Elsie

Hi Emmage, Welcome to lapbandtalk. I went to the Beacon for a consult early last year. I had already been thinking of going to Belgium but when I said this to my GP she wanted me to have it done in Ireland so I went along. It seems like a very good set-up they have there. It is more like what the american bandsters describe on here i.e. you meet the surgeon, the nurse, the dietician and the psychologist. My decision came down to the Beacon and Dr. Chris DeBruyne in Belgium. In the end I decided to go with Dr. Chris for a couple of reasons. I did some research and couldn't find any info on the surgeon in the Beacon, I found a lot on Dr. Chris which was all very positive and I met him in Dublin as well (there is aftercare in Dublin once a month). The cost was a major factor as well. It cost 3400 plus flights/hotel/fills with Dr. Chris versus 11500 with the Beacon. The final decision was made when I asked at the Beacon that if anything went wrong and I needed a re-operation would it be covered by the original cost. The answer was the surgeon would do all possible but the decision was up to the hospital. There wasnt a definite yes so I couldnt take the chance as I couldnt afford to pay out any more. So I went to Belgium and have no complaints about the experience/aftercare. There is a girl on the Hi from Ireland thread that had the op in the Beacon but I cant remember her name off hand. Let me know if you have any more questions. Elsie

Hi Everyone. Hope everyone has a great Christmas and Best Wishes for a skinnier 2009. Elsie Hi carebear. Welcome to band land. Hopefully the worst of the post-op pain is gone for you now. If you have any specific questions please feel free to PM me.

Hi Bubble, I also went to Belgium and was banded by Dr. Chris DeBruyne. I am happy with my choice. He comes to Dublin once a month for fills which are eur120.00. I would recommend going direct through his website www.obesity-assist.co.uk . If you have questions for him, he is very quick to get back to you. If you have any questions please feel free to PM me. The cost is from 3400 plus hotels, flights etc. Elsie

Hi Everyone, I have a fill tomorrow at 9.50. I will pop into Larry Murphys after if anyone is around. Some of you have my number so just give me a buzz if your looking to meet up. Edel: Welcome back. Glad your doing well. That port pain gets better everyday!! Ailbhe: Its good to hear you so positive. Even though we do this for ourselves, to feel better and be healthy, it is great when people notice. Other people have noticed my weight loss. I feel it in my clothes but cant see it at all really when I look in a mirror. I cant believe it is nearly six months already. Over 50lbs is just amazing isnt it. Well done, its brilliant. Elsie

Hi Everyone, I hope everyone is doing well. I haven’t been able to post in a little while. I was due for a fill two weeks ago but unfortunately they were cancelled due to flight cancellations. He will be back next week so all is not lost. :scared2: Roe: Sorry I didn’t get to meet you. Hope the next fill goes ahead with no problem for you. Edel: Hope your feeling ok after your surgery today. Pop in and let us know how you got on. Gerri: Did you ever hear back from Obesity Solutions about taking over your aftercare? Ailbhe: Nice to hear you met someone new. Hows that going? How is the little one, the poor little thing? Has she cheered up at all? Magna/Terry: I might see you next Thurs at the fills. I haven’t made an appointment yet as I wasn’t sure about time off work. Terry, I know you text me what time your appointment was but I deleted the text and cant remember. What time is your appointment. Coco/Gerri: Good luck getting your medical records back. I don’t envy you though. :cursing: Flirtylass: Welcome. I replied to your other thread about the Beacon. Have a great bank holiday weekend everyone. Hope the sun comes out. Elsie

Hi Alesha I'm always up for a meet up, well work permitting. I still have to see your wedding photos. There will prob be a few of us in town on Thursday morning for fills. I think Terry will be there as well. Off course most of us will be Belgian Bandsters so wont be moaning about ACS. But we will listen to you though:lol: If you cant make Thurs we can organise another saturday out in Bewleys or Dundrum. Elsie

Hi Flirtylass Welcome to Lapbandtalk. I went for a consultation in the Beacon clinic with Mr. Stuart. I have to say I was impressed with the set up. The consultation was fairly lenghty i.e. speak to nurse, nutritionist, surgeon, psych. etc. If you decide to go with them I would imagine the aftercare would be excellent. In the end I went to Belgium to be banded. I had already done my research and decided on Dr. DeBruyne in Belgium. My GP recommended I have it done in Ireland and organised the consultation with the Beacon so I went along because I would have prefered to have it here too. However what decided it for me was when I asked the Beacon surgeon "If anything goes wrong and I need another operation will I have to pay for it?" They were unable to give me a 100% guarentee. He said he would fight my corner but the final decision would be the hospitals. I couldnt afford anymore than 11500 if it was needed and couldnt take the chance. Going to Belgium was costing about 4000 including flights and hotels. Fills have cost me 360 since then and I'm very happy with my decision. I knew going that I would def have to pay for any re-op if needed and I've taken that into account. Make sure you have your list of questions and are happy with the answers. Good luck with your consultation. There was another lady on the main "Hi from Ireland" thread who was banded at the Beacon. If you read back a bit you can find her name and send her a message maybe. Elsie

