daughter to a private clinic in Belgium for gastric bypass surgery, a step which received criticism from doctors and members of the public at the time. People suggested that weight loss surgery was a drastic step, especially as Katie was so young, but her mother stuck to her guns and now, four years later, Katie credits the operation with saving her life.

Four years after her operation, Katie appeared in the national press, showing off a svelte size 8 figure, having lost more than 10 stone. Her mum said that she had thought long and hard about the decision but she had to act to save her daughter.

Gastric band surgery

The number of gastric band procedures carried out in the UK has increased significantly in recent years. The number of teenagers having gastric band surgery on the NHS has quadrupled over the last 4 years and there have been suggestions that children as young as 11 years old will soon be treated for obesity by means of weight loss surgery.

The rise in gastric band procedures has caused controversy, especially as the NHS budget is being stretched more than ever. Some critics believe that more money should be invested in educating children and parents about healthy eating and exercise, in order to reduce the amount of money spent on procedures such as gastric band and gastric bypass surgery.

Insurance policies vary greatly and it is important to check the details of policies to determine which conditions, treatments and procedures are covered. Some insurance policies will cover sleep disorders, while others will not, so if you are diagnosed with a sleep disorder and you want treatment that is not covered by the NHS, you will have to check with your insurance provider if they will cover the cost. If you need tests and follow-up treatment, this could increase the cost of the treatment significantly, so you will need to check that these costs will be covered too, to avoid unexpected bills.

Sleep disorders

Some insurance providers cover certain sleep disorders, but not others and there may be a grey area, especially if the treatment you require is considered to be a cosmetic treatment. Many companies cover sleep apnoea, for example, but will not cover the cost of surgery for snoring, because it is often considered a cosmetic procedure. If visiting The Private Clinic make sure to ask about this.

Snoring can be a problem when it comes to insurance companies, as it is not considered by some as a medical condition and therefore cannot be covered by health insurance. If treatment is not covered and you are resident in the UK, you can see your GP and ask what kinds of remedies are available to reduce snoring and prevent snoring treatment.

Buying health insurance

There are so many insurance policies around that choosing the right one can be a bit of a minefield. When you are looking, make sure you choose a suitable level of cover and compare prices from different providers to ensure that you get the best deal for your money. You can compare different providers by using Internet sites or contact brokers directly for quotes. As a general rule, the more you pay, the more comprehensive the cover but if you have a specific condition or you are planning to get treatment, make sure you choose a policy that provides the level of cover you need and always check that any treatments or tests you have are covered before you go ahead.

If you have already been diagnosed with a sleep disorder, make sure your policy covers it, as some do not offer cover for pre-existing conditions and you may be advised to take out a more expensive, more comprehensive policy.

Best answer:

Answer by Wendi
I work in a dental office and what I have see is that the mini implants tend to fail. Whether its because of not enough bone support or just not being strong enough to hold the denture in place. I would get a second opinion on the mini implants. You can call around to offices that do both and ask the dentist what he thinks about them. That would probably be your best bet. I hope this helped.. Good Luck

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Best answer:

Answer by tracey.white2
go for it i know if i had the money i would

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Answer by Avalon
the idea of an implant is to replace missing teeth, so yes the nerve is removed as it is in the root of the tooth. The new crown may be too high in your bite so your dentist should check this with something called articulating paper, this is a very thin piece of carbon paper which is placed between your teeth and then you are asked to bite gently down on it, it will mark any high spots on the crown. As to the ache this can be a result of you biting too heavily on the crown so the best thing you can do is go back to your dentist to get it checked out.

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I don’t wear it at home or when I eat, only when I go out. It was repaired last tuesday, I picked it up from the dentist, wore it wednesday and 2 hours at college, wore it for about 5 hours thursday, didn’t touch it at all friday, wore it 2 hour saturday, went to take it out to eat something and it snapped again.

Its really starting to affect my life, I wont go to college without it, I wont meet up with friends, ive cancelled plans this week purely because I have no tooth. I know it seems stupid but im very very self conscious. I was always bullied at school and now have no confidence at all (yeah there’s the sob story lol)

Does this seem a reasonable case just to get 1 implant done? If I do it through my dentist it will cost £2000, just for the one!

I don’t know where to start about contacting the NHS.

Best answer:

Answer by Hat-A-Tat-Tat
i wonder if there would be any information on the NHS Direct website…there certainly is a phone number where you could possibly ring for advice. http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

i got my dental implant done in India…it cost me £470 & is perfect…like you say – UK dentists charge £2000 – i doubt you can get one on the NHS – but it is sure worth a try. good luck.

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Answer by Richard_SM
Hi. Seems like you’ve made your mind up, but I really don’t know why women have to have this done. I am 53 and have g/friends with big, small, loose and firm boobs. Made no difference to me. The size of the boobs was never a deal breaker. Lying, unfaithful, argumentative, lazy. impatient, and just plain crazy. Those were some of the things that caused break up. Going for classes on improving the weaket part of our personality is probably the best thing women, and men, should do.
Good luck anyway

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The use of antilogous transplanted fat in the breast was controversial as are many new techniques. The fat harvested by liposuction (which was developed in the early 1980’s) for reinjection was first utilized by aesthetic surgeons for breast augmentation. The subcutaneous tissues could be infiltrated to correct facial and body contours led to an efficient method of harvesting fat cells.

Contemporary studies clearly proved correct the speculation by surgeons that fat grafting caused calcification of the breast. In the mid-1980’s the idea that transplanted fat might die, creating scarring and calcification raised concerns voiced by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Scarring and calcification of the breast can be the result of any breast surgery (breast enlargement surgery via implants, breast biopsy, reduction mammaplasty, breast biopsy, traditional breast reconstruction with flaps, etc.) In actuality the authors felt that radiologists displayed confidence in differentiating between benign postoperative changes and those representing carcinoma of the breast.

Positive feedback please

Best answer:

Answer by bumbleboi
It does work, it is like an elastic band which is placed around the stomach to restrict it’s capacity and function, hence you cannot eat as much as you once did. It is major surgery and highly risky and only available to those who are morbidly obese, which is different to clinically obese.
To be obese or clinically obese you have to be in excess of your ideal weight and body mass index (BMI). To be morbidly obese you have to be twice or more than twice your ideal weight and BMI, as the words imply, morbidly obese people are in danger of early or imminent death.

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Answer by paul m
You need your teeth fixed.
The Dentist needs £1500, and you don’t have the money.
Ask him about a payment plan, you may be able to pay him back at about £100 a month.

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