Sukhi Singh Lost 13 Stone is Refused Treatment From NHS
Four years ago in August 2011, Sukhvinder Rayat now 44-years-old from Hitchin, had the shock of his life from what he thought were stomach cramps, actually turned out to be a heart attack. It was discovered that Sukhvinder experienced a heart attack due to obesity weighing 29 stone. He was immediately put on emergency medicine, and had to have a splint temporarily placed inside his artery due to the fact that it was being blocked by an alarming 65%.
At this point, the doctors had said that no matter what they do for him, he will need to lose weight. For his own life and for the sake of his family Sukhvinder decided to turn his life around. He went to the local gym and by seeking the help of personal trainer Martin Penny, Sukhvinder was helped on his journey of extreme weight loss since 2011. As well as having a personal trainer, Sukhvinder sought advice from nutritionist Charlotte Burton, who provided him with her experience of encouraging healthy lifestyles.
Not only has this change affected Sukhvinder, but it has also played an influential role on the family. Sukhvinder lives as an extended family, with his wife (Baljit, 39), and two kids (Manmeet, 18, Harkeert, 15), and his mother, older brother (Ranjit) and their children. As a family, everyone has cut out the rich foods, such as ghee, replacing it with rapeseed oil and reducing the amount of rotis (chapatis) eaten on a weekly basis.
“It’s a total change in eating habits rather than a diet” explains Sukhvinder. Cutting out pasties and takeaways and introducing lots more fruit and vegetables was an important move for the weightloss journey.
“Before just walking up the stairs made me feel breathless”.
To date Sukhvinder’s total weight loss is 13 stone.
The current issue Sukhvinder faces from the NHS, is due to the intense weight loss he has a large amount of excess skin. The excess skin is causing several issues, high pressure on to the lower back. This is due to the other issue of the excess skin carrying a lot of weight. The excess skin in total could weigh up to another 2 stone. Thirdly it’s not allowing him to be fully confident with his body, which after all his hard work he should be allowed to feel.
“I can go into normal shops to buy clothes whereas before I had to go to a specialist.”
Sukhvinder says NHS have said that if in the past had he undergone gastric banding they would have provided him with the funding to have the excess skin removed. However due to Sukhvinder putting in all the hard work himself, they will not provide funding for this.
His personal trainer states that the excess weight Sukhvinder is carrying is preventing him from losing any more weight as it is in the way of his training. With the skin removed, it will allow him to further achieve fitter results.
His daughter Manmeet says “It’s important to me firstly because if he didn’t make the change we would have lost our dad! Secondly as it’s so rewarding to see him so happy and proud of his achievements! The changes were hard as it meant that our Iifestyle changed too, though we all pulled together and helped him. His motivation inspires all of us.”
“The NHS should sit up and take notice of this changed man, no longer a drain on services. They should not turn their back on him at the final hurdle” protests trainer Martin Penny.
Here’s a short clip of Sukhvinder Rayat’s story on BBC Look East