Hi Maria, Welcome to LBT. ECFS do fills and will be in Dublin (Pembroke Street) next Thurs 7th August. You can make an appointment by ringing Julie Tosh on 0044 7872963503. Let me know if you need more info. Elsie

Hi Edel, I went to belgium and I didnt even think about travel insurance to be honest. Normal travel insurance will cover you for flight delays and lost baggage etc. but not for anything operation related. It covers for medical emergency but not if, god forbid, something happens during the op, as you were travelling for the operation it would be considered pre-existing. Elsie

Ailbhe: Its good to hear you are feeling better about yourself. Try to focus on that when you know you are going to see him. For the pics up on bebo ((((((((((hugs))))))))))), i'm sure its like a car crash, you know you shouldnt look but cant help it. Keep having fun and kiss even more handsome boys:biggrin: Gerri: Good luck up in Belfast on Saturday. Hope they sort you out for a while. Everyone else: If anyone is interested, myself, Siepie and her Friend (also banded) will be meeting up in Larry Murphys as usual. We will be there between 11.00 - 11.30 if anyone would like to join us. Hope to see a few people. Elsie

Gerri – Well done on the weight loss. You are very close to just being “overweight”. I can believe they won’t honour the aftercare. “As a gesture of goodwill, they will give a fill IF required”. I would go there with weights in my pockets because if they see you are losing weight they’ll probably say you don’t need one. I get so angry when I hear how people just get walked over after handing over all that money. Jellybaby – Welcome back. Glad you are doing well. I loved that feeling of not wanting to eat. For me, it lasted about two weeks and it was great weight loss in those weeks. I had that blue stitch that the doctor mentioned. He told me he would take it out when I was at my first fill but after a couple of weeks when I scratched that area it just slipped out by itself, it didn’t hurt. He didn’t mention it when I went for the fill. It may just have come off with the dressing. You should be well able for a fill in August. I was given the 1st one at 4 weeks out. PrincessLK – Sent you that number. Hope everyone is doing well, it’s been quiet around here lately. I’m at a standstill again but that is the way my body works. I’ll drop 5 lbs in one week and then stay the same for 3, even though I’m doing the same thing each week. Still losing some hair and even though I was convinced I was getting protein in, I probably wasn’t. I have been tracking my food and calories on DailyPlate.com and it can be hard for me to reach the protein goal everyday, so I’m trying harder now

Hi Edel, Welcome to LBT. Congrats on making your decision to be banded. Three stone by xmas may be possible. I think will take hard work and some exercise. I have lost 3 stone in 4 months (10lb of this on pre-op diet). It def slows down or stops when I'm being lazy. I did have a lot more to lose though. In relation to drink, if your a beer drinker, its bad news. Carbonated drinks are not recommended, they can stretch the pouch. However dont worry about not having a social life, its not a problem. I drink wine or spirits. I dont get drunk though because pre-band, drunk episodes were ALWAYS followed by a bad vomiting session (TMI?) I dont want to take a risk of vomiting as it can lead to a slippage and I just dont like doing it either, but thats just me. I can and do have great nights out and I haven't turned into a water drinking bore. Let me know if you have any more questions. I havent heard any bad stories about Dr. Dillemans. I believe he does bypass as well as band and can push the bypass sometimes. This might just be for higher BMI people though. Elsie

Twinkle Toes and Roe: I’ve PM’d you the number to make an appointment. JellyBaby: Clear Liquids was never mentioned to me for post op. My liquids consisted of cup of soups and yogurts(no bits). I didn’t go out looking specifically for protein drinks but I did have Slim Fasts around which are actually fairly decent for protein (20g a bottle). Also I had milk and low fat custard. Anything with milk really is going to add to your protein amounts. And don’t forget to sip loads of water. I think apple juice was also on the list Dr. Chris gave me, They don’t recommend orange juice as it irritates some stomachs. I was ok with it though. Best of Luck on Wednesday. Don’t forget to walk to relieve the gas, it really helps. Damienne: You seem to be feeling much better. See you on the 16th.