Cadence121

Hi All,

This time next week I'll be in Belgium, awaiting surgery. I'm a bit worried though - Frederik said I should follow a 2 week 'low-fat' diet, so I just started eating healthier foods, but haven't really been calorie counting or anything. And I'm eating a lot of carbs.

However, the real problem is that I got panicky at the weekend and stuffed myself with absolute garbage (pizza, chocolate ice cream etc). So - did anyone cheat on their pre-op diet? (I plan to make up for it this week), and is there any recommendation on what diet to follow? I see a whole bunch of people on liquid diets PRE op.

Have I put myself at risk? I know it sounds like I have NO self-control at all, but I have managed to successfully follow diets in the ast, I think it's all the 'after surgery you can't' got into my head and I went a bit nuts.

I'm getting really worried, and waking up thining 'what am I doing??'

R

Thanks wannabe! I'm booked for 18th October...I'm so glad I found this forum - people seem to be very supportive and it's a great source of information. )

Oh wow. I know everyone reacts in diferent ways, but since I booked my surgery it seems like all I'm hearing of is people having really bad experiences. Is it really worth it? I hope you're feeling better blondynurse! Sounds really traumatic you poor thing.

Yes Ellen - I've bitten the bullet. Paid my deposit today....argh!!!!

Wannabe - thanks for the words of encouragement! I think I have a friend coming with me (she's letting me know this evening). I don't think she's fully supportive of it, but she doesn't want me to go by myself either.

I can't quite tell if I'm excited or just plain freaked out about this. I finish my contract with work on the 14th, then flying to Belgium on the 17th? It's all so sudden. I guess it'll keep my mind off not having a job though!

Hi All,

I'm booked in for 18th with Dr Chris. Still very scared, but really hopeful too. I know it's not a quick fix, but I'm hoping it will give me a helping hand to get myself on track.

Terrified!

R

Hey Ellen,

Sorry for the delay, have been in London for the past week!

I'm based in Dublin, so the fills would be nice and handy. I really just need to bite the bullet and book at this stage I think. I'm falling into a scary habit of eating all around me based on the fact I won't be able to when I get the band (arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!) - lol. I'm a nightmare!

Thanks so, so much for sharing your story with me.

Did you get any trouble with loose skin by the way? You lost it so quickly!

I'm so nervous still - and I'm out of a job in a couple of weeks which isn't helping my stress levels. Urgh.

Where are you located Cadence?

if you are in Ireland / Dublin you probably know fills are available in Dublin.

On the money side, remember you will save on food quantities in the long term- you will eat little more than a mouse or a Frenchwoman! (only joking), you'll be able to find nice clothes more cheaply....

Seriously though, waking up and putting on the kind of clothes you like to wear (rather than the 2 things in the house that fit) is great, getting admiring glances on a regular basis is great, the house can wait if needs be!

And why should you worry about friends thinking you vain for wanting to lose weight? Number one, you shouldn't tell them (it's private - I told only one person) and number two, its perfectly natural for young women to value their appearance and their health. I remember once starting to justify to an elderly aunt of mine spending money on something for me (cant remember was it clothes or some anti aging procedure or what) rather than investing is something else big for the house, and she interrupted me saying "Ellen, dont you realise your appearance is much more important than things for the house?". A n80 year old telling me it was right and proper to value my appearance - not even using the figleaf of health benefits!!!!

I'd never quite looked at it that way before but of course she was absolutely correct.

Not wanting to scare you or anything, but part of the reason I went ahead with the op when I reached 14 stone was because as you get older it becomes even harder to lose weight thatn at 20-30 (your metabolism slows way down) and I was afraid the 14 would gradually become 15 and 17 and ......

I went to the UK alone for the op, no bother at all, had it done on a saturday, flew home on Monday and back to work on Tuesday. No issues at all.

Good luck!

Hi Ellen!

Thanks so, so much for your reply. Your story is absolutely incredible, and it's great to hear you had so much success - I feel so much better having heard your story. The yoyo-ing up and down is so soul destroying - it's so bananas! I KNOW I feel better when I lose weight...and yet somehow can't break the binging/overeating cycle!

Wow...I think I'm really going to do this. My contract at work finishes mid-October...so I think I'll try and get an appointment for that week. I'll be broke...but hopefully losing weight!

Thanks Ellen!!!!

Hi Cadence, Im Ellen from Galway

Had the band 'installed' in the UK in Sept 2007 - 4 years ago. Am 5'5" weighed a little over 14 stone so about the same as yourself. Had done the dieting thing for years (I'm in my early forties) and just couldn't control my weight in any long term way. Felt slightly guilty but back then we all thought the money would keep growing on trees! Anyway I spent 8K stirling on the band in the UK back then - didnt know about C De B's existence at the time. Anyway to cut a long story short, it was the best thing Ive ever done and it would have been worth it at 80K!. lost the weight in less that 6 months and now hover around the 10 stone 7 mark. You are too young to waste years being overweight, my advice is Go for it. There will always be houses to buy, but your health and your appearance are to be nurtured. its possible Im sure to conquer the weight thing without intervention but in my experience most of us dont succeed without help in the long term because the habit of overeating is hard to break and its usually a well established pattern before we start feeling ready to accept the need for help.... and that's what the band is - a little bit of help.

