It was a “funny turn” but when the doctors started asking James Turner about sensation on his right and left sides he knew it was something far more serious.”He was looking for the signs of a mini-stroke,” said James, who at 30 years old knows he is living with a ticking timebomb.
Specialists have told James, a diabetic who weighs 30st 5lb, that unless his obesity is tackled soon he will not survive past his 35th birthday.
For James it is a prognosis that is both terrifying and frustrating.
He believes laparoscopic surgery could be the answer to his prayers, but the NHS won’t approve funding and he cannot afford to pay for it privately.
He has tried to lose weight in so many ways without success and he believes that the surgery is now a life-saving necessity, not a lifestyle choice.
“I need this surgery because I am running out of time,” said James, who is one of six Shropshire people appearing on ITV’s Tonight show this evening to plead their case for more funding.
“I just get so frustrated when I hear of cosmetic surgeries that are carried out within the NHS and they will not agree to funding for this surgery.”
Obesity has been described as a major threat to the nation’s health, with government ministers claiming they are determined to tackle it.
But it seems the problem may be only getting worse. New figures out yesterday revealed the number of obesity treatments on prescription has passed one million for the first time - eight times the number dispensed in 1999.
And James maintains they are not going far enough to help bring those figures down.
“I am now on eight different tablets a day,” he explained. “The operation could cost between £8,000 and £11,000, but they would recoup that money in a matter of years because I wouldn’t need to be on all this medication.
“I have had blackouts which have cost me my driving licence, and my health is seriously suffering.”
For James the finances of agreeing the surgery make perfect sense, but for him the reasons it should go ahead are far more personal.
He dreams of living a healthy life in which he enjoys time with his family and being able to do things with his children.
It is why he is an ardent supporter of a new campaign by the Shropshire group of BOSPA - The British Obesity Surgery Patient Association.
They are pushing for more funding to be agreed for such operations and hope to raise the profile of the plight facing thousands across Britain, including many people in Shropshire.
They include Martin Adams from Brookside who has also been interviewed by the Tonight programme after he was first referred for surgery in 2003.
The health authority has yet to grant funding which Martin, 42, believes has had a detrimental impact on his health.
At 22 stone his body mass index of 44 (a normal BMI is 18-25) is considered morbidly obese.
He has sleep apnoea and has also recently been diagnosed with diabetes and an under-active thyroid.
He says that if surgery had first been carried out in 2003 he would not now have those two conditions.
“This is a quality-of-life issue,” said Martin.
“I have to sleep with a machine every night in case I stop breathing and die. I have done everything possible to keep active and keep my weight down and now need this help.”
Mother of two Debbie Wellings, from Bayston Hill in Shrewsbury, is practically confined to a wheelchair outside of her home.
She was born with a fault in her spine which has worsened in recent years, adding to her weight gain.
She is not sure exactly how much she weighs - but her BMI is 61. Her GP has recommended that she has a gastric bypass which will make her stomach smaller.
“Other people aspire to be a size 10. I just want to be able to use a normal-width wheelchair,” she said.
Debbie said her weight is impacting not only on her physical health but also on her mental well-being.
She said people view her differently and she has become very depressed about it, and is receiving counselling.
Rachel Ball, who was instrumental in setting up the Shropshire support group, has lost 11 stone since having surgery almost two years ago.
She had reached 20 stone when she felt at her most depressed.
Rachel also could not win NHS funding but when she hit rock-bottom her daughter took out a loan to pay for the surgery privately.
“It really did give me a new lease of life,” said Rachel.
“I had tried every diet imaginable and was losing hope. I was so relieved that something constructive was finally being done.
“But I was warned that it was only a tool and that I would also have to maintain a certain lifestyle to help it work. But it does work and it does save lives.
“People are made to feel so ashamed when they are overweight and that can only compound the problem. What they need is support and help and that means the government needs to put its hand in its pocket and allocate more funding in this area.
“I just want to convince the health authorities of the cost benefits for these patients. After all, I alone must be saving them a small fortune. Unfortunately for many people paying privately is simply not an option.”
By Tracey O’Sullivan
21 Comments
Why should the tax payer foot the bill for this surgery.
Here’s a tip for the obese that will cost nothing.
Eat less, exercise more.
