Hi from Ireland!

[mol 0]

Hi Ailbhe, Thanks that's really helpful ,I just hate the thought of surgery but if it gets the weight down it will be worth it!!

[ailbhe 1]

My surgeon said that the day after the surgery I would be thinking "why did I do this?" and as the days and weeks passed I would be thinking "why didn't I do this sooner?". He was 100% right. The morning after the op I did think "what have i done to myself?" but now I wish that I'd done it 5 years ago when I started gaining weight.

The night I had my c section the nurse told me I'd feel like an old woman who'd been hit by a bus once the spinal block wore off. It helped to know in advance which is why I don't lie when people ask if it hurts. It does but it's worth 2 days of pain. If I had to go back and do it again I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[Elsie 0]

Ailbhe: Sorry to hear all you are going through. Will send you a pm.

Marge and Simone (And hopefully some others maybe): See you in Larry Murphys at 12.30.

Coco: Good to have you back on the boards. Hope you are feeling ok after your vv op. Thank you for your posts, I found them helpful. Its good to know that even a very successful bandster like you got off to a shaky start i.e. PBing after every meal for the first few months. It certainly helps to know that a lot of people go through it and see results. I think a lot of people (I know I did) think they are never going to get the hang of it and are failures who have wasted their money and are paranoid that people are looking at them thinking “why isn’t she skinny yet?” Hope you see you tomorrow!

Skinnyminny2be: Welcome to Lap band talk. Hope your consultation goes well on Friday. Let us know how you get on.

Damienne: It was nice to meet you again. Good Luck on Friday. Unfortunately you are the only one who can make this decision. All I can say now is that if you do go ahead with it then you are in good hands with Dr. DeBruyne. Talk soon.

Mol: Welcome. Congrats on your weight loss so far and good luck with the operation at the end of the month. I was also terrified of the idea of surgery but it wasn’t half as bad as I thought it would be. I was banded at the start of March and have no regrets. As far as the operation goes, there was some pain, the first two days being the worse. Now I barely remember it and like Ailbhe said I would do it again. At times its not easy dealing with learning how to eat/chew properly but its def worth it.

Poor Fern Britton. Its such an invasion of privacy, I personally think it such a personal thing and she was more or less bullied into admitting it. However, fair play to her and I wish her all the best. I think in the long run the more celebs that come out about it, the more acceptable it may become and the less shocked people may be at the idea of it.

Edited June 4, 2008 by Elsie

[ailbhe 1]

I haven't been weighing myself as I've been annoyed with the lack of weight loss. I was really regretting not getting a fill but I weighed myself just now and the numbers actually went down!! or the first time in about 3 weeks. I'm a happy bunny.

By the way, the last time we met up I was asking if anyone was setting off alarms in shops as I have been since having the band. I googled it and found these things that they put on products that make some alarms go off and when I rummaged through my bag I found that there was one on my tube of foundation in my make up bag (which is always in my handbag). It was covered by a barcode and I bought it before I went to Belgium. I haven't set an alarm off since. I felt a bit stupid over that one

Edited June 4, 2008 by ailbhe

[Gerri 0]

Hi all,

Hope those of you who appointments for fills today got on well.

Ailbhe, you are doing fab with the weight loss, give yourself the credit you deserve, nearly 2 1/2 stone down!

I still haven't heard back from ACS, am going to leave it until Monday and then give them a call.

[siepie 0]

Hi All,

Great to see you yesterday Elsie and Marge - fill went well and being on liquids again isn't as hard as I thought it would be.

Will be interesting to see how restriction goes once I'm back on to normal foods - until then it's Protein Shakes and Soup for me.

Have a great weekend everyone

Siepie

[Coco 0]

Hi all, it's good to know there's a few Irish out there going through the same thing. I'm having my band fitted in loughlinstown at the end of the month. I've been attending their weight management clinic for 7 months and have managed to loose 2.5 stone through diet etc, but slowed down now to 2lb a month....still have 6 stone to loose so could be at it for a while so they've offered the band as an extra support.I hope I've made the right decision ....any advice

Hi Mol,

Welcome to our thread, I'm delighted to see someone from the Loughlinstown weight management programme on the boards, I was on their waiting list in 2004 but as they had no idea when they could offer me an appointment I decided to investigate the band and had I had it done in Jan 2007. In my opinion you have made the right decision, I know in my case its the best thing I could ever have done for myself and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. I'v lost almost 6 stone since having the band and although its not all plain sailing, it gets easier and easier as the months go by and you adjust to the band. This is a great site to get advice and help and support.

