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I'm with them. I like Wendy but i am getting a little annoyed at the mo cos i have emailed Rob (last week) for an appointment and he has not responded and i have sent Wendy a text (yesterday) asking her to contact me and she has not responded. AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHH! Am I missing something?

Hi guys not been on for a while due to work commitments. I'm 6 weeks post op today and have only lost 10lbs. I am not overeating or eating fatty foods. If anything I'm verging on being a bit miserable. My shoulder pain has remained a problem - I ended up in A&E 2weeks ago with it. They are recommending steroid injections. I had my first fill 2 weeks ago - 3cc - the nurse (wendy at WLS) said she expected at least a 7lb weight loss in the following month. Well I got a bit of a head start on that by losing 3lbs in 48 hrs last week cos I picked up a gastric bug. It was evil but shortlived. Since then I have lost no further weight. I can't tolerate bread or chicken - both have made me pb very badly recently. That golf ball in the chest feeling is awful. I'm not enjoying eating anymore. Can anyone give me some advice please? Thanks x

Ok I'm scale hopping - and it's driving me crazy. I'm now 19 days post op. I lost 7lbs in the first 14 days. I'm now looking at perhaps having lost no more than 0.5-1lb in week 3. I can tell I have no restriction. I'm eating about 800-1100 cals a day. I understand everyone is different. I'm just intrigued what peoples weight loss was in the first month post op, and secondly how different was it after their first fill? Thanks guys x

Hi everyone Yesterday was 14 days post op for me. I have lost 7lbs so far taking my weight from 201lbs to 194lbs. So far so good. I have done another video - its a bit waffly as usual (soz), i will get better I promise. Congrats to all who have made such fab progress so far. Good luck to all those who are yet to be banded. Its not easy, it is major surgery. I have had a tough fist couple of weeks but I think the worst is over and I will soon reap the benefits. Remember the band is only a tool though, you still have to work at it and you have to make an effort to get the results you really want. I'm learning that lesson every day. If you want to watch, my 2 week post op vid is at: YouTube - MrsVickers101's Channel Have a great week everyone xx

OK guys, here we go my first pretty appalling attempt at a youtube video. Sorry its a bit waffly. YouTube - MrsVickers101's Channel

Hi guys i am 8 days post op and 3.4lbs down. Starving - I am getting sick of fluids. I had a bad day today. The area around my port is still very very tender to the point where I was a bit tearful cos of the pain today and probably my clothes weighing on my wound was aggravating the pain. How long does it take for the pain to subside? Also my left shoulder still feels sore, like I have a trapped nerve. Has anyone else felt this? It's very draining all in all. I know I will feel better in time tho. I have booked my first appt with Wendy for the 18th October. What happens at your first consultation and what is Wendy like? I'm not necessarily planning a fill then, I will see how I feel and take advice. Ok gang, I'm off to the land of nod. Oh oh I forgot to say I have started a blog on YouTube - my first video is up. Once I have the link I shall post it. Nite nite x

I know we should not compare ourselves with each other but I'm a bit curious. I'm 6 days post op and the scales say I have lost up to 3lbs so far. I have lost souch more in the first week on every other diet I have tried. I have stuck to Asda Measure up milk shakes, runny low fat yoghurts, soups and the odd Dutch crispbake (the ones they gave us in hospital). My calorie intake is about 650 a day... Tops. Any advice anyone?

Hi guys another question - what and how much should i be eating at the moment please? I can't think straight. Oh, and i have looked at the dates in October and November when Chris and co are in the uk and i cant make any of them. What do the rest of you do in the circumstances please?

