Hello from Germany

[Bandster Brad 1]

Veegates, Seeglinde! Vas ist Loos mit seer?

Do you know the name of the company that manufactures your band? I want to look them up and see if I can invest some money in them before it catches on like wildfire! Do they have a web site?!

Danke Shein,

Brad

(sorry for my bad spelling in Deutsche)

[schel 0]

I feel ancient!

How cool is that?!!!

Schel

[JanetC 2]

Welcome to LBT Sabine! We're so glad to have you hanging out here!

And that new band is the coolest device ever!! No port for infections! Of course the antenna could get infected... maybe eventually it'll all be a part of the band.

You're doing awesome on it! Great weight loss! Thanks so much for letting us know about the test & your journey with it!

[piercedqt78 658]

Also no leaks...~Mandy

[cissy 0]

:welcome: Hello Sabine! I'm glad you found LBT!

Adjustments by remote-control huh? Sounds exciting! After you get an adjustment, does you doctor require you to stay on liquids for a day or two, or can you continue eating as normal?

And congrats on your weight loss! That's great!

[paula 4]

This is about the coolest thing Ive seen so far!

WELCOME to Lapbandtalk.com

We are truly HAPPY to have you.

Gosh, soooo many questions are floating around in my mind...

First of all, how long will the study last?

So right now you have to go to the hospital for adjustments, but in the future - are they wanting the banded person to adjust their OWN fills (with that machine) ???

WOW! what'll they think of next! This is so cool.

Again, welcome!

[DeLarla 22]

Welcomefloogen. Is that German? Hey, LOVE your beer!

[PinkMary 3]

Hallo Sabine! wie gehts?

I'm also European Bandster, im from Greece and here surgeons using

the French band by Helioscopie. its filled with saline and it holds 10 cc totally of saline.

welcome to LapBandTalk forum! its great place for support and people

are all amazing!

the cost of the band in Greece is 3500 euro. and the fills are free for life!

greetz

[Marimaru 7]

Welcome!

I have another question :couch2:. When they adjust the band, is there a measurement for it? Like in millimeters or something? Or is it just 'tighter' or 'looser'?

How exciting!!

[SEAGLD 0]

Hello again,

I'm back from hospital and have to lot to do to answer all your questions.

...you don't have a balloon in your band that is filled with saline, or air, the band is solid, and lossens or tightens mechanically, right?

I don't have a baloon. That's rigth. It's metal with a motor and around it's kind of silicon or plastic. And to give the motor power u have the aerial. From the control unit over the external aerial you give induce current to the internal aerial.

When they adjust the band, is there a measurement for it? Like in millimeters or something? Or is it just 'tighter' or 'looser'?

There are measurments. I already wrote it some posts down, but qill do it another time. If the band is wide open its diameter is 29mm. The minimum is 18mm. and u can adjust it in 0,1mm parts. (The band diameter is 29mm or less, but u have to add the thickness of the stomach septum (normally 5mm - and because the human stomach is a kind of baloon you have to take it twice) so the stomach inside diameter at the stoma is maximum 19mm and minimum 8mm).

I already had been adjusted down from 29mm (wide open - unblocked) to 24,5mm on the first blocking-date and to 23mm on the second. Last week I was ill, and we needed to unblock the band because no drinks went through. So, now i got blocked down to 23mm again yesterday. I did not feel the blocking at all (some say they feel a little prickel - but never more).

First of all, how long will the study last?

The study in Germany disigned for five years. We have to go to the hospitals after 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 month after surgey date for check-ups.

So right now you have to go to the hospital for adjustments, but in the future - are they wanting the banded person to adjust their OWN fills (with that machine) ???

U have to go to hospitals for adjustment, and momentarily there are just two hospitals in Germany who have the control unit. That's why I have to go about 400km at the moment to adjust my band. When the band is prooved and implantated normally more hospitals will have the control unit, and then the way will not be so far I think. But i don't think that you'll be allowed to do it your own, because u have to make the liquid roentgen test after the adjustment.

Do you know the name of the company that manufactures your band?

Yes, I do. The companys name is EndoArt. They are from switzerland.

After you get an adjustment, does you doctor require you to stay on liquids for a day or two, or can you continue eating as normal?

Directly after the adjustment u are not allowed to eat normally. First u have to make a liquid pass test. Is that test ok u are allowed to eat as normal. U just have to be more careful, but I think that's not different to other gastric bandings.

And i have a great news for u all. Yesterday, when I was at the hospital for check-up there was a guy from the manufacturing team. And he told me - after I mentioned all your responses - that there will be a clinical trial in america starting this fall. I don't know yet where exactly, but I will tell u as soon as I know.

