EnglishRose

Hi Wishfull No I didnt lose much hair at the beginning but after I got to about the 3 month mark I noticed more hair falling out. My hair is quite fine so I guess its more noticeable than if Id had thicker hair. Im stilling taking my vitamin tablets. EnglishRose

Hi Wishful No, I didnt go to Manchester as I live in Kent and go to my local private hospital for fills as it is only a 5 minute drive away.

Hi Gillian Unfortunately I still have a long way to go before I reach my target weight. I would like to get down to 10 1/2 stone ish as Im 5 foot 6. At the moment I am 14 stone 3. I used to wear Size 26-28 tops and they were starting to get tight, and Size 24-26 trousers. I can now fit into a size 18! So I am really pleased. I havent always been big and have saved some of my old clothes over the years, just in case I ever managed to fit into them again, but now I am able to wear them, luckily black trousers never go out of fashion. If I hadnt of had my band I dread to think how heavy I would be now. It was getting to the point where I didnt like leaving the house very often because I had no self confidence. All that has changed now and I take a lot more pride in my appearance. The only downside the the band is losing more hair than usual. I dread washing my hair because a lot always falls out. I keep telling myself I would rather be slim and bald then fat with lots of hair. I can always buy a wig hehe. Has anyone else lost much hair? EnglishRose

Hi Sammy77 I was banded on the 13th August 2008 in Brussels by Dr Chris de Bruyne. EnglishRose

Hi Everyone Ive not posted on here for a while. I went for my fifth fill yesterday. I now have 5cc and hoping this will make a big difference. Ive lost 4 stone 3lb which Im really pleased with. Its good to hear everyone is doing so well. EnglishRose

Hi Just a quick message to say good luck to everyone who is just about to be banded. Its the best decision I ever made. I have lost just under 3 1/2 stone since the middle of August and Im really pleased. You will be in great hands. EnglishRose

Hi I am having my gastic band done on the 13th August. Havent been sleeping very well ever since I have booked it. I just wish it was sooner. I am going to Belgium as its a lot cheaper than the UK. The surgeon is Dr Chris de Bruyne. Any good or bad comments about the sergeon would be very much appreciated please. Id also be interested to know a breakdown of how much you have lost during each month and how many fills are needed. Sorry for all the questions, but I am new to all this and could do with some advice. Thanks B

Hi Mooster One of the guys I met in Belgium had his photo taken with Frederick and sent me a copy. I live miles away from Manchester. London would be my nearest clinic. Well lets face it he is rather scrummy!!! lol EnglishRose

Hi Mooster I had both fills at my local private hospital which is only 2 minutes away from me. Its £75 for a fill so it works out a lot cheaper than going up to London and also Dr Chris only comes over to London once a month. The only downfall of going to my local hospital is that I dont get to see the gorgeous Frederick again!! Good luck with your 2nd fill I hope you reach your sweet spot soon! EnglishRose

Hi All I know everyone is different re the amount of fills they need to get a good restriction but please read this before you go for double fills. I had my first fill on the 23rd September (3ml). I didnt feel any difference so went back for another fill on the 14th October. The doctor only put in another (0.5ml) which I was really annoyed about but he said they didnt recommend bands being filled too quickly and said even a small fill could make a big difference. I went away feeling far from optimistic but guess what he was right!!! The difference the 0.5ml has made is amazing. I had half a muffin for breakfast and couldnt eat any more. For lunch I had vegetable soup with stewed steak mixed in and could only eat about half a cup before feeling full. I have lost another 4lb since the fill and feeling really positive again. When you get the right restriction, these bands are amazing!! EnglishRose

Hi I was banded by Dr Chris de Bruyne in August. In my opinion I cant see what all the fuss is all about. Yeah he offered to operate on someone who was a few pound under the BMI of 30. I dont know about you but I could put on a few pound in a matter of days, no problem. Its not as if the guy was a few stone under weight. The only thing this BBC broadcast has done is made people more aware that if you get refused in the UK due to being "so called no fat enough", then go to Belgium, and the price is a lot cheaper too. Dr de Bruyne is a fantastic surgeon and I have the upmost respect for him. EnglishRose

Hi Clarygrundy I dont crush the vitamins, I swollow them whole. Dr Chris said it was okay to take pills if they are not too big. EnglishRose

