Coco

Hi Lorraine, Welcome to our thread, good luck with the fill next week. I'm sure once you get to your sweet spot with the fills you will have no probs shifting the excess weight. We are all in the same boat here, some days better than others but with support to and from each other and a whole lot of humour we are all getting there.:wub: Keep posting.:tt2:

Hi All, Hope your all in good form this week. I've had a busy weekend myself and in the midst of it, Saturday night to be exact, I discovered that cranberry & raspberry juice is very very good with Gin. :ohmy: So much so that I've been nursing a hangover all day Sunday.:cheers2: Ailbhe, Just 7 more sleeps for you:w00t: I'll be thinking about you and sending positive vibes your way. You'll be fine, you seem to have everything you need in place. Looking forward to all the news when you get back. Elsie, Well done you, you've made the decision, the rest is easy:lol::wub:. Seriously though, I think you've made the right choice, and after the first couple of fills it generally does get easier. Good luck with the pre op diet, I've heard its not too bad just boring. It will be worth it, apparently it shrinks the liver so that the surgeon has a easier path to the stomach, so definitely worth doing.:eek: Alesha, Congrats on the BMI, you have to set yourself up with a ticker so we can watch with pride as you reach the 25 BMI.:smile: Ellen, Need more info on the Arm lift, how much it costs both in pain and money:lol:

/www.itv.com/Lifestyle/ThisMorning/Health/Remotecontrolweightloss/default.html Hi Girls, Here's the link to the This Morning programme which showed a girl who has lost 9 stone in the past 12months with the remote control gastric band, (Easyband) which is adjusted by remote control instead of a needle and saline.

Hi Lyn2481 I'm not from Northen Ireland I'm from Dublin down South. Delighted to hear you can have the band done in NI. I assume it's been done privately, can you tell me how much they charge up there? Here in Dublin it 11,500. Euro and in Galway it 15,500. Euro. Would be interested to hear how much they charge up there and what kind of aftercare they provide. By the way, there are quite a few of us from several parts of Ireland on the 'Hi from Ireland' thread. You're welcome to join us there if you like.

Hi Princess, Great post, very informitive. It makes the job easier when we have constructive guidelines. :smile: Its not always easy to get the protein in with the band, a lot of people find eating eggs, meat and chicken difficult when they reach their sweet spot. :thumbup: Fish is usually easier but not everyone likes fish. The best advice is to go to your GP twice a year and check your levels of Vitamin/Iron/B12.:hurray:

Hi All, Just a quickie, have any of you checked your PM's? Particularly those of you who haven't posted in a while but check in and out without logging in.:mad:

Hi Ellen, That is expensive, and you're right why would you want to be in for 4 days. Mind you Galway is a lovely part of the country :wink2:. The most important thing to find out is what aftercare you have in the event of a slip. What happens if the band does not work for you, do you have any comeback. In light of whats happening to ACS paitents and the uncertainty we face I would recommend having a written contract informing us of what the payment covers and what aftercare is being offered. At least with ACS they provide yearly checkups on the band. I've not seen that anywhere else, and I was covered when my band slipped. So as far as I'm concerened when these hospitals are offering the band their price has to made up according to the package and if we are being asked to pay huge sums like that just so we don't have to fly to Belgium whats the point. :scared2: Having an experienced surgeon doing your op, finding out what his rate of slippage is and what the aftercare includes, they are the main questions to ask. In my humble opinion.

