A man who lost a staggering 24 stone has told how he now faces paying £40,000 to have his excess skin removed because the NHS will not fund the operation.
Wayne Shepherd, 41, from Little Downham, Cambridgeshire, underwent gastric sleeve surgery which helped him lose 24th weight, going from his highest weight of 35th to 11th today.
The operation involved removing 80 per cent of the stomach to restrict the amount of food he can eat in one sitting.
However, after the operation, Wayne was told he did not qualify to have his excess skin removed on the NHS.
She now faces paying £40,000 to go to a private provider to have the body contouring procedure carried out on her arms, legs and chest.
Wayne Shepherd, 41, from Little Downham, Cambridgeshire, who lost a staggering 24 stone, has told how he now faces paying £40,000 to have the excess skin removed because the NHS will not fund the operation.
Wayne said: “If they had told me before the operation that I would have excess skin, I probably wouldn’t have done it.” Just because I feel better I know I would have to do it again.
‘Excess skin has a big impact on you; I still cover myself, including my chest and arms, because it looks horrible.
‘I’m actually more aware of my body now than I was when I was 30 pounds, and not getting help with that seems pretty ridiculous.
“Many people think that with a gastric sleeve or a bypass you’re taking the easy option, but that’s not the case.”
Wayne said he had problems with binge eating because he was severely bullied as a child and suffered a nervous breakdown when he was ten.
He explained: ‘The binge eating was a comfort to me and continued into adulthood.
‘There has been a lot of trauma in my life: my mother died when I was 18, my father died six years ago and I had previous partners who were ‘feeders’.
‘Throughout my life I have followed a diet like the Slimming World, where I lost eight kilos, but I regained it all.
Wayne said he had problems with binge eating because he was severely bullied as a child and suffered a nervous breakdown when he was ten.
His weight soon plummeted and he lost 24 kilos in less than two years. Now weighing 11 pounds, Wayne has excess skin all over his body.
Wayne’s weight was causing him serious health problems as an adult.
“It got to the point where I couldn’t even walk to the bathroom without getting out of breath and I knew I needed something radical to change my lifestyle, my way of thinking and how I view food.”
Wayne’s weight was causing him serious health problems by the time he reached adulthood.
He suffered from sleep apnea, high blood pressure and relied on a scooter to get around.
At 35 kilos, he knew he needed to change and spent four years on the waiting list for gastric sleeve surgery.
After undergoing treatment including a supervised diet at an obesity clinic at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, he was referred to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
The operation involved removing 80 per cent of the stomach to restrict the amount of food he can eat in one sitting.
Wayne said the way I see myself has gotten a lot worse because of the excess skin.
He said he feels he has been lied to and is fundraising for at least £5,000 to remove excess skin from his arms by going private.
She claimed the NHS told her they do not fund her removal even though a plastic surgery consultant told her it would be before her operation in Portsmouth.
He estimates that removing excess skin from his arms, legs and chest could cost him up to £40,000.
The operation was canceled five times, but on June 8, 2022, Wayne successfully had the gastric sleeve placed.
His weight soon plummeted and he lost 24 kilos in less than two years. Now weighing 11 pounds, Wayne has excess skin all over his body.
She claimed the NHS told her they do not fund her removal even though a plastic surgery consultant told her it would be before her operation in Portsmouth.
Wayne, who has the support of his partner Sarah, 37, has been out of work for ten years due to weight-related health problems, but will start a new job as a taxi driver at the end of the month.
He said he feels like he has been lied to and that he is fundraising for at least £5,000 to remove excess skin from your arms by going private.
He estimates that removing excess skin from his arms, legs and chest could cost him up to £40,000.
Wayne added: ‘One of my main decisions about the operation was that I could have the skin removed.
“Now I feel that I have been lied to or, at least, that I have been misinformed. It has gone from one extreme to another and it has been very difficult for me.
Wayne, who has the support of his partner Sarah, 37, has been out of work for ten years due to weight-related health problems, but will start a new job as a taxi driver at the end of the month.
‘I wear long sleeves whenever I can and I don’t want my partner to see me; In the summer I would love to be able to wear a t-shirt, but I don’t feel like I can.
‘My life has changed dramatically in every aspect. I am grateful for the operation for my new fitness levels and I regained my health.
‘But on the other hand, the way I see myself has gotten a lot worse because of my appearance.
“This excess skin gets in the way of the rest of my life and that shouldn’t be the case.”
A spokesperson for Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust said: “While Mr Shephard’s original gastric sleeve surgery was performed at our hospital, we are not in a position to make any decisions about funding further surgeries.
“That would be a decision for Mr Shephard’s local hospital and the commissioning body in Peterborough.”
A spokesperson for Cambridge and Peterborough Integrated Care System said they did not comment on individual cases.
They added: ‘Body contouring procedures are not routinely funded by the NHS in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
“Exceptional funding may be considered in some circumstances where specific conditions are met, in accordance with our Individual and Exceptional Funding Application policy.”