Easter 2011

Was in Greece. My relative took me to see my surgeon for a refill. He gave me 1.5 mls. Got home, burped a lot, and in the night I began having reflux which kept me awake. Got in touch, he said take omeprazole (Losec) and come see me if it doesn't go away. Having no one who could drive me to the hospital and not really being able to afford the taxi fares, I waited for a few days and in the end my friend Dafni drove me there to have a negative adjustment. The surgeon told me he was going to take out 1.5 mls. I argued that this is what he had filled the band with and he said 'no, I had given you 2 mls actually.'

This made me so angry! Why would he do this when all medical literature suggests that adjustments have to be small and gradual? Of course I would have had reflux! But you don't know the rest of the story. When I complained of the reflux, he told me the band must have slipped, come have a gastroscopy (which translates to money). I refused. Then he said that I really ought to have a sleeve gastrectomy (because that is the operation that is fashionable at the moment and of course it would bring him loads of money.)

Anyway, back in the UK now and I can eat as much as I used to eat because in actual fact he's taken away all the fluid he had injected, no matter what he is saying. If he had left me with 0.5 ml, I'd feel the restriction, but I have no restriction.

I was taken for a fool so many times! They don't care about me as a person and my health and happiness. All they care about is money. They are ruthless. I know for a fact that a sleeve gastrectomy would not work on me and it has too many risks to make it the option of choice.

Don't really have much hope for the future. I am meeting a specialist in eating disorders at a hospital in London in June. But time is not on my side.