Hi Girls, you know you need to get your Protein in if you don't want to lose all your hair. So go to the Health Store and get a good Protein Drink I recommend SPIRULINA SOYA PROTEIN DRINK. It can be mixed with slimline milk or juice or Water. Its low on calories and high in protein and Vitamins. You can buy one portion packets in different flavours to find your favorite before you go to the expence of buying a big tin. So that's my tip of the day.:scared2: Some Recipe Ideas:- Barley Pot 2tes spoons veg oil small clove garlic, peeled & chopped small onion peeled and chopped 1 small carrot peeled and diced 2 celery sticks, washed and finely sliced 1 teaspoon Paprika 300mls Veg Stock 200g can chopped tomatoes 20g Pearl Barley washed 1 leek washed, trimmed and finely sliced 1 Parsnip peeled and cubed 175g cauliflower florets 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary Heat the oil and fry the garlic, onion, carrot and celery for 5 mins. Stir in the paprika and continue frying for a further minute. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer gently for about 40 mins or until the vegetables are tender. A really warming filling dish which can be mashed coarsely if your band is tight or if you are on a mushy phase. Puy Lentil Moussaka 375g can Puy lentils 1 lg Aubergine wiped and trimmed 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little extra for brushing 1 small onion peeled & chopped 1 small red pepper thinily sliced, 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tsp dried mixed herbs 50g sun-dried tomatoes drained of oil and finely chopped 350ml bottle passata 50g Cheddar cheese, grated 25g wholemeal breadcrumbs Pour the lentils into a strainer and rinse under cold water. Put to one side. Slice the aubergine into rounds and place under the grill, brush lightly with olive oil, grill until golden turn over and repeat the process. Set the cooked aubergine aside. Heat the oil and gently fry the onion and pepper until soft. Stir in the garlic and turn off the heat. Place half the lentils in the base of an ovenproof dish, top with half the aubergines, half the onion and pepper mixture and half of both the sun dried tomatoes and passata. Repeat the layers. Mix together the cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C or gas mark 4, for about 30minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Serve with a mix leaf salad in an oil and vinegar dressing. You can swap the lentils for minced beef if you like. THINGS TO PUT ON YOUR CRACKERS/RYVITA Hummus 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed sml clove garlic, peeled & crushed 4 tablespoons of Tahini (sesame-seed paste) Juice of half a lemon A little greek yogurt Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Enjoy. Avocado & Cottage Cheese 1 medium sized ripe avocado 100g cottage cheese Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, and place the flesh in the bowl of a food processor. Add the cottage cheese. Blend until smooth. Butterbean Spread 200g can butterbeans, drained and rinsed, 2 tomatoes skinned, salt & pepper Place the drained butterbeans in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds, chop the flesh and add the tomato to the butterbeans and blend to a smooth puree. Season to taste. Fresh corriander or parsley tastes good in this too. Tuna/Salmon/Egg Mayo Salad Sm can Tuna or Salmon or 1 Hard Boiled Egg mashed 2 Spring Onions (Scallions) washed and sliced 1 Tomato Skinned Seeded and Chopped Finely chopped lettus leaves of your choice 1 tablespoon of Low Fat Mayo Salt & Pepper to taste In a bowl mix together your tuna or salmon or egg add the other ingredients and mix together adding salt and pepper to taste. Fresh herbs like corriander/parsley added are really nice also. Boursin & Bean Slices 2 Tbsp Boursin Cheese, 2 tbsp canned red kidney beans/mixed Beans, rinsed drained and mashed with a fork. Mix together the Boursin Cheese and the mashed beans. Spread evenly over the slices of ryvita/crackers. Sweet Treats Peanut Butter and Banana/Jam Spread 1 tbsp Peanut butter on a Ryvita or Cracker top with mashed banana or Jam. Enjoy. Cream Cheese and Honey Spread 1 tbsp Phillidelphia Low Fat Cheese on Ryvita/Cracker top with Honey. _:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

Hi PrincessLK, Congratulations on your first PB:lol::wink2: Gross I know but at least you know that you're on your way. Welcome to the losing side:biggrin::scared2:.

Hi Elsie, Wow, that's great news to hear about the Beacon doing the band, but you're right the aftercare is very very important. I don't like the sound of this "not quite 100% sure" about the repairing of a slip. At the end of the day any qualified surgeon can do the op and until we choose one and have it done really its in the lap of the Gods which one is best. In my humble opinion I would seriously consider Belgium, if you have more questions for Dr Bruyne, based on the meeting up in the Beacon, get back on to Belgium and get your questions answered. At the end of the day if you have to fork out for the repair of a slip it will be a damn sight cheaper in Belgium. Everyone puts so much effort into checking out the operation (me included) but at the end of the day its the aftercare thats equally important. Also, you are very young, what about when and if you want to have children, will they charge you to defill you and then refill you after the baby is born? If so will it be the same rate as new patients or will you have some sort of discount as you're a returning customer so to speak. These are all things to take into consideration. At the end of the day the hospitals and dr's are doing it for the money. Choose wisely and good luck with your decision.