Hi everyone I was banded in Belgium on Tuesday the 21st September. I'm back at home and in quite a lot of pain but I'm sure this will pass. I can't sit by the comp for long but i was hoping some of you may be able to help out a newbie by answering a few questions. 1. How long does the gas pain last for? I have pain underneath my breast bone and pain akin to a trapped nerve in my left shoulder. 2. How long does the tenderness around the port last? Its very sensitive. 3. I know i am supposed to be on liquids only for the few 2 weeks. What qualifies as liquids for these purposes? Totally smooth yoghurts and Soups? Protein drinks? I am anxious to ensure i get some protein to help the repairing process. 4. At what stage can you move onto the mush and what constitutes mush? Does it include things like rice pudding, pureed fruits etc Some ideas would be great so i can get them shopped for in advance. 5. How often did you check and change your dressings after the surgery? and did you use any antiseptic? If so what type? 6. Did any of you find anti inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen helped with the pain? Paracetemol is no use at all. I thinks thats all for the moment. Thank you all xxx

Thanks hon. The area under one of the dressings on the left stings a lot. I'm not sure if it's where the port is or where the drain and the bleed was that they had to stitch. It's very very tender and hurts to the touch. Is this normal?

I can't remember waking up but i do remember 99 Red Balloons being on the radio as i was put under. I also remember seeing frederik briefly. 8.Back on the ward - i drifted in and out of sleep for most of the day. Nothing much to report there. 9. The nurses came and did some obs, blood pressure etc. 10. You are given your painkillers (paracetemol) via the IV along with saline to keep you hydrated. You are not allowed to drink at all in that first day but you are given a swab that you can dip in water to refresh your mouth. 11. Now i would normally expect to see the anaesthetist again to see how I am coping with the pain, checking my obs etc but that never happened. Having had 5 previous surgeries i do think that is a grave error on their part. I cannot understand it. You don't see Dr Chris again until the next day. You are in the care of the nurses. If you need to pee, its a bedpan. 12. My first night was awful - its hard sleeping in a room with strangers, but with strangers who are also in pain - expect a sleepless night. 13. The following morning the nurses come in and like a tag team they efficiently do your obs then remove your wound drain. That hurt. It took my breath away. They also give you an injection of heparin and want you to observe how they give it to you cos you will be injecting yourself once you are discharged. 14. The nurse then said i could freshen up. I did that, walked back to the bed and saw that i was drenched in blood. It was soaked through my gown, pouring down my leg. One of the other ladies shouted at me to lay down whilst she pressed her buzzer. I then had one nurse, then 2 nurses then 4 nurses, then the nurses and Frederik and a sand bag trying to stop the bleeding. Then Dr Chris turned up, gave me a local anaesthetic and stitched up the wound. Then i had to wait over 3 hours before i was seen in ultrasound to check if it was an internal bleed. I was terrified. To be honest the staff were not good at the reassurance bit and Dr Chris went almost as quickly as he came. 15. One of the nurses - Fatima - would come and see me and crack the odd macabre joke to me - i actually appreciated the effort. 16. I was wheeled down to radiology on my bed. Dr Chris appeared, asked me how i was feeling and squeezed my knee in a sort of reassuring fashion. He then explained in some detail (well, it sounded like it) to one of the nurses what he wanted doing. The radiologist who did the ultrasound was lovely. She said it looked like a haematoma that was disrupted when the wound drain was removed. She advised me to stay in another night for monitoring. I then went to take part in the table tipping exercise - that was unexpected and hurt as a result of my new stitches etc. But all was ok. The staff at radiology were very pleasant. 17. Dr Chris and one of my roomies got into a bit of a todo about some information that Dr Chris gave to her about her liver. She wanted him to explain it to her in more detail so she could discuss it with her GP - he said it would be in her notes, she said please give me more detail he said "stop pushing, you are pushing" clearly unhappy at being questioned. The patient was unhappy cos he had said she had this liver problem in front of all of us - no quiet confidential talk. She gave in and he left. 18. Back on the ward - my roomies were getting ready to leave. A nurse came in with a bag of injections and soluble paracetemol for them to take with them. My roomies thought that meant they could leave...and they did. About 1 hour later Dr Chris waltzed into the room saying "hello ladies..." and stopped mid sentence when he realised that i was the only one there. He asked me where they had gone - i said they'd left and he was out of the room in a shot. Not a happy man at all. He came back and spoke to me alone - again at a million miles an hour in his matter of fact tone. He said i had to take it easy, look out for infection etc and seek medical attention if my temperature goes up and i get severe abdominal pain. He then voiced how annoyed he was that my roomies had left as "you should never leave without speaking to your surgeon" - he's right. Even though the radiologist said i should stay another night Dr Chris said he did not think i needed to but if there was a problem i had to come straight back in. So i got dressed and went back to the hotel. Last night at the hotel i slept very little again - i was and i still am in a lot of pain. I would recommend that you see your GP when you get back for some more painkillers and maybe some anti-inflammatories. I know that would really help me so i am going to try and get to see my gp. One final thing - none of us had brought towels - the hospital do not supply towels as matter of routine so remember to take them. i'm off to bed now. I'm not sure what i can and cant have now. My mind is all over the place. I'm also not sure how long the dressings are to stay on for - anyone know please? Sorry its been a tome but i wanted to get it all out whilst it was reasonably fresh in my head. Night night everyone x

