Hi from Ireland!

[Elsie 0]

Coco - Welcome back. Hope your recovery is going well.

Lulabelle - Welcome to the boards. I don't have a band yet so can't give advise but you are in goods hands on this thread.

[ailbhe 1]

Hi all. I just have a quick question. My surgery date is fast approaching and I was wondering if I should enjoy myself while I can (ie food :wink2:) or should I try to start limiting what I eat now in preparation?

Also, has anybody any words of wisdom? Things I'll need, what I should stock up on before the surgery etc?

Cheers

[Elsie 0]

Hi Ailbhe

I'm hoping to be banded in March, also by Dr. DeBruyne. Personally I am trying to avoid having too many "Last Suppers". It's just more weight to shift later. After the post op liquid/mushie stage you will still be able to eat nice food, just less of it. Also, as we'll we chewing slower, we might even stop and taste the food now instead of just inhaling it (this is me, maybe not you.)

This is what I'm hoping anyway, I'm sure some of the experienced bansters will give their input. I'm also interested in advise on what to stock up on for post op.

Best of Luck with the op, please keep me informed. I will be meeting Dr. DeBruyne in Dublin on 8th Feb.

Elsie

[ailbhe 1]

Hi Elsie. I'm glad to hear you're meeting him in Dublin as he had said he was coming over here for fills etc but I had heard no more about it. I'm thrilled i won't have to go the whole way to Belgium or London for a fill.

I too inhale my food. My fella is always giving out to me for it as I eat so quickly. I spend hours cooking a meal and clear my plate in about 10 minutes. That will take some getting used to!

[Coco 0]

Hi all. I just have a quick question. My surgery date is fast approaching and I was wondering if I should enjoy myself while I can (ie food :eek:) or should I try to start limiting what I eat now in preparation?

Also, has anybody any words of wisdom? Things I'll need, what I should stock up on before the surgery etc?

Cheers

Hi Ailbhe,

I didn't go on a pre-op diet I was just told no alcahol for 48hrs before the op. It would depend on your bmi if you are above 45 it might be useful to go on the milk diet for a couple of weeks before surgery, what this does is it reduces your liver size and makes it easier for the surgeon to access your stomach.

As for the last supper, there is no such thing, for the first week it will be difficult to eat (in my case the first three days:redface:), you will be able to eat fairly normally once the swelling starts to come down, and thats within the first week. I was told to eat a lot of Protein in the first week post surgery, to aid healing. This was achieved by eating yogurts, low fat custard, rice puddings and slim fast or any good Protein Drink. It wasn't difficult to do this as I didn't really feel like proper food although as I said earlier I did have a few sneaky dips into my hubby's plate from about day three. This is the week when you will have your optimum weight loss. And in most cases it stays off and some people will even lose a little bit more before their first post op app. For most people and you just have to look back on this thread, we are begging for a fill by the first appointment. So don't worry about "the last supper" there is'nt one.:tongue:

Stock up on some low fat custard and rice pudding portions and some Soup and Protein Drinks and also yogurts. Make things easy for yourself for the first week post op by having little or nothing to do. Accept any help thats offered and take it easy. The best of luck and do keep posting.:smile:

[Coco 0]

Hi Ailbhe

I'm hoping to be banded in March, also by Dr. DeBruyne. Personally I am trying to avoid having too many "Last Suppers". It's just more weight to shift later. After the post op liquid/mushie stage you will still be able to eat nice food, just less of it. Also, as we'll we chewing slower, we might even stop and taste the food now instead of just inhaling it (this is me, maybe not you.)

This is what I'm hoping anyway, I'm sure some of the experienced bansters will give their input. I'm also interested in advise on what to stock up on for post op.

Best of Luck with the op, please keep me informed. I will be meeting Dr. DeBruyne in Dublin on 8th Feb.

Elsie

Hi Elsie,

My last post covers what you wanted to know. People recover at different rates some people are back to work within a day or two some take longer, in my case, I felt 100% two weeks later, I was up and about in the first couple of days but I was sore.

I'm looking forward to hearing how the meeting with Dr DeBruyne goes, and I'm dying to know if they will see paitents that they haven't banded.

While I was in Loughinstown having the VV done, I was speaking to some of the nurses about the band, they do the bypass on HSE there, none of them knew about the band and were facinated by it. When I came back from the op they told me that they had a lecture that day about the lap band and that they had held it in their hand and were able to say that they had met a woman who had it done. It was just a coincidence that I was there that day, but its nice to know that more and more medical people are getting to know it. One day it may well be availabe through the HSE for anyone.

[astraeuslgw 0]

Hi all,

I had a lap-band fitted with Dr. Bruno Dillemans in Brugge, Belgium. I went through The World's Leading Bariatric Surgery Organization and I found them to be excellent, I was going to go through EOC but I was told by a frient that had been for surgery with them that they are in financial difficulty. I would strongly recommend quality gastric bypass though.

[ellen 0]

Hi Coco

Glad to see yore back on youre feet again. Not too sore I hope?

