Freckles

Thanx so much Sammy and Wishful, getting excited and nervous already. Miss Flump, I thought the same but didnt know how to say it. I for one have people on FB that I'd rather not tell, but good luck with the cause.

A BIG welcome to Lewisabbeyalyssa. Enjoy this board, the help and advice given here is second to none!!!! My dear you do have your hands full with 3 toddlers, I hope you will get lots of help with them after your surgery, and dont forget you mustnt lift anything. Sanflan, so glad your pains are gone, we are not made of stone we do need help and I'm the first to grab meds when I'm in pain. Good news for me from Michael VDB, he says the Spire Southamton have agreed to the price and he wants to know when I want to come down for my pre-op assessment which will be included in the package!!!!!:w00t::thumbup: I've mailed him back to say anytime after 9th Feb, cos I dont get back from Benidorm till 7th, and have to pick my Mum up from Respite on 8th. I also asked when he could do the op providing all the tests were ok. He says ASAP and his secretary will be in touch...at last there is some light at the end of the FAT tunnel :thumbup: Please God my pre-op tests are ok.:cheers2:

Sanflan, about the pain, someone mentioned Nuerofen Melts on here, I havent tried them, but I will be buying some before my op.

I tried to get NHS funding too and was also referred to the dietician, who assured me this was all part of the procedure, and the wait to see the consultant was 12 months. When I phoned a few weeks back to tell her of my plans, she then told me that I didnt meet the criteria anyway!!!! Cheers for that lady.:scared2:

BTS, Doesnt sound like anything went into your port does it. But a lot of girlies say they dont have any restriction until after a few fills and you reach your sweet spot. After fills I never used to feel hungry anyway, so the liquid only didnt bother me. Sometimes it is hard for the surgeon to find the port, my damn port kept moving. Maybe you should contact Dr Chris and ask hunny. Omelettes are pretty hard to eat, so I understand about the non- restriction.:scared2:

You poor thing Sanflan, how awful you must feel. I dont know why you have so much pain, have you mailed Dr Chris or Frederik? That doesnt seem quite right to me, if you are taking pain killers and still have so much pain. Us women are made of sturdy stuff you know, so dont ever think you're a baby. I think if it were me, then I would go to my GP and see what he can give you to ease the pain. I hope it improves very soon. xx

Forgot to add, if anyone wants to be my friend on facebook, just pm me for my details, would be lovely to put a face to the names here.!!!

Gillian!!! I sent you a private message re: Facebook the other day, did you miss it lol? Good luck and God speed TC

Sparky, I think I would be a little concerned that you dont have any restriction, is this normal procedure for Dr Chris? I have read of people having restriction after their first fill, and I did myself, not as much as after a long haul flight, but I vertainly could never eat any bread. I would mail him and ask if this is normal chick.:biggrin:

Shoes, everyone is different as regards to what they can/cannot eat after their band is fitted. I had my band implanted in December 2005, not by Dr Chris, but I wish I had gone to him:crying: I had my op done in the UK by Michael Van den Bossche, who is also a terrific surgeon, the best in his field in the UK and Europe. We all do research before we decide, and go for what is best for us. I had a different kind of restriction, I couldnt eat anything except soup and all the bad stuff like, chocolate (sometimes) ice cream and crisps. Hence my weight loss over 2 years was only 2 stone. How stupid I hear you say, but when you're absolutely starving and you can only eat soup you grab whatever will stay down. The only time I had good restriction and didnt feel hungry was after a long haul flight (the pressure tightens the band) I always came back from holidays lighter than when I went, which is a good thing, but maybe my band didnt have enough saline in it to start with. Everyone has to find their 'sweet point' regarding fills. Then it was discovered that I had a hole in my band, personally I think that was the reason for poor weight loss and not enough restriction, over the 2 years. What I mean is that the band was leaking. I am having to pay again, although the manufacturer is giving me a new band and the Bupa a discount I still have to cough up almost £4000, which I hope to claim back once the band has been removed and examined by the company who manufactured it. I hope I havent bored you, with my tale of woe, but sometimes these things happen and I believe every potential bandster should be aware of all the hazards. Just for the record and it may put your mind at ease, my surgeon in all his years of doing these operations has only ever had another lady with a hole in her band like me. It is not a very common occurance. But if i were you I would go with Dr Chris, he seems to be a very reputable surgeon.

Hi Cherryhog and welcome, you have come to the right place, everyone here is great!!! You will find all about Dr Chris here Cosmetic,plastic Surgery, Abroad Poland Europe UK GMC surgeon - Obesity Surgery I think when you are paying privately for your own surgery the rules about your BMI are not as strict as if you were going with the NHS. But I'm sure someone will be along shortly to give you the correct answer.:smile: Thank you Big Sis for your words, I will stay around and let everyone know whats happening with me, and I want to keep a check on you girlies to make sure you stay on the straight and narrow LoL Wishful, i wouldnt have any qualms about going to Begium for Dr Chrtis to do my surgery after all the positive reports on here, but it does seem my most favourable option to have Michael Van den Bossche do the surgery for me. After all it wasnt his fault the band was faulty, he carried out the surgery excellently with as little pain to me as possible. I havent heard from him yet, I am hoping to by the end of the week. Thanx for taking the time to write to me.:thumbup:

You are doing so well girlies, proud of you. Your incisions sound small!!!! My port incision is still 2 inches long, one is about an inch long the other 3 are tiny, just one stitch each. Every surgeon works differently I spose. Keep those stockings girls as they are the same as flight socks and if you do a long haul flight it will save you loads, as they cost!! I have used mine a few times. Bit of an update Solicitor rang me today, she says this is the best thing that could have happened for me as my surgeon will make sure that he's extra careful when removing the faulty band and will send it to the manufacturers, who in turn will send it to the USA for examination. There are 2 things that could have caused the hole. 1. The handling of the band by the surgeon 2. A defect in the band before implant. She doesnt think it likely that they will blame the surgeon as he uses their bands, so is a good customer. Whatever happens, we will be looking for compensation and costs. She told me to keep every receipt. I am just waiting now for the surgeon to confirm the Spires agreement as to the costing of the surgery. I wonder where my x-rays are :tongue:

Tammy, be thinking of you on Friday hunny, hope all goes well xxx

What you can eat/drink after surgery seems a little different to 3 years ago when I first had my band op. I had the surgery at 9am on Tuesday morning, couldnt eat or drink (only a sip of water) until the next day, when they offered me more water (WOW!!!) I asked for an oxo in hot water and it tasted like nectar. I didnt vomit or feel sick at all, I wonder if this made the difference?

Be careful ladies using FB, they are soooo nosey, and its quite easy for people to view your stuff, personally I dont like it. Do you all have MSN Messenger, much safer to my mind providing you dont download anything.

I dont understand why you felt so rough upon leaving hospital, I'm more than twice your age and I had a shower ( carefully) and put the slap on, I just felt a little unsteady on the old pins was all, you poor thing :thumbup: Glad you like the windy smiley. Have you tried drinking something a bit gassy, to help get the wind up, maybe Andrews liver salts or even soda water? Fizz is difficult I know but if it helps you feel more comfy why not try it. Is it true that the reason you get so windy after surgery is because they fill you with gas to make the operating easier? Just something I heard dont know if its true, but it wouldnt surprise me.

Thank you Gillian, your kindness and advice it means a lot. Hope that wind passes without too much noise

Your opinions matter a great deal to me and I value your input, I know you are all thinking of me, and not how much money anyone will make from this, a big thank you for this girlies. My solicitor is not in the office until Wednesday so I have to wait to speak to her, but spoke to her sidekick and he says I need to speak to her but at the end of the day I have to do which is best for me. I'm not trying to sue the pants off anyone albeit the company is a very large American one. I just want a working band , the surgery paid for and maybe a little compensation for all the stress and pain the faulty band has caused me. The contrast study under x-ray ( to ascertain where the leak was) was not very pleasant and lasted almost an hour, with a lot of coloured fluids being injected into the port, in that time, quite painful actually, with tremendous bruising afterwards. Thats without the new surgery and the recuperation, because who knows what I will endure with the removal of the old band, and the replacing of a new one. Sorry to drone on, but I know you can appreciate my worries. Mmm, I am a great believer in 'everything happens for a reason', and I think you may be right about the non-arrival of the x-rays. And thanx so much for wanting me to stay in touch even if I choose MVDB for my surgery, that is so nice.:Dancing_wub: I'm not sure when I could have the op, but last time I was given a date within 2 weeks of my first consultation, so hoping it will be the same. The convenience of no flights and taxi fares,and familiar surroundings outweigh everything.... although I feel awful for taking up Dr Chris's time, and I really appreciate his kindness for which I will always be grateful. If i decide on Southampton I will mail Dr Chris thanking him for his time and trouble. And thank you ladies for taking the trouble to advise me.:wink2:

Just this Sammy, it will be the best choice you have ever made. No more will you have to worry about piling on the pounds, cos even if you end up losing slowly, you will lose it, and fit into those lovely clothes. xx

Firstly sammy, welcome to the forum...you have come to the right place. Everyone here is a mine of information and very nice girlies. Ask away as we are here to help each other. Your date will soon be here....read and absorb all you can to put you in good stead xxx

I replied to MVDB and asked if the surgery could be performed in the Manchester Spire, and could he remove the band without damaging it. Here's his reply... Another dilemma!!!

Thank Wishful for your input. At todays rate its about £111.... plus however much the flights, taxis etc cost me.

I now have a little dilemma. I wrote to Michael Van den Bossche (my surgeon) just after Christmas and asked how much would the new operation cost me, with the free band offered by the manufacturer and the discount offered by the Spire (bupa) Southampton, where I had my first op. I thought I neede to weigh up pros and cons, after all its me that has to pay. He has come back tonight with a price for me, which he says he is awaiting agreement from the Spire, but he knows they wont go any lower. The fee also includes 2 fills. He wants to know if it acceptable to me. It is less than Dr Chris's quote and of course we could drive to Southampton, so no flight costs, the £ is down again against the Euro, this is why I did trust MVDB and the hospital, I felt very safe and was well cared for , not saying i wont get the same treatment as I know I will if I go to Belgium. What do you girls think I should do.:scared2:

Gillian from my experience i could never talk whilst eating, even soup, it caused me problems, I sort of 'locked up' and couldnt swallow properly. Also if I got a wee bit agitated or stressed my band tightened up and refused to let anything (even water) in. So the trick is to sit quietly on your own and eat/drink soup...until you become familiar with how it works with your body. I did have shoulder/chest pain and was assured it was wind, and it passed (sorry for the pun:laugh:) Hope this helps hunny.

Great news about your BP hunny, it will be fine:thumbup: Fingers crossed for you. You 3 girlies have done really well, to be back on the board so soon!!!! So was it fish soup in the hospital? I think I would throw up:eek: Did you get some of that Danish crispbread, they are nice I like them, but I thought it was liquids only for a couple of weeks? I noticed on the blog I sent you girls that the lady mentioned those Danish crispbread thingys.