Normally gastric banding surgeys in Germany cost from 5000€ - 7500€ (if u are a self-pay patient) (all inklusiv (1-3 days in the hospital normally, if longer the prices goes up a bid) except for blocking which normally is paid by the insurance) depending on where it is make - but the hospitals where it costs only 5000€ are not less good.

A RNY u can get from 5000€ to 15000€ and a prices for BPD I don't have in mind I would need to ask.

Greetz, Sabine

[oh2bthin 0]

hi and welcome , my names sherry and i was banded in belguim by a dr neville he has doing lap bands for 10 years and was great but i moved to the u.s.a. and now have alot of problems as i have a bioring band and its not f.d.a. approved and i am having to go to mexico for a fill. i wish this band was about when i was living in germany (spangdahlem air force base ) eifel area. i miss germany and my husband would kill for a bitburger beer ha ha . my daughter still dips her fries in majonaise and americans think its horrible !! i am actually from england and what with my husband being in the military we get to see alot of the world but germany was definatley one of our best assignments (i loved the kindergeld !!) i wish the americans were more open to new things this f.d.a approval thing really holds them back and i know its because there so afraid of being sued but its very frustating , i have a band they won't look at and even my dog was in trouble she has diabetes and the insulin they gave her here was not kanine insulin it was human and nearly killed her, as once again that insulin is not f.d.a approved. its so exciting for you and who knows in years to come you may have the lapband of the future here in the u.s , well nice to see some one from across the Water and man i wish i was back there sometimes, i am in north carolina now and probably going to move again in about a year or so , so lets hope where ever i go next they know what a lapband is and don't think i swollowed a plastic ring ha ha .. if i had known that this lapband was going to be so hard to maintain out of germany/belguim i think i might of waited or got it done here but the one they use here is the old style ( you can"t win) anyway must go good luck and well done on your weight loss i bet you feel great , what did the doctors say about any prospective problems with your band if any . have you exsperianced anything so far ? sherry

[SEAGLD 0]

Hey Sherry,

I would like to see so much of the world too, but only for holiday. Moving so often is hard I think. I thought a lapband is a lapband and it's all the same whereever u are. It must be very hard not to have a doctor near by who can fill u and help u out.

The remote control band is brand -new. U don't get it here either. It's just about 30 people who have it - and all of them are in the clinical trial. I love m band. It's o comfortable. But if I would have to move half way round the world I would have to fly to Germany for adjustment and check-ups for the next 4 years and maybe a bit longer because u don't know now how fast the hospitals will have such a control unit.

Yeah, fries with salat cream - I love them - but I'm hard to myself and don't eat fries at all :think . I have been to the US only once - visited a girlfirend of mine when she made an aupair year in Washington D.C. I really loved the people. They have all been so nice to me. It was a great holiday.

I'll write more later....

Greetz, Sabine

[TracyinKS 7]

this has been a very interesting thread.. Sabine are you still around

[Tazza 0]

Hi Sabine,

I was reading your posts - I am thinking about getting the Easyband fitted in Belgium.

I am having a consultation in London on Friday and the Surgeon that I had already chosen is going to begin fitting these new bands from 9 May. I think I will be nervous about being the first (or one of the first) but he has been fitting lap bands for many years in Belgium.

The Easyband in Belgium will cost £4,000 - 6,000 Euro which includes one-night hospital stay and there is a company in Manchester, UK that have started fitting the Easyband for £8,950, so it seems your band is becoming popular. I know there is also a clinic in Canada that started fitting Easyband in January 2007.

How is the study going? Do you know of anybody that has had any problems. My big worry would be needing an emergency un-tightening and not having access to the equipment. I thought I had read somewhere that adjustments can be done remotely over the phone but I can't seem to find that info again so maybe I imagined it! Below is some info for anyone reading this thread that is interested in Easyband;

"Now, there is a remarkable development in band technology which entirely eliminates the need to needle-puncture the access port with all the attendant risks. The Telemetric Adjustable Gastric Band (TAGB) uses sophisticated electronics to close or open the band without the need for an access port of any kind. The access port is replaced by a simple electronic receiver, through which the telemetric signal is directed to either open or close the band. The main advantages of the TAGB are:

• No risk of access port infection

  
  

• No requirement for needles or puncture of the skin

  
  

• Highly accurate and painless adjustment

  
  

• Shorter time spent under X-ray evaluation

  
  

• No risk of Fluid leakage from the band

  
  

The TAGB has been clinically evaluated and has been shown to be both safe and effective. In fact percentage excess weight loss is at least as good as with a conventional “hydraulic” band and may well prove to be better due to improved patient compliance with band adjustments"