'I’m 40 stone and trapped in my home… but NHS says I don't qualify for weight-loss jabs'
Despite having a BMI more than three times the "healthy weight range", she is unable to get the weight-loss medication on the NHS.
A 40-stone woman has told LBC of her devastation after she was told she is ineligible for a "miracle" weight loss jab.
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Abigail Kenny, 46, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, has a BMI of 90 - more than three times the "healthy weight range", which is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Abigail admitted that the struggles with her weight, which have left her housebound, make her "wish she was dead sometimes".
During a previous prolonged hospital stay, Abigail had wanted to go ahead with weight-loss surgery but was told her BMI was too high for the procedure to be carried out safely. While in the hospital, she was briefly given GLP1/Mounjaro to help manage her weight.
“Mounjaro, that was the gold standard I was using,” she told LBC. "I had no side effects to it all and I could feel it working.”
Read more: Rapid weight loss more effective than losing it gradually, new study suggests
She has previously self-funded but says she had to stop when price hikes made the jabs unaffordable.
“The first time it was like £100. I found it was working but then it would get more expensive, to £200 possibly even more.”
Under current guidelines, Abigail does not qualify for her injections to be funded by the NHS.
Patients are only eligible for Mounjaro on the NHS if they have a BMI of over 40 - which is less than half of Abigail's BMI - and have at least four of the following conditions: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, abnormal blood fats.
As Abigail only has two of these health conditions, she was told she was not eligible to continue the treatment when she left the hospital.
She was also under the bariatric services at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust. After conversations about the process and potential impacts, she told them she didn’t feel she could go through with it, and so she was discharged from their services.
“I just don’t feel mentally ready to have weight loss surgery at the minute,” she explained. "The trust told me the side effects can increase the suicidal risk. That’s what put me off. I already feel like this so what would I feel like after surgery?”
Now housebound, Abigail is pleading for someone to help.
“I hate it. I can't stop eating even though I know it’s killing me. It’s an addiction. I can’t stop it, so why won’t the NHS fund the GLP1/Mounjaro?
“I’ve tried to get weight loss help before in the community, but I’ve even been told I’m too heavy for that. I’m on PIP and Universal Credit but I used to work. I want to be able to work again."
Spokespeople for both Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust told LBC that they only prescribe Mounjaro to those who meet national eligibility criteria.
Through her GP, Abigail has applied for funding to NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board for the GLP1 weight loss jabs.
A spokesperson for the ICB said they cannot comment on individual cases, but added support for patients affected by severe obesity is "complex and involves a range dietetic, psychological and physiotherapy services".
It begs the question if someone like Abigail can’t qualify for a weightless jab like Mounjaro on the NHS then how much of a barrier to access is there?
According to NHS England, “There will be a phased approach to service rollout within primary care settings (for example, GP practices), and initially Mounjaro will only be available on the NHS to those with the highest clinical need."
But for Abigail, she’s living with daily struggle now.
Speaking through the tears, she told LBC: “I’ve got a lot of issues, I’ve got a lot of trauma. I’m not blaming that, there’s not really an excuse to be like this.
"I kind of wish I was dead sometimes. It’s really sad because sometimes I don’t want to live, I don't want to be like this. This is not a life, it’s an existence.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Obesity drugs can greatly benefit those in real need, but they are licensed, prescription-only medicines and should only be used by people who are eligible, under medical supervision.
“We are determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them - not just those who can afford to pay – as we tackle obesity.”
If you’re struggling with issues around mental health and weight, you can reach out to these charities.