I began to prepare for travelling abroad for gastric band surgery just a few months ago, you can read about it on my blog post here. There were several reasons why I chose to travel to Poland with Top-Medics including the research I did on WhatClinic.com. If you’re thinking about travelling abroad for gastric band surgery then please please please do your own research and weigh up the pros and cons of staying at home v going abroad
Travelling Abroad for Gastric Band Surgery
For me there was absolutely no choice at all I’m afraid. You can see in my previous blog post that I was going to have to wait two years for the operation on the NHS and that wasn’t even a sure thing. I’d gone from being ok’d to being told I had to jump through hoops again. I felt like my choice and my power had been taken; my choice over food never felt like it was there and my power to do something about it had turned into a room full of other overweight people being told off like school children. I wanted to do something for me. We had about £3000 available that was going to go on a new bathroom or a new me. The Viking (hubby) was very supportive and told me it was my choice. I booked the surgery within minutes of getting the money through and I’ve been excited ever since.
The Journey
Getting to the airport was nice and easy because I slept most of it and Mum drove. It took a couple of hours to get to Stansted then we almost breezed through check-in except Mum’s wheelchair flagged up their drug test; something to do with the chemicals they use on the handlebars. Umm, ok, we said and she went and got her make-up done at MAC and gave my card out to the woman with the awesome tattoos. I wasn’t on a pre-op diet but the day of the flight was nil by mouth so at least I was spared the exorbitant Ryanair bottle water prices. We were picked up at the airport by Agness whose car literally came to the door within two minutes of me calling (she’s got a hiding spot nearby, she says, for waiting on clients). Straight to the hospital for my tests. I won’t scare you with stories of the endoscopy but I think I’d have preferred it coming up from the other end. Nevermind, it was over in a few minutes and was the least nice bit of all.
We went to the hotel after that and I had my last meal, pierogies – possibly the most famous Polish dish of all and they were a lovely carby greasy way to say goodbye.
After that a good night’s rest with just a little water and the next day was nil-by-mouth again. I think compared to the NHS everything was just done so much faster and more efficiently. The nurses only had a few patients to look after and the surgeon didn’t have dozens of people to get through (or so it felt). I wasn’t allowed to take photos in the hospital although I did a quick vlog the morning after the op in my group on Facebook.
Please sign up to hear about my weight loss after travelling abroad for gastric band surgery and comment below if you have any questions.
Please note that this blog might contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small reward for referring you at no extra cost to yourself. I only recommend products and services I use myself and love.