Hi guys I'm back home now - thank goodness. I'm not quite sure what to make of the whole experience. Other than the fact that I am in a lot of pain and still recovering from yesterdays complication, a few other thoughts have gone through my head and i want to share them. You won't ll agree but each persons experience is different. 1. The hospital was spotless, the nurses generally nice and very efficient. 2. Frederik was younger than i expected and i was also a little surprised that he saw 3 of us together in the hotel the night before the op for a general talk. I'm not sure i like that approach and it it means confidentiality is an after thought. He did ask to speak to each of us alone those to sort out "the financials" and ask some personal health questions. 3. The whole admissions process was quite simple once you have negotiated which blasted button to press to get your ticket. You then sit at a desk and have a lady look at your id, check you in and give you your file stickers and wrist band. You are then left to find Floor 1 section A - not as easy as you would think. 4. Once the nurses are ready for you they take you to your bed (fully electric beds - a MUST - than goodness). There is plenty of cupboard space for you and only 3 to a bay. I was in a bay with another 2 english ladies who had come through Professional Beauty (??). One of them had paid over £6k!!!!!! and still had her hotel and taxis to pay for. Go direct is the moral of that tale. 5. The nurses came and asked me to strip off my top half so they could do the heart trace, and then someone came and took 11....yes 11 viles of blood!!!! They are nothing if not thorough with the testing. 6. Dr Chris then came to talk to all 3 of us - he seems pleasant enough but speaks almost fluent but still slightly pigeon english. He talks at a million miles an hour and you cannot always makes sense of what he is saying. You get the general drift though. 7. You then get into your lovely hospital gown and wait. I went down at about 11am. I remember seeing the anaesthetist who was frankly a waste of space. In the UK you see the anaethestist and have a detailed talk with him/her before you have your surgery. The anaes. is your pain man. They tell you how they are going to manage your pain etc etc. NONE OF THAT. The first time i met him was when he just appeared with a syringe of anaethestic and put it in my canula. And that hurt too...so be warned. I will take a breath for part 2. :biggrin:

Its 2.33am and I'm in the hotel. After an ultrasound i was told I had a haematoma on the muscle which they think caused the bleed. I'm not ashamed to say that it has scared me. I feel rubbish and I am in a lot of pain from where the port is and the extra stitches. The trapped gas is god awful and feels like my stomach is about 3" from my throat. I keep asking myself "what have I done?" Be prepared everyone who is yet to go - this is quite a big op. I need to try and sleep but it hurts to lay down and I can't get comfortable. I didn't want this to be a moaning reply but I can't fib cos this is no easy option. I hope I feel better soon. Nite nite x

Hi guys. Had the op yesterday and yes I do feel like I have been kicked by a donkey. Today the nurse came and took the wound drain out and said I could have a wash. When I got back to my bed I looked down and there was blood everywhere. Next thing I have nurses in with packs to try and stop the bleeding from the drain opening. It would not stop, Frederik came to assist then Dr Chris turned up. I was given a local anaesthetic and he has stitched the hole up where the drain was. I have to have an ultrasound at 12 to see if there is an internal bleed. If there is then I have to go back down to theatre. If not then they will take me on to xray to check the band etc. It's been a scary morning folks and it's not over yet. Fingers crossed all will be ok x

Ok - I have arrived in Brussells and I am sitting on my bed in the hotel. It's pretty basic, I suppose it would be best compared to a Travelodge. I'm glad my hubby is with me to keep me company. My taxi driver said I would be collected at 6.45am tomorrow. My hubby is already despairing about missing brekkie. But the hotel bar is open at 6.30 for brekkie so I doubt he will starve. I am going to do a video I think and post it on YouTube. Wish me luck folks x

