TropicalLagoon

Good luck Mmm and bon voyage, see ya on the other side xx

Hi Fatpants, thanks a lot I got banded on 23 Dec 09, had my first fill on 22 Jan with Frederik and my second one 2 Feb with WLS. I got weighed and measured in Curves on 7 Jan, so that's 5 weeks ago. As I said earlier, I finally feel I'm on my way at last after feeling really despondant at times :smile:

It's gonna be fine Wishfull, I was only a few days after the 4 weeks and Frerik told me he could feel scar tissue that hadn't healed yet. That piece of information made me stop going to the gym again for 2 weeks, just in case I was doing more harm than good. When I went with WLS, they asked me to raise my legs off the bed a few inches so the port would be easier to locate. As for the needle, it's just a normal looking syringe, and I looked away and thought happy thoughts of being on a beach elsewhere. Before I knew it, it was all over. Let us know how it goes :smile:

Thanks Wishfull :smile: You will be fine with the fill, it really doesn't hurt once the port is located. It's just that I am squeamish and so to lie there for a few seconds thinking of what is happening freaks me a bit, lol. Make sure you ask him for the maximum amount, which is 4 ml. You probably won't feel any restriction, but who knows. Good luck, you'll be wondering why you were worried when it's all over

Hi all Just a quick update. After my second fill last week, I am now eating normal food again and find I can only manage small portions. Went out for a meal last night and had a starter of salmon fishcakes and extra vegetables, and only managed the fishcakes and a tiny amount of vegetables. I think that I am starting to appreciate that child's plate size portions are the way forward from now on. I have no problems with liquids, youghurt or chocolate, lol. Got weighed and measured in Curves today and since January I have lost about 8 inches all over and 11 pounds. The weight is not dropping off like I thought it would, but slowly and surely wins the race, as they say. I think I'm on my way at last. Good luck one and all, keep smiling :smile:

Yeah it was 2 weeks ago in Bristol with Fred when he put in the maximum he was allowed - 4ml. They (WLS) will do fills every 2 weeks if you can get to the right clinic, but I'm happy waiting 4 weeks for my next one. Life starts now for me, I don't wanna be waiting months, that was the whole point of surgery instead of more diet and exercise. (This time last year I was doing that and it took 5 months to lost 20 lbs and I felt every step on the treadmill, cross trainer, etc. People told me that it was good to lose it slowly as it would stay off - hello!!! :w00t:, went back on in 6 weeks, lol)

Talking of fills again.... I had a fill with WLS in Cardiff this morning and Wendy is lovely. She took the time to talk to me like an individual and was so warm and welcoming. I had 1ml put in - taking me up to 5ml altogether. She went through food choices and encouraged me not to 'sabotage' my weight loss, etc. I have come back feeling 100 times better than when I came back from Fred - just wish I'd gone to them first. Oh and I was right about the 'con'. Wendy tries to get everyone to full restriction with 3 - 4 fills so it's just a money spinner to string them out so long..... well my opinion anyway. Yeah I'm stuck at 15 lbs too, lost nothing since my fill 2 weeks ago :w00t: ah well hopefully it should fly off now, lol. Watch this space......

Talking of fills...... I had my first fill last Thursday, which was 4 weeks and 2 days post op. Frederik had just booked a room in a private clinic for the day. The receptionist did not have a list of his patients and indeed I was not on the list of pateints that Frederik himself had, even though I booked with him in Brussels before I left. The receptionist asked me to take a seat and Frederik just called out 'next' in the waitng room after seeing off his previous patient. So those of you worried that you are not booked in, worry thee not. You will be seen, regardless. I do not want to be the bearer of bad news, but some of you may not have read my post on FaceBook. Do not expect to be remembered or treated as an individual. I thought it was a one-off experience I had, but I have been chatting to another of his 'fill patients' and she had the same treatment - well worse actually as he did not even weigh her. I was expecting a full 15 minutes with Frederik and had lots of questions and advice to ask for. It seemed as if he was just on autopilot - going through the motions. The whole experience was very uncomfortable. I had gone in quite nervous but excited and came out like I was just another number, as he seemed eager to be 'rid of me' and on to his next patient. Before I left the clinic he told me to have a few sips of water, then a gulp and if I had a problem swallowing or keeping that down, to knock on his door. The fill itself was not painful, just uncomfortable a bit, and I felt queasy afterwards just thinking about what I had just gone through. He asked me to lay on a bed (I made him change the towels on it first), then he felt for the port with his hand, then he pierced the skin with the needle and then manoevred it once inside the body to the right part of the port. I did feel the liquid. When he finsihed, he pulled the needle out and quickly, half-heartedly wiped the entry point with a bit of stuff (which I can only assume was a sterile solution). I was actually told afterwards, when I booked my next one, that it would take up to 7 fills to reach a good restriction, but this obvioulsly varied from patient to patient. I began to think if this was all a 'con' Not sure if I should post this post, and may even have to remove it at some stage, but have kept quiet until now as I thought it was a one-off experience as no-one else had reported anything similar. Good luck guys x

Bon voyage TC, will be thinking of ya x

Erm a quick update, well I have my first fill booked for this coming Thursday. Got no restriction at the moment, so can eat mushy or liquid food to my heart's content. Tried my first Sunday lunch without mashing it all up together today and it took ages to cut things up small enough and chew things well enough to not hurt when swallowed. It is still so easy to overeat on puddings though. Not lost any more weight, but apparently that is to be expected, according to the other Forums on this site on post-op surgery patients. As for recovery, you know I've been going 3 times a week to Curves (the lady only 30 minute session gym), no problem bending, laughing or anything now really. Wounds healing nicely, especially since I cut the transparent stiches last week. So it's the same old story here, you still need to diet and exercise, the band won't do the work for you.......

Just a note to wish all those going this week, all the very best. It really is nothing to worry about. I am the biggest wuss on the planet and if you remember I was bricking it before I went too, but all was totally fine. Yes there is pain and discomfort, but you soon recover. I remember giving a note to self on coming round never to do anything like this again, but realise now the ol' cliche 'no pain, no gain' (or loss) is so true in our cases. For all you waiting with baited breath, I weighed yesterday and lost the 2 lbs I put on and it is now time of the month. Cravings have subsided a bit now, so hopefully back to my porridge for breakfast, soup and crisp bakes for lunch and mashed potato, cauli and cheese for tea - yum I hear you all cry, lol. I will also have a yoghurt, jelly, custard pot or some cottage cheese to stave off hunger inbetween if necessary. Gutted to hear about your flight costs - it cost me and my son over £400 to fly from Cardiff to Brussels International via Amsterdam in December. Just out of interest I'm gonna see how much they would cost now.... So with the crap Euro exchange rate I got (which I notice is creeping back up daily), I would say the whole trip cost me nigh on £5k and that's without the fills Still a few grand short of what it woould be over here I guess. It will be interesting to see the aftercare advice I get from Frederik next week when I see him in Bristol. Fair dos to him, he still replies to my emails, albeit in his own time. Oh and Curves is going well - went 3 times last week. They told me Sat that as I was missing out the sit-up machine, I would have to do an extra go on 3 other machines, lol. Anyway, chin up, pop a smile on and be ready to face all that's heading your way - you can do it cos if I can, anyone can. Good luck :thumbdown:

Fills are £90 in Bristol - roll on next week (Thu) lol...