Never Again . . . Never Again . . .

Those who know me personally, or perhaps even some veteran followers of my website, may remember that way back in the year 2000, as a seriously overweight person, I had a gastric band fitted to my stomach. For those who don't know what that is - it's a sort of clamp, with a tube attached, that is fitted around the stomach drawing it in to a sort of egg-timer shape. The idea being to restrict the amount of food one can eat at any one sitting, and to control the rate of discharge into the lower part of the stomach. Thereby inducing rapid and considerable permanent weight-loss. 

For me it worked fine. Given the state I was in, physically, and mentally, I genuinely believe I owe my life to this wonderful device. I'm convinced that I wouldn't be here now, if it wasn't for having had this done. I will be forever grateful to the surgeon back in Hull, Mr Christopher Royston who carried out the procedure.

Well, 11 years on, and suddenly, without explanation, without dieting, or exercising, I begin to loose weight again. Probably as much as 25 pounds, (11kg) or more. For a guy of my age, (59), that sets off all kinds of alarm bells in the head.   

(Just Google "unexplained weight loss", and read some of the possible causes, it's scary!!).  

Anyway, after having blood tests done, my GP referred me to the local hospital, where I was to have a Gastroscopy procedure. They wanted to take a look inside my stomach, to see what was going on. My appointment was last night.

I have to say; Undergoing this procedure was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most traumatic and unpleasant thing I have ever experienced in my entire life!!

Everything was explained to me beforehand, I was offered the option of sedation, should I not be able to cope with just having the throat spray. I have nothing but praise for the people at the Royal Hospital Liverpool, for the way I was dealt with and looked after. 

But dear reader, absolutley NOTHING could have prepared me for the ordeal I was about to endure.

Photo: http://www.gastroscopy.org.uk/

I was gagging, wretching, choking, coughing, puking, and couldn't breathe. I think at some stage, I started to cry from the ordeal.  I wouldn't say it was particularly painful, but boy, was it damned unpleasant, and extremely uncomforable. At one point, I started to feel as though I wasn't going to come through it, and I remember starting to worry about what was going to happen to my poor little cat.

One of the things I do remember was seeing this tube thing coming towards my face. There were brilliant pin-points of multi coloured light shining from the end of it, like tiny car head-lights.

Photo: http://www.gastroscopy.org.uk/

It put me in mind of might happen to these people who claim that they have been abducted by aliens.

I guess the whole thing was over in 7 or 8 minutes, but at the time it seemed like forever, I remember pleading with the guy to "hurry up, hurry up take it it out". God knows what sort of an exhibition I was making of myself, but they were very nice about it, and gave me a cup of tea when it was finally over.

Apparently, I have a hiatus hernia. Which means that part of the stomach has encroached through the diaphragm, but they don't think it's serious enough to worry about.  Sorry guys, but it sounds serious enough to me.

I still have to wait for the results of the biopsy tests on the samples they took, and I'm waiting to have a CAT scan done before they decide what to to with me.  At the moment, they are saying the most likely outcome is that the gastric band will need adjusting down a little.

After living with a gastric band for over 11 years now, I think I can safely say I could have told them that myself, if they'd have asked me.

And with regard to last night's ordeal, all I can say is:

"Never again . . . Never Again . . ."