Im off to Belgium tomorrow to have my band fitted on Tuesday:eek: I'm a little scared but i'm sure i shall be ok. I have just been and treated myself to a camcorder so that i have a way to record my progress. I am hoping that by christmas i will be about 28lbs lighter. I hope thats not just a pipe dream. I hope all you other Septembers Bandsters are feeling good. Wish me luck xx

As a matter of interest, how many of you told your doctor you were doing this BEFORE the op? I have not told my GP. She signed me up for LighterLife about 2 1/2 years ago and i lost 2 stone, broke my wrist and gradually gained it back. I am 5' 6' and weigh 14st 5 lbs so my bmi is about 33. I am interested to know how they reacted when you told them what you had done and where you had gone to get it done. Forewarned is forearmed etc. I have just checked in online for my flight tomorrow. SCARY! Its really happening. blimey!:thumbup:

Thank you all for the advice x One final thing - Vitamins etc - what do you use? I know some vits won't fit through the band. Also, i am on thyroxine and fluoxetine, anyone else on these and had difficulties after the op? Thanks again everyone xxx

Hi Guys I'm off to Belgium on Monday for my op on Tuesday. My currency has arrived, and the clock is counting down. I have a couple of questions though - please can someone answer them for me? 1. I booked directly through Fred so hotel and taxis are included. Is that taxis from the airport to the hotel? Hotel to hospital? Hospital to hotel? Hotel to airport? All or some of the above? 2. Can my hubby stay at the hospital all day before, during and after the op until throwing out time? 3. What happens when Fred comes to see you the night before the op? 4.How long after the op does the kicked by a donkey feeling go away? 5. What happens the day after the op? What do you do, what do they do at the hospital? When do they let you out? (sounds like being released from prison!) Thanks ps anyone else going over this week?

Hi everyone (hi Angelfizz :wub: ) I'm from the UK but i am travelling to Belgium to be banded next Tuesday. I'm nervous and a little concerned now cos i have a cold that is not shifting. Had it for a week and its annoying me now. Its deffo improving though. Anyone had their op cancelled cos of a cold? Fingers crossed it passes quickly.

No-one else going over for the 21st either :-( Just tried to order my currency but I can't get faster payment to work at the moment so I will try again in the morning. How did everyone's fills go today? I have been following various lap band patients on You Tube. They are not patients of Dr Chris but it reminds me of why I am doing this and what can be achieved with some hard work. My two favourites are Skymoon and bandedwendy. They are worth a look. They give you the good, the bad and the ugly side of the band. Knowledge is power. Its clear that the band is not an easy option.

Ok - they have found my deposit, my flight is booked and i have had confirmation from Frederik about taxis etc. :smile: Its all happening. I was watching Psychic Sally's Big Fat Operation tonight on Living TV - she had a gastric bypass and lost nearly 6 stone in 14 weeks - amazing. I'm not expecting that - but i would like to lose my 4 stone or so in about 8 months, maybe 10 then that would be fab. I don't know if that is achievable though. So i am flying out on the 20th September, my op will be the 21st and then back to the UK on the 23rd. Is anyone else going to be out there around this time? Also, where exactly is the Campanile Hotel? I think there is more than one is Brussels - sorry if i am being dense. Well done so far to those of you who have survived the journey and are showing such good progress. I am hoping that will be me in about 3 weeks. Fingers crossed x

DISASTER! Not having had a reply from Frederik confirming receipt of my deposit nearly a month ago I re-emailed him tonight to ask for the confirmation before booking my flights. They cannot find my deposit!!!!!! :thumbup: I have been onto our bank account online and the international transfer is there dated 11/8 £432 sent as 500euros. It left my account weeks ago. He wants proof from my bank. I am not very happy. I can't afford to pay it twice. Ho Hum!

Thanks slinky x

I paid my deposit the other day and emailed Frederick with the details etc. I have not heard back - is this usual for him? Anyone else doing 21st September? Am I going to be alone?