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I fully support the NHS’s decision here. Obesity is an easily tackled problem, and is not a disease.
Healthy eating, exercise and a bit of support and encouragement is all that is required.
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Why should extra funding be required?, if as this man claims he has been told he could be dead by the time he is 35, surely that is a sufficient wake up call for him to ensure his will power and eating less helps him lose weight
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Try eating less and taking more exercise - Works for me
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I do think that obesity is often overlooked as an illness and more of a self induced state.
I think that there needs to be work done on the mental health of people suffering from obesity - change the way they think about food - maybe then the ‘eating less and more exercise’ argument may actually have some bearing.
Its very easy to say to people who are obese - ’stop eating and exercise more’ but think about what you would say to a drunk, or a drug addict - afterall these are all self inflicted illnesses - why is it obesity is the only one where the sufferers get no sympathy?
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some are the comments are great but i like to point out i am diabetic with many other health problems and that this surgery is my last resort as of many of the tablets i am on do make me put weight on but if i had this surgery i would not need half as many tablets or even the insulin i am taking
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Try asking MacDonalds & KFC to cough up for your surgery Mr Turner
I’m sure they’ll help you after what youv’e invested in them. BUT don’t expect taxpayers to pay because not only will they not but they damn well shouldn’t.
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I considered asking for an operation to help me loose weight. I did weigh 26 stone and iv lost 2 stone just by eating less and walking more ok it has taken me a few months too loose it but at least i can say im doing this on my own. Having an op is ok i guess, but your technically starving yourself. Its about time the NHS said no to this, the one way they could help is a bit more advice about general things such as food and exercise.
The reason SOME people get so overweight is the fact there lazy and this is why i think they opt for operations to solve the problem! A bit of hard work never hurt anyone.
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I read the comments above with dismay, In this modern day society where we have to be politically correct and yet we are allowed to be discriminate about large people… come on being fat does NOT always mean you eat TOO MUCH !!
Health issues & in particular medication have side effects of weight gain, in addition genetics play a major part here.
These people don’t need to be told to go on a diet, they’ve propbably tried them all, with limited success - these people need extra help and as the government has announced very recently obesity is the fastest growing desease in the country and it has to act now.
As for the comment about should tax payers money be used, then why not …. I bet most if not all of these unfortunate people work and pay TAX, so why shouldn’t they benefit.
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These people are right I have waited two years for an operation for a real medical condition ,And not throughe eating and drinking to much and stop sponging off the state and get alife.
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Please spare a thought for all of us who are overweight due to cancer drugs and steroids.
Some people have a problem due to illness and not through overeating. I would dearly love to be thin again.
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walking cost nothing, and if you do some exercise for 10 mins when you feel you want to eat you’ll lose weight and get fit for free and it won’t cost ME anything extra in my taxes.
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Doubtless as a taxpayer, I will be funding the surgery caused by his addiction to pies. I’m 30, and I’ve not put on weight since I was 16 or 17. Why should anyone else?
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Well Done James and all BOSPA members, keep up the campaign work the NHS trusts must realise that obesity is potentially life threatening as heart disease.
I know, I’ve been there
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I am an obese person myself but I work hard and I pay my tax and ni and have done for 13 years. But I put up with daily verbal abuse on the streets from people who judge me for my size and make assumptions about me based on what I look like.
I am appalled that I live in a society where is is wrong to discriminate against someone because of their race, religious beliefs, age, sex etc but perfectly acceptable to say whatever you want to someone who is overweight without any consideration for why they are like that and how they feel.
I dont necessarily agree that surgery is the answer but i do think there is a serious lack of understanding and support for obese people.
All of you discriminatory idiots who have made comments about KFC, eating less, addictions to pies etc - If James Turner was an annorexic asking for help would you just tell him to go off and eat more? no i didnt think so!
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Would somebody please answer me one question??
How can the PCT’s justify spending tax payers money on a lady who went to her GP not more than 4 months ago and said she was depressed because her breast were too small, then BINGO now the NHS has forked out the cash to enlarge her breast size - Now if this isn’t a TOTAL WASTE of TAX payers money then what is??
I think obesity surgery, as a last resort could well be the answer, I wantched the Tonight program and much of what was said by the surgeon from Telford made total sense… Yes the operation will cost all us tax payers money but the NHS and US will in the long term reap the benefits.
