Hi from Ireland!

[shannon12345 0]

Hey guys ....just wondering if there are any ex ACS patients still around ......and how are you doing ???

i am an ex ACS patient can you tell me about your experience because mine is not a nice one see below,

I was 18 when i had the surgery in ACS Dublin,

I was nieve and was so excited about the prospect of a new life that i jumped straight into the surgery.

Afterwards i could not was to get started on my new life but felt a bit uneasy in the hospital beacause while i was there there was a lady who could not have been more than a size 14 who was having the lap band aswel. i was amazed that she could be approved for surgery as she did not look overweight. Also while i was there a lady came in who had had a Tummy Tuck the week previous and her stomach had just come apart. i was horrified.

About 2 months post surgery i found that i couild still eat a lot and wanted another fill. I then called up ACS only to find out the went into liquedation and the Hospital group would only give is 2 more fills and we would have to travel all the way to belfats for the fills. and every fill after that costs 225 euro.

They also informed me that the band that ACS had put in place was a very cheap version of band and this makes it difficult to have fills as the pressure on the port makes the saline squirt out.

I have since moved to Australia and now i want to start getting fills again as i can each just as much as i could pre surgery. They say i cant have fills until they know exactly which band i have. im stuck!

[Gerri 0]

HI Shannon,

I have a feeling you came in to ACS the morning after I had my surgery I had mine done on 11/09/2007 . I assume they gave us all the same type of band which is a Minimiser. ACS were a joke but I have since dealt with Dr Chris De Bruynes team and can only praise them on their service. Hope things go well for you in Australia.

[shannon12345 0]

HI Shannon,

I have a feeling you came in to ACS the morning after I had my surgery I had mine done on 11/09/2007 . I assume they gave us all the same type of band which is a Minimiser. ACS were a joke but I have since dealt with Dr Chris De Bruynes team and can only praise them on their service. Hope things go well for you in Australia.

Wow Gerry thanks for your help becoz I really needed the date of surgery and I knew it was mid September but I needed to know for sure! Thank you so much ! The surgeon needs to know exact date of surgery bans type and my surgeons name- I know that part although I think I am spelling it wrong :thumbup: Bernard albassmair.

Yep ACS were a total nightmare. Would you believe over here you get fills on Medicare so you pay 150 and get back 133! After all these years of bad look and throwing money away I'm finally having this sorted. And to have a lap band operation it costs $4650!

We were absolutely robbed. Hope your going well, and I hope this is the start of it for me.

[shannon12345 0]

Gerri why do you think i came in the day after you? i met a lot of lovely women in there and wish i was still in contact with a few of them but i think a few ppl lost hope with the whole ACS thing.

and i just found this site now so i wish i knew about it a t the tome the whole drama was happening.

i have just sat for 4 hours and read almost every post on here and the feeling has got me slightly angery now that i am remembering all that money wasted and time spent ringing but you just have to move past it i suppose but there is something just bitter about the whole thing.

How was your Tummy Tuck? i am thinking of having one but i want to have my kids first becoz im sure il prob need one after havin kids.

[Gerri 0]

Hi Shannon,

I had my surgery done on the 11th September and am 99.9% sure you came in the following morning and were in the middle bed opposite me. I remember thinking how young you were and right to do it and not wait and I think you may have had Lipo done previously?

I have my card from ACS and the surgeon was Mr Bernd Ablassmaier.

The band is definitely the minimiser the hospital group told me that when I went to Belfast for one of my fills.

Glad things are going well for you in Australia.

I was delighted with my Tummy Tuck, I felt even after losing 9 stone that I was still carrying the baggage so when they removed 5lbs of skin it was great:thumbup:.

The web site is great to see how other people are doing and to get advice and even to vent.

Take care.

Ger

[shannon12345 0]

Jees you have a fantastic memory that was defo me. I think the girl in the bed next to you had her nose done. And were you still there when that girl with the Tummy Tuck came in?

You are the only other person in here to be banded by the same surgeon as me u think. I think I saw on one if your posts that it is an 8ml band too? That will be very helpful too. I don't remember getting a card but maby I just forgot about it. Yeah in Belfast they showed me

What our band looks like and the band that most other surgeons use an they look totally different.

So is it goin for you? Do you have much restriction? What have you lost so far?

