Dr. Christiaan DeBruyne (Brussels) - terrific

[bigfredvaix 0]

I had the Realize band by Dr. DeBruyne two weeks ago. He has performed nearly 4,000 Lap-Band procedures over the last 12 years. He has 7 different bands to choose from.

Consult with Dr. at his clinic at his home the evening prior to the surgery. OK to have a "last meal" after the consult. No food or drink after midnight.... and no "clean you out" Fleet citric juice either. Check in at hospital at 7 AM. My surgery was just after noon. I got an IV during the overnight stay, so I had to use the "bottle". Nurse wakes you up every 2 hours to check BP and Blood Sugar. Dr. stops by in AM to see how you are doing. His assistant, "Frederik" stops by the hotel in the evening, to see how you are doing.

The current pricing is: surgery, hospital stay, hotel & taxis for 4,000 euros, payable in cash to the doctor or "Frederik". Non-stop airfare from Dulles was $645 per person at airfare.com, but I would find a way to up-grade to "Economy-Plus"... more leg room. I used Unjury Protein for pre-surgery diet and now to supplement food. Not much effect from band, yet. Have to wait 4 to 6 weeks for first fill. We used GoldPointsPlus points to stay a few days in Antwerp. Hotel in vilvoorde is like a Motel 6, but it is close enough to the hospital that you can walk, or ride the bus. The alternative hotel is the Crowne Plaza near the airport. Internet access at the Campanile Hotel in Vilvoorde is with AeroWisp, and is really sad. Hotel restaurant is good. Hospital is clean, and the staff does pretty good with English. The fluoroscope x-ray after the surgery is really pretty neat.

I saved $10,000 over having the surgery done in Richmond, VA at St. Mary's hospital ($13.5k out-patient & $18.5k for overnight) or UVa ($15.4k for out-patient).

EKG, bloodwork & Fluoroscope are included at hospital with Dr. DeBruyne.

If you want to know more, let me know. Oh yeah, weather was cold with rain and some wet snow in mid-Nov.

Fred[at]fastaz.net Max weight = 353, pre-surgery weight = 338 and now 321 after only 2 weeks. BMI was 48