My main concern is that the local NHS trusts (PCT’s) need to be held far more accountable - bet they can’t really justify breast enlargement to all us tax payers!! Can you ??? I can’t wait for there response.
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As a child of an post-op obese patient, I would like to say that I watched over my parent, who incidentally ate no more than I did/or do and still they gained weight and I didn’t and haven’t for years. In my teenage years I struggled to understand why this happened. I took time to get educated… I follow my fathers side of the family,my elder sister followed mum’s and she has always faught to keep her weight under some sort of control. I am lucky that I’m very healthy but my sister is not, so she too takes madication that side effects clearly state that weight gain is a very really possibility, so does my mum. I believe that our modern lifestyles do have alot to answer for, my mum could Never have been called lazy, she never stopped, furthermore she worked every single hour that god allowed her too just to keep us, so what I’m trying to say is:
Please don’t be judgmental, if your not over weight - From my own family experience I can say with 100% confidence that life is neither easy or a happy one if your fat…. lets all try and be grown up and sensible and give everyone the same chance of living a long happy life.
P.S. I work and pay my tax too. I go to KFC & the other fast food outlets, but neither of my parents ever have.
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I wonder if any bloggers recall my letters printed in the Shropshire Star about the factors that cause obesity?
Check out the facts at http://www.ukhr.org/obesity
I hope that those who are not yet aware that industrial PM2.5 emissions cause a wide range of illnesses, including asthma, diabetes 2, obesity, low thyroid, COPD, stroke, cancers, depression, CFS/ME etc. will attend the public meeting at Shrewsbury on 29 February 2008 to hear Dr Dick van Steenis speak.
He’ll be glad to take any questions from the floor, or privately afterwards.
There’s something very wrong with our society today when those who are unfortunate enough to be classified as obese also face unfair censure from those who don’t understand the contributory factors.
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No one is saying all obese people are not tax payers but a majority are if they were so really bothered about there weight or to be told you will die if you do not loose weight I know what I would do and stop the self pitty the young lady on the TV the other night said if she can not have the operation I just keep eating IF that is not black mail I don’t know what is (and oh ya SHE does not work so we are keeping her to eat her self to death ) if you cutt her benefits and stop her extra benefits she will soon loose weight and will be able to afford all that food TAX PAYERS MONEY DOLE DOSER I work full time and I can not afford all that food (WHO IS THE SILLY ONE HERE) whos got it right Me or Her?.
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As one of the people interviewed for the program I would like to add my comments.
I understand the thoughts of the people earlier in this thread who all mention eat less and excersice more and in a lot of cases i totally agree but not all. I, like James have diabeties I was diagnosed with this in 2006 3 years after I applied for surgery,I have been told if i had the surgery it would have ment i would not have gained this complaint.
Me having the operation would have saved the said taxpayer the medication I am now stuck on.
I also have Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, I have been told I have had this since the age of about 13 although not diagnosed until 2002. I can tell you that my wieght has gained all through my life from about that time, I am told the sleep apnoea has caused a slowing in my metabolism………I do my upmost to work hard, i have been a member of many gyms and I do my fair share of walking I have also been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid which compounds the problem.
I just want some people to understand that sometimes some of the obease people in the world have done the “eat less” and “exercise more” and some still do that, I for one have been sent to 2 dietitians and they have said I do not eat excesivly and I eat the correct foods, so if the people who have made some obvious comments would like to come back and suggest what they would do next I would gladly like to hear from them and thier constructive thoughts?
Please just think sometimes before you blame overeating and lack of exercise and show some compasion for people……..you never know when you might need my National Insurance contribution when you end up in hospital.
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I cannot believe how cruel & unsupportive some peoiple can be. I am obese, i now have funding from the PCT for my gastric-bypass. This is not an option i have taken lightly, i have waited over 12 months for this, i have researched, very thoroughly my options & this op is the only chance i have left. i am on weight loss tablet from the GP at the moment they do not work, so i am having the op. i am not ashamed that it is being funded by the PCT as my parents, husband & myself have paid more than enough NI contributions to count towards paying for my op. to anyone who disagrees with this issue………get over it!!!
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