Good luck with the op and keep in touch to let us know how you're getting along.:wink2:

[Coco 0]

Hi Guys,

I was one of the May 29th appointments which got cancelled. I was also told that I would be contacted within 2 weeks, now I know its only been 9 days but I just wondered if anyone has heard from ACS/The Hospital Group with regard to fills. I don't know if I should ring them or maybe wait the full 2weeks. :wink2:

[Coco 0]

Hi All,

Cocoo I wonder if you were referring to a vein op. in your post?

I could do with having it done if/when I loose weight.

Did you have to have a defill before and a refill after? i would like to know how that went.

Hi Damienne,

Yes that would be the old leg veins I was referring to.:wink2: In my case they weren't too bad, in that I wasn't suffering any pain with them, they just looked ugly so I had them removed. I had the right leg done at the end of Jan and the left leg done just over two weeks ago. I didn't have a defill before either ops and I told them about the band and there was no problem. I'm hopeful that I will be able to were a skirt and go bare legged before the end of the summer without frightening small children:biggrin:.

Good luck with your decision on the band, I know its a difficult one to make but sometimes we have to feel the fear and do it anyway.

[2008mary 0]

Hi everyone, great to find a site that I can relate to . Had a band fitted in Nov 2006. Have only lost 56lbs to date. Cant seem to lose any more without literally starving myself. ACS have sold out to a UK company now and I cant find any one to do a fill for me. Anyone got any info on this, I am in Dublin. Thanks.

[2008mary 0]

Hi, I would be really gratefull if any one could give me a contact for GB fill in dublin at the moment. ACS have sold out to the Hospital Group UK who are waiting on registrations to practice in Ireland.

They have no idea how long this will take, possibly a number of weeks. I dont want to wait that long as I feel really motivated again and want to move now.

Please help. Thanks. :thumbup:

Would love to hear from anyone in Dublin in same position!!

[Gerri 0]

Hi all,

Coco, I was cancelled on the 29th also, I phoned ACS (Hospital Group) this pm and spoke to Leanne. They are waiting for the Irish Medical Council Registration for the UK doctors, so no fills in Dublin, Cork or Galway at the moment. They have fills available in Belfast, this doesn't suit me I'd rather wait. Hopefully they'll have furhter news next week.

Ailbhe, glad your weight has started to come down again and that you have stopped setting off alarms!! That made me smile.

Elsie, while I agree that it should have been up to Fern Britton to break the story herself as you say the more people are aware of it the less shock value it will have.

Siepe, Marge glad your appointments went well.

Good weekend to all.

[Coco 0]

Hi, I would be really gratefull if any one could give me a contact for GB fill in dublin at the moment. ACS have sold out to the Hospital Group UK who are waiting on registrations to practice in Ireland.

They have no idea how long this will take, possibly a number of weeks. I dont want to wait that long as I feel really motivated again and want to move now.

Please help. Thanks. :tongue2:

Would love to hear from anyone in Dublin in same position!!

Hi 2008Mary,

As you can see, all us ACS/Hospital Group patients are in the same boat with regards to fills. You could ring them again and get an appointment for Belfast but as they are only covering people who were banded since March 2007 you will probably be expected to pay. If you are willing to pay some of the girls on here who have been banded in Belgium see their fill doctor who comes to Dublin twice a month, he might be willing to give you a fill but I'm sure a phone call would clarify that for you. If this would suit you, I'm sure one of the girls will pass on the phone number for you. Also, the Beacon in Sandyford do the band so they might do a fill for you. Hope that helps.:thumbup:

[mol 0]

Hi all, I've gotton a def date for surgery,even if it is later then i thought! My problem is i will be flying to portugal for holiday 10 days post op....will this be a problem? don't want to defer surgery as having big knee op in Sept! I usually do really well after surgery and i'm not sure of complications which could happen after first week and before first fill....any advice? Also couldn't believe ACS have sold out..that's a real pain . The beacon do fills ...don't they??

[2008mary 0]

Hi Coco,

You have done amazing with your weight loss. Absolutely fantastic. I will give the Beacon in Sandyford a ring to see if I can get a fill. Going to Belfast in not an option for me at the moment. Thanks for the info.

Good luck on reaching your target.

Mary