1st appointment went bad :(

[milton5a 0]

Hi,

I had my first appoitment with the dietician today and I was quite disappointed.

I'm 14 stone 8 pounds at the moment and the dietician wants me to loose a few pounds and come back 3 months later. Then I can book in an appointment with the consultant.

Did anyone else had to wait three months before they could see the consultant (by the way this is not for the operation this is just for our first meeting and I'm going private will cost me £8,000)

I also asked her how many operations the consultant had done and she replied, "You won't be the first but this is a fairly new procedure." This alone made me a bit uneasy.

I'm not getting much support from my friends / family either they think the band is the easy way out and it's not - I wouldn't do it if I was happy and healthy!

I like in Northampton and I have come to the decision to use another private healthcare company - does anyone have any recomendations?

Thank you all for your help

Lauren

[Miss HC 0]

Hi Lauren

I had my operation with Transform in Manchester. They were really good all the way through the consultation and operation albeit they have been a bit slack with the post op support. The clinic nurse is wonderful but i have not seen the dietician yet which is really disappointing.

My family took a similar line with the 'easy way out' but believe me it isnt!! I was in considerable pain for two weeks following the operation.

I had my consultation in March and had to wait approx. 6weeks for the op.

There are a number of companies offering the banding. The hospital group were fairly reasonable, in fact they were cheaper than Transform. I had already met with the surgeon and was happy so decided not to change.

I would definately advise you to keep looking, 3 months seems a very long time especially if you have made your mind up about having the surgery.

Good luck

H x

[Mrs D 0]

Hi,

I had my first appoitment with the dietician today and I was quite disappointed.

I'm 14 stone 8 pounds at the moment and the dietician wants me to loose a few pounds and come back 3 months later. Then I can book in an appointment with the consultant.

Did anyone else had to wait three months before they could see the consultant (by the way this is not for the operation this is just for our first meeting and I'm going private will cost me £8,000)

I also asked her how many operations the consultant had done and she replied, "You won't be the first but this is a fairly new procedure." This alone made me a bit uneasy.

I'm not getting much support from my friends / family either they think the band is the easy way out and it's not - I wouldn't do it if I was happy and healthy!

I like in Northampton and I have come to the decision to use another private healthcare company - does anyone have any recomendations?

Thank you all for your help

Lauren

hI THERE My advice to you would be shop around. There quite a lot of surgeons out there now doing this type of opp. dO U HAVE A BUPPA NEAR YOU? tHEY ARE VERY GOOD.

[anon 1]

I have to say that £8000 is very steep, even in the UK... There are some excellent surgeons around and like previously said you should shop around!

[Helen 1]

Hi I have mine op booked for next thursday at bupa in southampton.

I had 1st appointment on the 7th june and b4 I had that appointment I ask how soon they could do it and they pencil me in for 21st june and this was b4 seeing me, mind you saying that I am 22 stone with a BMI of 47 so I def fall into all the ticks,

I change the date on the 7th June to next week as I forgot I had a wedding this weekend.

The 1st app cost me £100.

The surg costing £5750 which inc 2 fills.

Have a look about there are many out there. What is your BMI?

[Brandychick 0]

Definitely want to be looking around. It makes me laugh that the dietician wants you to lose a few pounds before they refer you!!!! If you could that, you would not need the op???!!!

You prob will lose a few pounds then go back and she will tell you that you don't need the op as you lost weight on your own!!

Definitely, might want to give them a miss. Loads of them out there will do it if you medically need it. Have a look and you want to know exactly how many other ops they have done. Not just for the operation itself but for the after care as well. My surgeon done a good op, but I am just realising that he knows nothing about fills etc/...!

[libertysuzanne 1]

I shall jump on the band wagon and say shop around! They sound more like the NHS than a private service. Weird.

I know they do test you in some shape or form, my first appointment with my surgeon was an upsetting experience. But, when I think back, it gave me the impetous to go for it. It could also have worked the other way round.

