egh909

Sorry for the delayed reply. Yes I've never met another young person with the band in real life, other than a girl about my age I saw when I was having my unfill, it was quite a novelty. Going through this and being younger it can feel kind of isolating I find. Hope you keep in touch, let me know how you're doing!

Good luck with whatever you choose

[cont.] place with it emotionally. But as you say, the desire to live as a slim person and the quality of life that comes with that almost makes it like there isn't a choice to be made, if the band can give you that, you'll do what you can to hold onto it. (btw I see we're around the same age, don't see many people on here banded young, maybe that's just me though I don't come on here loads)

[cont.] I have read about the risk of slipping going up for people who have the band re-fitted though? Have you at all considered the balloon? I've heard very good stuff about that for people who have slipped. I'm sorry to hear you're struggling without the band, when I thought I'd slipped, I feared I'd gain my weight back at once. It's a day by day thing I find with eating, I'm still in a bad

[cont.] much more difficult now, and I haven't found my experience with the band to be at all what I was expecting (e.g. never had a 'sweet spot') & I have been through the not being able to eat situation you describe though nowhere near so bad (poor you ending up in hospital! I know how terrifying the prospect of gaining back can be though, I fully understand why you'd want to try the band again)

Ah right, well if you've got the fills inclusive for 2 years and that's your main concern, it does sound good, especially as you've had the experience with the band before and you know how to work with it. My surgery was absolutely fine with the HG, like I say though I would have liked more contact with them, more support, but I'm in a healthy bmi range now and maintaining, losing more weight is..

[cont.] concerned with making money out of us than actually keeping in touch and seeing how we're managing. They don't seem to keep records of patients very well and really virtually no aftercare to speak of. However, I don't have much to compare them with so not sure if this isn't just standard practice no matter where you go. So are you getting re-banded did you say?

[cont.] organisation was so bad, the surgeon there had no idea I'd been booked in to see him and seemed perplexed as to why HG had sent me to him as he only saw his own patients who he'd banded himself (I was banded in Birmingham), so a lot of confusion there, and he advised me not to make fill appointments through the HG in future but to go direct to him. I find with the HG they're much more...

Hey Clare, yes I was banded with them in '09, I have to say I've not been impressed with their aftercare at all, but I paid for the basic package, so only got 1 free fill, nothing else really, not even the call from the nurse you're meant to get a year out. Just had a scare recently where I thought I'd slipped, called them in a lot of discomfort, got sent to Manchester Royal for unfill but their..