Never mind after posting that I just saw you write 9stone b4 ur rummy tuck!!! Unreal well done girl

Hi Shannon,

I had my surgery done on the 11th September and am 99.9% sure you came in the following morning and were in the middle bed opposite me. I remember thinking how young you were and right to do it and not wait and I think you may have had Lipo done previously?

I have my card from ACS and the surgeon was Mr Bernd Ablassmaier.

The band is definitely the minimiser the hospital group told me that when I went to Belfast for one of my fills.

Glad things are going well for you in Australia.

I was delighted with my Tummy Tuck, I felt even after losing 9 stone that I was still carrying the baggage so when they removed 5lbs of skin it was great:thumbup:.

The web site is great to see how other people are doing and to get advice and even to vent.

Take care.

Ger

Edited September 22, 2010 by shannon12345

[Loriha 0]

Hi Girls

Just back from Dublin having had my first fill since mar 2008 - with Frederick - I have to say it was very pleasant to be treated with such respect after the ACS disaster - He removed all the Fluid in my band to see what was in there - there was only 3 mls - so he put that back in and added another 2 unfortunately it was overfil and after some unpleasant bringing back the Water he took out 1 ml leaving me with 4 mls - he suspects I only had that reaction because I had been emptied first but there was no other way to check what was in and with no records from ACS.

Brenners I met a friend of yours from Ennis when I mentioned the forum having just started back looking through posts I'm so sorry to hear of your band experience - I wish you every success with your bypass and hope all goes well for you xx

Gerri - Tummy Tuck impressed indeed

I need to start saving for that one !!! Hoping for some more success now that I have some restriction again I have lost 6 stone but another 3 to go and 3 stone of that is only because Im back at weight watchers grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr having paid 10k its so fustrating.

But I shall keep you all updated on my progression and look forward to hearing all your updates...

Banded in ACS in November 2006. Cant believe I allowed myself to be operated on in such conditions thank god I haven't had any further complications - Having read some of the nightmare stories I feel truly blessed.

xx keep well talk soon

Lorraine

[Brenners 0]

Hi Loriha

So glad your getting sorted, finally. I too often think about the awful conditions and way were treated by ACS, it doesnt bear thinking about if there was an emergency. You wont know yourself now and will be Twiggy by Xmas :thumbup:

I met Gerri today and she looks just fantastic! She has been so lucky not to have had any problems!

Im just waiting on a date for my bypass. I had a scope done last Friday and I still have a stitch in my stomach from when I got the band done. They couldnt see it when they were removing the band because I had an infection. I kind of knew something wasnt right because at times I still feel like I have a band. But they will remove it when I have bypass done.

Hopefully will be having op done in Blackrock clinic, but may have to go to liverpool as its more complicated having revision surgery.

Anyway I just cant wait to get it over and done with, its been a long road both physically and emotionally.

Best of luck and hope the lbs drop off you!!!

Brenners xx

[Loriha 0]

Hi Loriha

So glad your getting sorted, finally. I too often think about the awful conditions and way were treated by ACS, it doesnt bear thinking about if there was an emergency. You wont know yourself now and will be Twiggy by Xmas :thumbup:

I met Gerri today and she looks just fantastic! She has been so lucky not to have had any problems!

Im just waiting on a date for my bypass. I had a scope done last Friday and I still have a stitch in my stomach from when I got the band done. They couldnt see it when they were removing the band because I had an infection. I kind of knew something wasnt right because at times I still feel like I have a band. But they will remove it when I have bypass done.

Hopefully will be having op done in Blackrock clinic, but may have to go to liverpool as its more complicated having revision surgery.

Anyway I just cant wait to get it over and done with, its been a long road both physically and emotionally.

Best of luck and hope the lbs drop off you!!!

Brenners xx

Thank you - I hope that you will have the surgery wherever is the best for the most successful outcome for you xx I feel motivated again - I will continue to do weight watchers with my daughter as that was my main reason for going back to them this summer we have both dropped 16lbs since July - but its been soooooooo hard and it shouldn't be - but at least she can recognise now what healthy eating ect is and hopefully it will prevent her from needing such drastic action in the future - I feel like I am betraying her somewhat - having had the fill today - however I have also upped the anti with regard to excercise in the last few weeks while she is still a bit sluggy - so im hoping if I start to lose a bit more than her each week she will think its the extra exercise thats doing it and she might be encouraged to follow suit -sneaky I know but she is only 14 and her current weight is 13stone 2lb so I really want her to do this so she can enjoy her young life and have fun shopping with friends ect.... so

I feel a little justified.