From what I have read about CdeB he seems very good. I have gone to him in Belgium for x rays etc when I was over there even tho he didnt do my surgery. He is very very experienced and that is good. Also at 14 stone you are not a high risk case.

Very best of luck if you do go for it!

Ellen

Hi All!

I'm very close to booking with Dr Chris De Bruyne to get the lap band. I'm really nervous though, and randomly feel very guilty (I've been trying to save for a housing deposit...and getting the surgery will blow half of my savings).

I don't have much of a support network, and those I do have would not be supportive of surgery - and that's kinda of scaring me.

I'm 5ft 5, 30 years old and approx 14 stone. I have avoided having my photo taken for years (apart from a brief spell at college when i went from a size 20 to a size 14....but it all crept back on over the following 2 years), and I'm always putting off doing things 'until I'm slim'. I haven't been slim since I was 10 years of age!

I'd love to hear how some of you are getting on now. The forum for Ireland looks very quiet......Anyone from Ireland banded by Dr Chris?

I had found a website touting Dr Chris, but when they contacted me they said they wouldn't work with him. Turns out it was Tullia Law (who is STILL emailing me despite me saying I wouldn't be going ahead) - I have seen some negative press about her on here. In the end I contacted Dr Chris and Frederk directly.

Argh I'm so scared! I've seen people have traveelled over alone, which if I go ahead is what I'll do....definitely nervous about it though!

Would love to hear back from you guys in Dublin/Ireland about how things are going....

Hi Yoyo,

I'm in the same boat - trying to make the decision is really scary isn't it? I'm scared or judgement from family and friends, but I've struggled with my weight since I was 11. I'm now finding that I'm very stiff in the mornings. I put off doing anything fun etc because I'm always mentally saying 'I'll do it when I'm slim'. I've never been slim!

I think there seems to be amazing support on this site, and reading all the different forums is definitely moving me towards getting it done! I think the other posters are bang on, it's got to be a decision that makes you happy!

Very best of luck...maybe I'll see you on here again and we'll both be newly banded!

)

I'm new to this site and am in the decision phase of surgery. I've been overweight all my life. I'm at my heaviest (190) right now, but have been up and down from 140 on up. But, now I'm having medical problems such as high blood pressure, high cholestrol, and am a borderline diabetic. My family has a history of weight problems and all the medical problems to go with it. They have resigned to the fact that this lifestyle is "just the way it is", but i hate feeling like this and am trying to omit myself from this cycle. After being diagnosed with the health problems, I was referred by my dr to have the surgery. I'm very scared and reluctant about regretting the surgery and being sick all the time. I'm very outgoing and don't want this interferring or limiting me in my activities. I also don't want to talk to my family about it, because I don't want them to feel like I'm shaming the way they are (they don't believe in surgery). I live out of state and just want to do this on my own terms without anyone discouraging me. I've got my first appointment next month and feel alone and scared in making this decision.

Thanks very much for the reply. Frederik recommended I book a consultation with Dr Chris so that my mind could be put at ease.

Told one friend yesterday that I was thinking about it, and she wasn't very supportive at all. It's so tough to know what's right!

Ok...so I'm looking into this whole gastric band thing, and I'm completely terrified. I'm 5 ft 5, approx 14 stone. and 30 years of age. I've been overweight since I was 11. I once lost 4.5 stone and maintained for over a year, but gradually it came back.

It looks like Dr Chris has some great feedback, so I think if I go ahead, he looks like a solid choice. I have been in touch with himself and Frederick, and I need to fill out the hospital form. I had previously enquired with another company who had Dr Chris mentioned on their website, but when they followed up on my enquiry they said they don't work with him. They also seemed very pushy so I backed right off.

If someone could help me with some questions, I'd really, really appreciate it. As much as the pros seem amazing, the down sides are really making me nervous! I'm going to throw out some questions, and I would really appreciate any input from personal experience!

1. I've heard that meats, breads and pastas are very difficult to eat after banding...in which case, what on earth do people survive on? I can't eat fish, it makes me feel ill! Is it mainly vegetarian diets?

2. I'm most definitely, absolutely, positively an emotional eater and I guess a food addict. I quit alcohol a year ago (not good for me at all), and smoking earlier this year. Seeing as I clearly have an addictive personality, I'm very worried that removing the food addiction by force may end up in a brand spanking new addiction rising....anyone found other compulsive areas arising post-band? I know that's very personal, so you obviously don't need to answer on the boards!

3. Is PBing really as terrible as it sounds? How can you avoid it? Do you have time to get out of company before everything comes back up?

4. I had heard of an increase in complications after 5 years -anyone know if this is true?

5. The port - can you feel it? As in, if you touch the skin over where it is, can you feel the port? Or can you feel it moving around in there? Do the fills hurt?

6. Has anyone regretted getting the band fitted? If I go ahead, I'll be using money I was supposed to be saving for a housing deposit....I feel enormous guilt at the thought of that...and I'm scared to tell my family as I think they'll judge me as vain.

Any advice at all on the above would be much valued. And feedback on Dr Chris and the team from personal experience would be great!

R