I went to Belgium for my surgery and didn't regret it, but there are great services here as well. Although I would never consider the Hospital Group, too much bad press and then they 'rescue' Anne Diamond.

Let us know how you get one.

Suzanne x

[lucyinuk 0]

Hi, I would like to say that I have done a lot of reserch and I am now scheduled for surgery in belgium with Dr Dillemans with ObesityCare, July 18. The cost including hotel stay and transport there and back is about £4000. I could not justify the cost in the UK and stories of MRSA. MRSA is practically non-existant in Belgium hospitals. I have talked to several people that have had their band done in Belgium and all are happy with results. Once you decide you want it you book it when it is convenient for you. They do not put you through the wringer prior. I would check into it if I were you.

[heresdeb 0]

Hi

I had my band fitted well over a year ago in Burge by Dr Dillimans it cost with travel and stay in the hotel nearly 4,000. I have had 5 fills and lost 3st. I could not fault in anyway the treatment in Belguim and how clean the hospitals are over there. I certainly would not pay 8,000 for it.

[tanderson 3]

I am from the states but just wanted to add that if you are feeling uncomfortable with your dietician, find another one. I had to chose another dietician here because my first one had some kind of hang up with fat people and basically told me that if I didn't do exactly what she wanted and lose at least 15 pounds, that she would not recommend me for the surgery! Come to find out she had denied SEVERAL patients for the band. So, some of these skinny minny dieticians DO have ulterior motives!

[joanne@millett3 0]

<p>hi </p> <p>i had my band done in Belgium by Dr Marc a.m.r.m. focquet MD . i would highly recommend him he puts you right at ease . his office is in London consultation is £60 the total cost was about £3,800 with all cost that's transport i drove to Belgium hospital stay for 1 night ,2nights hotel stay and the banding ,each fill is £60 . </p> <p>i chose Belgium because of the cost to have it done here was way to much .</p>

[SaggiJ 2]

Hi milton5A,

£8000 is really alot to pay. As other bandsters have advised, definately worth looking at other options in UK. Likewise my initial consultation was with a dietician with Bupa. I weight 13stone at that time. Im 5ft 3. She said my BMI was border line. Also the cost was around £7,600. I have gathered so much courage to finally decide to go ahead for this lapband operation, and I didnt need anyone to give me any negative advise. So within a few weeks of thorough investigations, I decided to change from having the op in UK through BUPA to Belgium. The cost was only half on UK price. However, please note that aftercare is not included in the Belgium price.

Because of what the dietician said to me initially, ie my BMI was border line, I started stuffing my face cos I was afraid the Belgium consultant wont operate on me either, therefore by the time I finally had the op in Belgium, I was 14stone. (So I put on 1 stone in a matter of 2months!!)

If you can afford to do it in UK, go for it but make sure the support you are getting before and after is 101%. Good luck.

[chunky buddy 0]

i had my consultation on june 2nd and could of had my surgery on 22nd but due to finances im having it on the 31st july my surgen didnt ask me to loose any weight just to follow the low cal diat a couple of weeks b4

[Jim 0]

Hello from across the pond.

Mrs. D I miss read you signature at first and thought you were banded 19-03-07 and wondered how you lost 9 stone 10 lb. ( it is 14 lb. per stone right?) Why did you get the band removed?

It is interesting I have to use a calculator to keep track of your stones and the Aussies kgs.

In case anyone is interested it cost me $16,000.00 Cdn. That includes consult, surgery and free fills and post op visits for five years. I only live one hour from Toronto, the only city in Canada that has clinics that do lapband surgery, the people that fly in from the east or west coasts and in between have to pay a Dr. or nurse to do their fills around their homes. approx. $100.00.

Good Luck to all.

[anniegs 0]

BUPA sounds like the best way to go - you have unlimited fills - apparently, or BMI group.. whatever you do - don't go through the hospital group!!