Take care of yourself and keep us postedI will keep you in my thoughts and prayers

Lorraine xx

[hunnybee 0]

OMG it's great to find some fellow Irish on here!! Im delighted now lol well im not banded yet, but I really think I am going to go ahead with it. I am 30 yrs old, 5 6" and 210lbs, I have about 70+ to lose. Iv lost them loads of times before but i cant keep them off :laugh: I have already been for a consultation with Haven Cosmetics, but backed out at the last minute.. I was in the bank, with the cash in my hand, with the lodgment slip filled in and everything and I just took a panic attack in the bank :thumbup: I'd swear it was my Aunty Ann looking down on me.. anyways, they went tits up there a few weeks ago, he was a pure gangster so now im researching where to go to have it done. I have heard wonderful things about Dr De Bruyne in Belgium, who quoted 4100 for the op, accommodation for myself and my partner for three nights in Belgium and all taxi fares etc. The gas thing Is Cosmedico who are agents for Dr De Bruyne quoted me 6900 and 150 for each fill afterwards :tt2:

Oh they do love to rip us Irish off dont they :lol:So by booking it direct im saving a fortune. They charge 220 for each fill if they DONT do your operation so im still saving.. However, now Iv found another clinic called Auralia here in Dublin who are doing it 4900 including a years aftercare and theres no need to go abroad Have any of you heard of them or what they are like? I would love to hear from Irish Bandsters and what your experiences have been like..

[Loriha 0]

I met with many people in the clinic the other day follow up aftercare for Chris de Bruin all were extremely positive about there experience in Belgium -If I had to do it all again I would go abroad they have the facilities and the experience - and a proper hospital environment - after care for one year may not be adequate find out who the surgeon is where he works is he registered is there any complaints against him does he work full time in Ireland how many bands has he fitted can you talk to any of their patients who have had it fitted - before you go ahead. Best of luck

Lorriane xx

Edited October 12, 2010 by Loriha

[hunnybee 0]

I met with many people in the clinic the other day follow up aftercare for Chris de Bruin all were extremely positive about there experience in Belgium -If I had to do it all again I would go abroad they have the facilities and the experience - and a proper hospital environment - after care for one year may not be adequate find out who the surgeon is where he works is he registered is there any complaints against him does he work full time in Ireland how many bands has he fitted can you talk to any of their patients who have had it fitted - before you go ahead. Best of luck

Lorriane xx

Hi pet, thanks for your reply, i really appreciate it. I know a woman who was also banded by the same dr as you a few years ago, and it is because of this that i had some reservation about getting it done. Im not critizising thi Dr but this woman has lost alot of weight, 8 stone to be exact but she is sick after EVERYTHING she eats and cannot in my opinion be healthy.. she is not getting any nutrition at all and she is sack even if she eats the smallest thing. I dont know exactly what my fear is when I am getting banded but maybe it's the fear of the unknown. I would love to hear your story and how you got. Congrats on the weightloss oet, well done xx

[shannon12345 0]

I am totally devasted! Just went for a fill after two years of getting one an the doc told me I had 4 mls in my band and she could not put anymore in! She reckons I have a 4 ml capacity band so I cannot have any more fills. I'm so upset as I have zero restriction. My only other option is having it replaced. I am so angry with acs. Why would they even make a 4ml band is beyond me.

So upset I can believe it.

[Loriha 0]

Oh Shannon - That is awful - I know ACS used two types one the other is supposed to be a 10 ml band. What doctor did you go to for a fill - Did he empty it completely ? When I went for my fill he emptied to see what was in there and when he put it back along with another 2 mls it was over filled I had to have 1 ml removed but have good restriction so far since -He reckoned it was because he emptied it completely first that I felt such restriction it might be worth having a complete defill for a week or two and then filling again to find restriction -does that make sense?

ACS have alot to answer for - Hugs x

[shannon12345 0]

Hi thanks for the advise. I went back today to see if a more experienced surgeon could give me a fill and even he couldn't get anymore than the original 4mls bk in. I think it has made a slight difference in the restriction coz I feel a bit funny now. Will keep u updyed :wink2: he is sending me for a barium meal X-ray to check everythings ok.

If no luck I will have to have an endoscopy. Hopefully it won't come to that!

I really hope it gets sorted soon!