Hi Flirtylass Dont panic too much, I also put on a pound recently but lost it again within a couple of days. It could be the clothes you were wearing were thick or heavy. I normally weigh in my Birthday suit so if I was weighed by my doctor I would weigh heavier with clothes on. Its only half a pound, you will probably find you will lose it again tomorrow. Also, all scales are different, I weigh heavier on my doctors scales then I do on my home scales. EnglishRose

Hi Carriejess Best of luck for tomorrow, you will be fine. Its a pleasure to answer any questions or give any advice. I know how nervous I felt before I was banded. EnglishRose

I had to go back on liquids for 2 days afterwards. The fill didnt hurt at all, I didnt even feel the needle go in and was surprised when it was all over. I have only felt a slight difference since having the fill but I have been one of the lucky ones because I have never felt that hungry since being banded. Goodluck with your fill, you will be fine! EnglishRose

Hi Naomi.J Yeah that should be fine. Did she ask when you had the op? I had my fill on the 23rd September which was about 6 weeks after op. Thing is if you dont have that date you will have to wait another month as they only come over once a month. EnglishRose

Hi Niomi.J Yes book it today, I had to go to my local private hospital as Dr Chris was fully booked. I would recommend people booking their fills as soon as they arrive home from their op. You have to bear in mind though that he likes you to wait 4-6 weeks before you have a fill. EnglishRose

Hi Chrissy4 Yes Im really pleased with the weight loss so far. I too am hoping to lose another 2 stone before Xmas. Am keeping fingers crossed. EnglishRose

Hi Flirtylass To be honest I dont feel much different since having a fill. So will probably have another one in 4 weeks time. Try not to worry about the fill. I didnt even feel the needle go in (probably all that fat). Well done on your weight loss you are doing really well. It will slow down unfortunately once your body gets used to the initial shock of having much less calories but you are doing really well, I bet you are really chuffed!! EnglishRose

Hi Nick When I left the hospital I was given dissolvable pain killers and anti sickness tablets and 4 pink anticeptic liquids and the needles to prevent thrombosis. I had slimfast for my liquid diet as I am not that keen on soup. I did make my own homemade soup the 2nd week, just boiled up loads of veg then pureed. It was lovely. EnglishRose

Hi Nick Yeah thats a bummer that drain (excuse the expression), horrible when they take it out. The only time I took the plasters off was to clean the wounds every couple of days with the pink anticeptic liquid they gave you at the hospital and then put new plasters on. The stitches come out after 10 days. You can do that yourself, just snip the ends off and pull them out, it doesnt hurt. Welcome back! EnglishRose

Hi joyjoyyoung You wont receive any details from Belgium re the pre-op diet. It says on their website that is is extremely beneficial to have a low fat diet 2 weeks prior to the op as it shrinks your liver and makes the operation easier. EnglishRose

Hi Clarygrundy I travelled to Belgium with the Eurostar. When you arrive in Belgium you need to take the train to Vilvoode (it was platform 19 when I went in August but you should double check). I didnt have to buy a train ticket as my Eurostar tickets were valid to any Belgium station so check yours when you get them as its probably the same and you wont need to buy another ticket. Its not that far to get to Vilvoode, probably 10 minutes on the train. When you arrive in Vilvoode its very easy to get to the Campanile Hotel, the quickest way is to walk through a short tunnel near the ticket office which leads straight into the Campanile car park 2 minutes walk. Hope you find it as it saves walking all the way round with your cases and saves about 5-10 minute walk, depending on how fast you walk. EnglishRose

Hi Flirtylass My fill was okay, had 3ml put in a 10cc Band. It took the doctor a while to find the hole as he said it was quite deep but he got there in the end. (Ive been told that Dr Chris puts the port quite deep so that when we lose a lot of weight it doesnt stick out under the skin), not sure how true this is as I was told by a fellow bandster. I lost 7lb on pre-op diet and 23lb since 13th August. Im really pleased with that. How is your weight loss going? I had liquids for the first week, mushies for the 2nd and 3rd by the 4th week I was eating Mash potatoe, scrambled egg and soft food like that, by the forth week I was eating chichen, fish & veg, now I can eat practically anything, bread and toast do tend to get stuck though, probably cos I dont chew enough. EnglishRose

Hi Naomi.J The clock is ticking, not long now. Good luck but you wont need it, your be fine. I had my first fill today so Im back on liquids for 2 days. :-( Look forward to hearing how well your doing when you get back. EnglishRose