What I think of THG

[Awkward customer 5]

Well, I had my band on Feb 11th, and am about 2 lbs lighter now than I was then. The £6000+ package I paid for included 2 years of aftercare, but I wish I had not taken their aftercare. You get nonsense phonecalls from dieticians, who don't know their jobs. I was told to snack on cheese and crackers (low-fat cheese, but still very high in fat), and eat paella, fish in breadcrumbs and fruit and fibre Cereal, all of which I did, but none of which filled me up, and I found if I cheated with fish and chips etc I could still eat just as much as before.

I told them I had a problem with portion size, which I hoped the band would help me with, eg I can eat 6 fish in batter in one go. I don't always do that, but I can eat a lot in one go. Their answer, "you need to adjust your portion size". Er,,, yes, but you could have told me that before I paid £6300 or what ever the price was.

As I still didn't have restriction, I have been for a number of fills, and at one fill, there was no X ray machine and they couldn't find the port, and after stabbing all over my stomach (which I regard as assault, battery and actual bodily harm), decided that they couldn't do it, and just sent me home, as if my travel expenses were neither here nor there.

I have now been transferred to Colette in their manchester clinic - I find her about a thousand times better than the other person, and she managed to find my port. Also, she told me only to have cheese and crackers once a week, and never to have paella, fish in breadcrumbs or fruit and fibre cereal - the 100% reverse of what the mickey mouse dietician had told me.

I still don't have proper restriction. I could easily eat fish and chips right now, but I am feeling more positive after meeting Colette and trying her foods out. I have boiled egg in the morning. I find 3 boiled eggs fills me up until lunch time. They are full of Protein, and much better than what I was having (the fruit and fibre they told me to have). New potatoes, baked potatoes, low-fat Alpen bars - these are all producing a greater feeling of fullness.

So I am hoping it will get better from now on. Unless you are seeing Colette, I would say the THG aftercare package is legally fraudulent. If I don't get proper restriction after a few more band fills, then I want to explore legal options. Colette told me not to have Tesco pizzas any more (they were not very high in calories, carefully chosen not to be an oily pizza: it was the Tesco Pizzeria Barbecue chicken, 385 calories and 5g of saturated fat per half-pizza), and so I have followed her word, but before then I was easily able to eat a whole pizza in one go - and then still be hungry - and I don't think that should be possible on a band. To say "you shouldn't be eating that" is not a sufficient THG response. I regard this company as essentially negligent.

Edited June 26, 2010 by Awkward customer

[xxblondeymxx 0]

Well, I had my band on Feb 11th, and am about 2 lbs lighter now than I was then. The £6000+ package I paid for included 2 years of aftercare, but I wish I had not taken their aftercare. You get nonsense phonecalls from dieticians, who don't know their jobs. I was told to snack on cheese and crackers (low-fat cheese, but still very high in fat), and eat paella, fish in breadcrumbs and fruit and fibre Cereal, all of which I did, but none of which filled me up, and I found if I cheated with fish and chips etc I could still eat just as much as before.

I told them I had a problem with portion size, which I hoped the band would help me with, eg I can eat 6 fish in batter in one go. I don't always do that, but I can eat a lot in one go. Their answer, "you need to adjust your portion size". Er,,, yes, but you could have told me that before I paid £6300 or what ever the price was.

As I still didn't have restriction, I have been for a number of fills, and at one fill, there was no X ray machine and they couldn't find the port, and after stabbing all over my stomach (which I regard as assault, battery and actual bodily harm), decided that they couldn't do it, and just sent me home, as if my travel expenses were neither here nor there.

I have now been transferred to Colette in their manchester clinic - I find her about a thousand times better than the other person, and she managed to find my port. Also, she told me only to have cheese and crackers once a week, and never to have paella, fish in breadcrumbs or fruit and fibre cereal - the 100% reverse of what the mickey mouse dietician had told me.

I still don't have proper restriction. I could easily eat fish and chips right now, but I am feeling more positive after meeting Colette and trying her foods out. I have boiled egg in the morning. I find 3 boiled eggs fills me up until lunch time. They are full of Protein, and much better than what I was having (the fruit and fibre they told me to have). New potatoes, baked potatoes, low-fat Alpen bars - these are all producing a greater feeling of fullness.