Hi Kermit, Delighted to hear you're at your sweet spot. As you have found out its not all fun and games in the beginning,:thumbup: but it is just another learning curve with the band, the most important thing to remember is to stick with it, don't go for band friendly foods, ie. mushies/soft foods. You will lose more weight if you learn to live with your band and that is simply eating normal foods (though bread is a gonner) and chew and chew and chew some more. Wait till the first spoonfull goes right down, not just down your neck, before you take the next spoonfull, this will avoid PB's and sliming, I'm a vegetarian though I do eat fish sometimes, but I have heard that eating meat and chicken can be difficult when you reach your sweet spot. Mincing your meat can help but avoid putting caloire laden sauces to ease the passage of meat. By all means use a sauce but just check the calories first. My band is also much tighter in the mornings, and to be truthful sometimes its all I can do to get a latte or tea down me. For a healthier breakfast, try some Innocent Smoothies (currently on offer in Tesco/Dunnes 33% off vg value:biggrin2:) which you can mix with some natural yogurt. That way you're getting your fruit and dairy into you at one meal, and its easy to sip away at while you're getting ready for the day. For a take to work lunch ryvita crackers with a filling of maybe tuna/egg mayonnaise but finely chop up some tomato and spring onions and add to the mayo, you could also have a mug of soup to start your lunch this is a really warming and fill you up lunch which is low carb and should keep your sugar levels even till dinner. Don't underestimate how filling a cup of milky coffee (low fat milk) can be when you are very hungry and need some time to prepare something, its been the saving grace for me on many a day. Good luck and continued success to you.:eek:

Hi Paulina First things first, the band is not an instant fix, usually our sweet spot is attained at between 4 and 5 mls. Secondly, GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK, there is a lot to get our head round when we have the band done, before the op its all about the worry about the anesthetic, will we survive the op, how much will we be able to eat after the op. etc.:eek: Then we come through the op and we have our nearest and dearest watching every morsel of food we're eating asking how much have you lost etc.:thumbup: Well you know what its not instant, its long term, our heads need the same adjustment as our stomachs, it took me three months to get my head around what I'd done to my stomach. Take all the time you need, and know that once you're at your sweet spot and you're losing regularly, those same people will be telling you that your losing too much:lol:. Try not to be over anxious, if joining curves is something you'll enjoy then do it. Its always a good idea to plan your meals when you don't live the conventional 9-5 lifestyle. Try to eat the same meals as everyone else in the house, remember to chew and chew and chew, put your portion on a side plate, if you want more after 10mins then have more but until you reach your sweet spot the weight loss will be sporadic. Although exercise always helps. The idea that Lu has of eating a big breakfast a medium lunch and a small dinner is good for people who work 9-5 otherwise its not really practical, the idea of the band is to restrict the quantity of food we eat so its not always easy to eat a big breakfast, in my case my band is always tighter in the morning than it is in the afternoon and evening. For the most part you can pick up some tips from sites like this and from Lu but really I think its a lot of trial and error, once you get there though, it fab. Good luck and keep posting.:eek:

Hey Roe, And what a lovely ticker it is too.:eek:Congrats on the weight loss, continued success to you.:eek:

Hi Roe, this might help you.For the Ticker Factory: go in and create your own ticker (be sure to remember your password!) At the end, highlight everything in the top box (the bb: box), right click and hit Copy. Then come into this site and go to Edit Signature on the right. Left click in the big box. Then right click and hit Paste. You should see your ticker appear. Be sure to go to the bottom of the page and click on Save Signature. When it comes back, you'll see your ticker at the top of the page. (Then to change it, all you have to do is to double click on the one at the top of the page)... To Anyone out there doing the milk diet in preparation for the op, or on liquids for the 24/48hrs after a fill, listen up: TESCO ARE DOING SLIMFAST PRODUCTS BOGOF. To Nikkie Yeah at my consultation with Debbie I asked what exactly did the 10K cover and she told me it covered everything for the life of the band. I asked what would happen if I had a slip or for some reason the band had to be removed, she said I was covered. I asked how long the band would last and I was told forever. In uncomplicated cases we have the band fitted, go for a few fills and see the dr monthly for the first three months then two/three monthly and then all going well once a year to check all is well. Now what I didn't ask was, if I decide to get pregnant a few years into the band will you charge me to defill and then charge me to fill it up again after the baby is born. I would imagine that I would have to pay for that because that is out of ACS's control. Most of us unless we had a problem with the band/port/fills whatever, would be finished with fills within the first year and would just need the follow up yearly checks. So maybe that's where the confusion is. I mean it's not anyone's fault if the band slips and needs to be sorted, it happens to 2% of banded people and I'm sure all providers take this into consideration when they are pricing their package in the first place. So anyone going abroad for the cheaper option should check what their package includes and for how long.:biggrin:

Hi Sotired, Hate to be the bearer of bad news but loughlinstown, to date, don't do the band, they do the Gastric By Pass. Although that may change in the future. Unfortunately their waiting list is so long that they treat the most urgent cases first, in my case I was waiting almost 4years to get to see them, by that time I had had the band done privately. If you can raise the cash you may well be better to have it done privately there is lots of info on this and other web sites to aid your decision. Good luck.

Hi Emerald, Well done you, keep up the good fight. You're winning.

Hi Kermit Great to hear of your restriction at last. Remember to eat normal foods, no band friendly ones :eek:. Eat slowly and chew loads and you'll see the needle on that scales drop like nobody's business.:biggrin: Also, if we had willpower (which is hugely overrated in my opinion) we wouldn't have had the op.

Hi Ellen Well done on the weight loss :biggrin:. I'm very impressed with the treadmill work, not being able to stick to any regular sort of exercise myself. Delighted to hear that you found that surgeon in Galway at last, I heard at least 8mths ago that someone in Galway was doing the surgery, so at last the mystery is solved. I assume he's doing it privately. Any information you can get and pass on to us here will be great. There is a lot of concern among ACS's WLS patients, me included, even though I haven't had any reason to complain about my treatment there, I'm concerned about the amount of people I'm hearing who have very valid reason to complain. Its got to the stage that I'm beginning to feel that I'm lucky not to have complaint, its a difficult one to call because generally the people who have had the op and have no complaints and are losing weight without incident, don't frequent these sites as often as those of us who are struggling, need support or have complaint. I wish ACS would get their finger out and invite all their WLS patients to an information evening to let us know whats going on about the aftercare we were promised, who we will see and how qualified they are to do the aftercare. We should also have a 24hr 365 day emergency telephone number. I for one would love to have the chance to meet all of the WLS patients those with and without difficulties so we can decide for ourselves whether we have cause to be worried and concerned about ACS. It can't be that difficult to organise and I'm sure they would have a 100% turnout. Maybe I'm being naive in thinking that ACS should do something like this but having paid 10K for the op and the aftercare for the life of the band I don't think its too much to ask.

Hi All, Glad to hear things are not as bad as they first seemed. Hope you are all doing well now. I phoned Fitzwilliam clinic the other day to get an appointment this weekend with Lu and I was told that I had to make the appointment through Owenstown even though I would be having the appointment in Fitzwilliam. The girl on the phoned said she didn't know why or who had changed things around. I said no probs I have their number I'll phone them, I did and the guy who answered the phone in Owenstown said oh you'll have to phone Fitzwilliams if you want to see Lu, I explained that I had and that they told me the appointment had to be made through Owenstown, he transfered me to another person and this girl seemed to know what was going on. I was suprised that I couldn't get an appointment this weekend and they only had one appointment left next Saturday so I took that one. It seems like Lu is very busy.

:lol:Hey Paulina, Glad to see your sense of humor is still intact. I'm sorry to hear about your infection, but there has been a couple of cases that I've heard of, there is an infection that is very hard to get rid of without the correct antibiotics so make sure that you get a swab done to decide the exact name of the infection so that you can get the correct antibiotics. In the two cases I've heard of both of the women had their ports removed the infection cleared and then the ports are put back in. Both are patients of ACS.:tongue::frown: By the way, when you went to your gp and the hospital, how did they react to you, are you going private or were you covered with the HSE? I ask because I know the Private Cosmetic Consultants don't rate ACS at all, and it would be good to know we had another choice of aftercare in the event of a problem arising and not being happy with ACS. To Everyone who has be kind enough to enquire about my recovery from the V.V. op, well I'm glad to say that I'm recovering very well now. Back driving, doing a 40min walk in the mornings:closedeyes: I'll be getting my halo soon.. Yesterday I had the task of removing the steri strips from my legs in the bath. Enjoyed the bath but was amazed at the amount of strips I had to remove and the bruising....... well too much info I think.:wink2:But thank you all for asking. :biggrin:

Hi Elsie, My last post covers what you wanted to know. People recover at different rates some people are back to work within a day or two some take longer, in my case, I felt 100% two weeks later, I was up and about in the first couple of days but I was sore. I'm looking forward to hearing how the meeting with Dr DeBruyne goes, and I'm dying to know if they will see paitents that they haven't banded. While I was in Loughinstown having the VV done, I was speaking to some of the nurses about the band, they do the bypass on HSE there, none of them knew about the band and were facinated by it. When I came back from the op they told me that they had a lecture that day about the lap band and that they had held it in their hand and were able to say that they had met a woman who had it done. It was just a coincidence that I was there that day, but its nice to know that more and more medical people are getting to know it. One day it may well be availabe through the HSE for anyone.

Hi Ailbhe, I didn't go on a pre-op diet I was just told no alcahol for 48hrs before the op. It would depend on your bmi if you are above 45 it might be useful to go on the milk diet for a couple of weeks before surgery, what this does is it reduces your liver size and makes it easier for the surgeon to access your stomach. As for the last supper, there is no such thing, for the first week it will be difficult to eat (in my case the first three days:redface:), you will be able to eat fairly normally once the swelling starts to come down, and thats within the first week. I was told to eat a lot of protein in the first week post surgery, to aid healing. This was achieved by eating yogurts, low fat custard, rice puddings and slim fast or any good protein drink. It wasn't difficult to do this as I didn't really feel like proper food although as I said earlier I did have a few sneaky dips into my hubby's plate from about day three. This is the week when you will have your optimum weight loss. And in most cases it stays off and some people will even lose a little bit more before their first post op app. For most people and you just have to look back on this thread, we are begging for a fill by the first appointment. So don't worry about "the last supper" there is'nt one.:tongue: Stock up on some low fat custard and rice pudding portions and some soup and protein drinks and also yogurts. Make things easy for yourself for the first week post op by having little or nothing to do. Accept any help thats offered and take it easy. The best of luck and do keep posting.:smile:

Hi Lulabelle, Welcome to the site and our thread. Not from up north, but have been banded and as an ex volume eater (thanks to the band), want to let you know that you've made the right decision. The mistake most of us make is that we think that as soon as the band is inside us that we will magically lose the weight without any input from us. Well, I hate to burst the bubble, but, it takes time. After the op you will lose a lot in the first week, for me it was 9lbs. But that was it for the next 4 weeks. It takes up to six weeks for the swelling to go down and for the band to settle in place. You won't be offered a fill for between 4-6 weeks after the band op. After that it usually takes between 3 and 4 fills before we start to lose weight regularly, ie. every week. The band is fantastic. No doubt about it. I can eat a small amount of food and feel full for ages. It took me a while to get rid of the head hunger, and that still comes back to haunt me sometimes, but my band won't let me feed the head hunger if I try I will throw it up. Another secret is to learn how to eat slowly, I used to inhale my food and the band won't let me do that, I must chew chew and chew and then put the fork down between mouthfulls. Usually after 3/4 mouthfulls I will stop eating for up to 10 mins and then start again slowly. It has changed my eating habits and having my band with me all the time makes sure that life doesn't get in the way of my eating and no matter how I'm feeling I never overeat. I wish you lots of success with your band and keep posting and let us know how your doing.:wink2:

Hey Roe, Thanks for the kind words, I feeling fine now. I think you should be getting pretty close to your sweet spot with this fill. Just remember to eat normal foods and chew chew and chew and then chew some more. Give yourself a few minutes between spoonfulls if you want to prevent PB's and sliming. Its hard at first but you'll soon get used to it. Good luck.

Hey Alesha, Well done you, I'm delighted you joined the gym you will be a right stunner at this wedding of yours. Of course since my VV op I'm restricted from exercising for at least 4 weeks:rolleyes:, although that doesn't include walking so I might try some of that:lol: Congrats on the weight loss, hope it continues.