Hi Elsie

Excellent news that Dr de Bruyne is coming to Dublin in February. Will he be operating in Belgium and doing fills monthly in Dublin like he does in the UK? Super news for us all if that is the case. I have been reading lots on wlsinfo and he really is incredibly highly thought of there. I'm sure youll be in very safe hards. I have been emailing his colleague Dr dedonckers re my Tummy Tuck and Lipo - i believe in planning ahead!! I cant believe its so much cheaper in Belgium minus the mrsa and for a fraction of the UK and Irish cost - and you get a highly experienced surgeon to boot.....my credit card is deeply saddened that i didnt discover this 6 months ago!

Ellen

[countrygirljtl 0]

I relate to you,

I have had 3 fills with no restriciton or weight loss after 4 months,

I am now just feeling a gnawing ache in my chest wether I haven't eaten or not, and if I eat to much, which I did last night, I pay for it with heartburn.

My last fill was a nightmare and my hair is falling out, plus everyone I know who was banded before and soon after me, are doing so well, I am so frustrated, Sometimes I worry that maybe my band has slipped or something just isn't right, I tell the nurses my concerns, but they just remind me of the rules and say to stick to them.

Need support,

Janet

[PrincessLK 0]

Hi Janet

Where were you banded? You should insist on discussing all of this with your surgeon and insist on an x-ray jsut to check that all is as it should be and to put your mind at rest. Besides, you should not have pain in your chest so that needs to be investigated whether you are sticking to the rules or not. I have no had 4 fills, none of them have given me any restriction, in fact last Friday the surgeon told me he didn't think he had been injecting my port at all by mistake so when this weekend I still haven't felt any restriction, I've insisted on seeing my surgeon again straight away. So I'm seeing him in the morning. I'm going to ask him to take out all liquid from my band to measure how much is in there and then put it all back in with some extra. 10K and four months later and I'm the same, no weight loss since the initial 2 weeks post-op. This just isn't good enough, we deserve more.

xxx

[countrygirljtl 0]

PrincessLK

I just wrote a huge letter to you and pressed a button by accident and pooff, I lost my letter,

Anyway, I can relate to you,

Keep writing, I am going to contact my doc

Janet

[Gerri 0]

Hi all.

I was so happy to discover this site yesterday. I was banded by ACS in Dublin on the 11th September 2007. My surgeon was Bernd Ablassmaier. I think Dr Jan may have been in with him. I had a review and my second 1ml fill two weeks ago and had lost almost 3 stone. I was led to believe that they don't actually put any fill in the band when operating so in my mind there is now 2mls in the band. I haven't met Lou yet as Tara was still there up to about two weeks after my op. I was concerned when I read all the articles in the media but feel better after reading other peoples stories. I almost forgot why I wasn't eating much bread until the other day when I was out with my son and had a bite of fresh brown soda bread... it seemed to get stuck quite quickly and it took me about half an hour of feeling really awful before it moved at all! Although it was not pleasant I haven't made the same mistake since. Nice to be in touch with people who understand what a huge decision we all made and how important it is to us. Bye for now. :rolleyes2:

[penny2 0]

Hi everyone!!

Have been busy sorting myself out since my unhappy consult in Manchester-so,have decided to have a holiday in May(Florida Keys,yum)do the pre-op diet in June and (hopefully)have op in July while boss is away.To this end,I have made an appoinment for a consult with Dr Chris de Bruyne on Fri 8th at 12pm in Dublin.(Fitzwilliam Street)120euro.Thinking of you guys,I asked if he would take on patients from other Drs for fills and she said "yes,certainly if theres enough interest,he will come every month-the fills will be 120euro"

Bear in mind this is my 3rd consultation(Dr Jan who couldn't follow thru,Manchester Dr and now Dr Chris)hopefully 3rd time lucky!!at least,I know a bit more now and can ask the right questions.

So,guys,if you want another option,get on to his website (obesity assist)and phone julie Tosh for an appointment.

In the meantime,if anyone is around on 8th and would like to meet for a coffee afterwards,it would be lovely.I will be catching a train back to Cork but will be flexible enough-obviously would favour meeting in town tho.

Coco, hope you are improving and not so sore now.

[ailbhe 1]

Penny, glad to see your previous experiences haven't put you off! Glad to hear Dr Chris will do fills here for patients he hasn't banded as ACS left it all up in the air for a lot of people. And €120 isn't too bad for a fill when you save thousands on the band :rolleyes2: I hope it will be third time lucky for you. Let us know how you get on and what you think of Dr Chris! And you're off to Florida you lucky sausage! Heading to Belgium is my holiday this year. Not that I'm complaining!

I'm really excited about my op now. I wish I had booked it a bit earlier as I have everything organised and am just itching to get it done.

[PrincessLK 0]

Hi all,

I had a lap-band fitted with Dr. Bruno Dillemans in Brugge, Belgium. I went through The World's Leading Bariatric Surgery Organization and I found them to be excellent, I was going to go through EOC but I was told by a frient that had been for surgery with them that they are in financial difficulty. I would strongly recommend quality gastric bypass though.

Hi Astra - did you have your band fitted recently? Have you found it good or lost must weight? Just wondering as I haven't lost mucu at all and am almost 4 months post op now