So I am hoping it will get better from now on. Unless you are seeing Colette, I would say the THG aftercare package is legally fraudulent. If I don't get proper restriction after a few more band fills, then I want to explore legal options. Colette told me not to have Tesco pizzas any more (they were not very high in calories, carefully chosen not to be an oily pizza: it was the Tesco Pizzeria Barbecue chicken, 385 calories and 5g of saturated fat per half-pizza), and so I have followed her word, but before then I was easily able to eat a whole pizza in one go - and then still be hungry - and I don't think that should be possible on a band. To say "you shouldn't be eating that" is not a sufficient THG response. I regard this company as essentially negligent.

oh no i am due 2 have my band done by them on the 8th of august iv already found that they are hard 2 get a hold of, were were u banded? il be in dolan park,

[Awkward customer 5]

oh no i am due 2 have my band done by them on the 8th of august iv already found that they are hard 2 get a hold of, were were u banded? il be in dolan park,

If you've paid and you are due, I can't advise you - but I would if I were you go ahead with the procedure in Dolan Park, where I was too. Just try to see Colette during your band fills. She goes around the country to clinics, so you might be able to see her.

It is far from automatic the weight loss - even though many people on this site seem to have had a fairly automatic experience. I think it depends how big you are for starters - and if you have the large 14cc band, it takes many fills to get restriction. I haven't got the full restriction yet after nearly 6 months, but I feel I am nearly there - maybe next time will do it.

[Awkward customer 5]

Can I add, you need to eat the right foods for the band to work. If you eat solid-type foods, you should be full and probably physically unable to eat more. If you eat Shepherd's pie and runny ready meals, you might as well not have the band, as they don't stay in the stomach pouch and make you feel full.

So you have to eat the right things. That's why I said 3 boiled eggs for Breakfast. It is exactly the right consistency. In the afternoon I make a chicken Pasta meal. Wholewheat spaghetti, a few ounces of chicken, diced and fried with 1Cal fat, then some peppers chopped and put in with the chicken, and then half a jar of low-fat Dolmio on the chicken, and in ten minutes it's all ready to eat. Very low in fat, and filling.

I don't have much else - maybe a banana or two the rest of the day, and some coffee.

[angelfizz 0]

Wow - thanks for the info - I liked the literature from THG but sadly cannot afford;sooo very interesting and great to be inspired by those who've gone b4 ... thanks and good luck hon x

[Awkward customer 5]

Wow - thanks for the info - I liked the literature from THG but sadly cannot afford;sooo very interesting and great to be inspired by those who've gone b4 ... thanks and good luck hon x

you can get it done much cheaper throughout Europa in Belgium (search for info about Dr Christiaan de Bruyne). 4000 euros I believe. About £3600.

I initially thought it would be better to get it done in the UK - if anything went wrong I could sue an English doctor more easily. But in fact, it would be better to have the freedom to purchase your aftercare from whoever you wanted. So it would have been better to go with the Belgian option.

[angelfizz 0]

Aw thanks for reply - you must read minds cos I'm scheduled to 'go under' Dr Chris De Bryune in Sept.

It's all v scarey - even more so with having kids etc - I can't have a 'who cares' attitude as I would have done when I was on my own. ll I know is that I lost alot of weight when pregnant twice so know banding will help - i also need my self destruct bitton opertaing on so will also focus on some psycho-therapy of sorts...

Do you have any regrets re band?

[Awkward customer 5]

Aw thanks for reply - you must read minds cos I'm scheduled to 'go under' Dr Chris De Bryune in Sept.

It's all v scarey - even more so with having kids etc - I can't have a 'who cares' attitude as I would have done when I was on my own. ll I know is that I lost alot of weight when pregnant twice so know banding will help - i also need my self destruct bitton opertaing on so will also focus on some psycho-therapy of sorts...

Do you have any regrets re band?

Well my only regret is that no one explained to me that the band would take many months to tighten and that it could be months before it started to work properly. So if it takes 3 or 4 band fills before you reach your full restriction, you should rest assured that is normal.

[angelfizz 0]

Thanks matey - hey check out this I saw a link on another forum - interesting stuff!

YouTube - missflump's Channel

[katieph 1]

Dear Awkward Customer,

Reading your post the first thing it did was remind me of myself when I first had my band fitted in Feb. I wanted everything to happen yesterday. I have had five carfully monitored fills to get nearly the right restriction. There is still no guarentee I wont need another but under THG 2 year plan I have a further 19 months of free fills to call upon if needed.

I very qickly learned it is not a miracle cure it is still very much down to what you coose to put in your mouth. Diet plays a very big part. I foolishly believed that I could continue to eat my what I enjoyed but because it was a much smaller portion size would automatically loose weight.

Believe me once you have the retriction you need you wont want to eat pizza. The dieticians will not give you a cast Iron list of does and donts. The person to decide is yourself. I have found after every fill my choices have changed to fit with what I am able to eat and what works best.

Please be patient and work at it, soon it will be second nature and you will loose weight. I have lost 3 stone in 5 months.

Kateph