Elsie

Hi Emmage, Welcome to lapbandtalk. I went to the Beacon for a consult early last year. I had already been thinking of going to Belgium but when I said this to my GP she wanted me to have it done in Ireland so I went along. It seems like a very good set-up they have there. It is more like what the american bandsters describe on here i.e. you meet the surgeon, the nurse, the dietician and the psychologist. My decision came down to the Beacon and Dr. Chris DeBruyne in Belgium. In the end I decided to go with Dr. Chris for a couple of reasons. I did some research and couldn't find any info on the surgeon in the Beacon, I found a lot on Dr. Chris which was all very positive and I met him in Dublin as well (there is aftercare in Dublin once a month). The cost was a major factor as well. It cost 3400 plus flights/hotel/fills with Dr. Chris versus 11500 with the Beacon. The final decision was made when I asked at the Beacon that if anything went wrong and I needed a re-operation would it be covered by the original cost. The answer was the surgeon would do all possible but the decision was up to the hospital. There wasnt a definite yes so I couldnt take the chance as I couldnt afford to pay out any more. So I went to Belgium and have no complaints about the experience/aftercare. There is a girl on the Hi from Ireland thread that had the op in the Beacon but I cant remember her name off hand. Let me know if you have any more questions. Elsie

Hi Bubble, I also went to Belgium and was banded by Dr. Chris DeBruyne. I am happy with my choice. He comes to Dublin once a month for fills which are eur120.00. I would recommend going direct through his website www.obesity-assist.co.uk . If you have questions for him, he is very quick to get back to you. If you have any questions please feel free to PM me. The cost is from 3400 plus hotels, flights etc. Elsie

Hi Alesha I'm always up for a meet up, well work permitting. I still have to see your wedding photos. There will prob be a few of us in town on Thursday morning for fills. I think Terry will be there as well. Off course most of us will be Belgian Bandsters so wont be moaning about ACS. But we will listen to you though:lol: If you cant make Thurs we can organise another saturday out in Bewleys or Dundrum. Elsie

Hi Flirtylass Welcome to Lapbandtalk. I went for a consultation in the Beacon clinic with Mr. Stuart. I have to say I was impressed with the set up. The consultation was fairly lenghty i.e. speak to nurse, nutritionist, surgeon, psych. etc. If you decide to go with them I would imagine the aftercare would be excellent. In the end I went to Belgium to be banded. I had already done my research and decided on Dr. DeBruyne in Belgium. My GP recommended I have it done in Ireland and organised the consultation with the Beacon so I went along because I would have prefered to have it here too. However what decided it for me was when I asked the Beacon surgeon "If anything goes wrong and I need another operation will I have to pay for it?" They were unable to give me a 100% guarentee. He said he would fight my corner but the final decision would be the hospitals. I couldnt afford anymore than 11500 if it was needed and couldnt take the chance. Going to Belgium was costing about 4000 including flights and hotels. Fills have cost me 360 since then and I'm very happy with my decision. I knew going that I would def have to pay for any re-op if needed and I've taken that into account. Make sure you have your list of questions and are happy with the answers. Good luck with your consultation. There was another lady on the main "Hi from Ireland" thread who was banded at the Beacon. If you read back a bit you can find her name and send her a message maybe. Elsie

Hi Maria, Welcome to LBT. ECFS do fills and will be in Dublin (Pembroke Street) next Thurs 7th August. You can make an appointment by ringing Julie Tosh on 0044 7872963503. Let me know if you need more info. Elsie

Hi Edel, I went to belgium and I didnt even think about travel insurance to be honest. Normal travel insurance will cover you for flight delays and lost baggage etc. but not for anything operation related. It covers for medical emergency but not if, god forbid, something happens during the op, as you were travelling for the operation it would be considered pre-existing. Elsie

Hi Lauren May, Welcome to LBT!! Unlike you I didnt find the month between the op and first fill too bad but the month between the first and second fill was a killer. You seemed to have got a really big first fill. Where did you get the band done? How are you feeling now? Elsie

Hi Julia Well done on booking your date. Its not long now. I have to say when it came to eating in the few weeks after the surgery I lacked imagination big time and didnt really have a varied diet. After the 1st ten days I stuck pretty much to mashed potatoes with gravy or curry sauce(its lovely). I also had tuna mixed with light mayo, Soups, weetabix, mince in gravy (cottage or shepards pie), sugar free jelly (great for getting Water in) and scrambled eggs. I suppose think of what you would feed a baby who you are weaning onto solids. This is what I was told but because I dont have kids it didnt really help. You will also get some diet sheets from Dr. Chris in the hospital. Emotionally I was fine after the op. I was a bit weepy the day I was released from hospital but I think it was just because I was in a little pain and very tired. I havent had a time yet when I regret doing this but somedays I am terrified that I wont lose much weight but I just keep telling myself that its early days. I dont have a lot of confidence in myself but I'm improving. I'm sure there are issues that have me this size in the first place, I have been big since I was 8, but unlike other people the issues are not obvious to me and I dont feel the need to dig deep and find out. Are you doing the 2 week pre op low fat diet? Elsie

Hi Julia, Not drinking with meals has been fairly easy on me, I never did really. I try to remember to drink a half hour or so before I eat. (Not 100% sure of the rules on drinking before eating). I have drank a few sips while eating if something is spicier than I expected but really to get the most out of your band you shouldnt really. Like chewing and eating slowly you will eventually develop the habit (hopefully :rolleyes2:). If you ever have a bad incident where some food gets stuck that is a time when you should not drink water even if you think you need to. It just sits on top and will come back up. When is your consultation? Elsie

Hi Julie Dr. Chris will weigh you and ask about what you can eat etc. He will base the fill on that info. The first fill I think is a basic 2mls. After that it will depend on what you can eat and what weight you lost. There are no xrays. The fills are quick and painless (well, just a pinch). My second fill was 3.5 mls and the 3rd was 1.25ml. I was banded in March and have lost about 2 stone since the op. The average amount of fills people need to get to a nice stage is 2-4 fills. For the most part I have coped very well with the band. There are times when it was a little hard work usually when I'm eaten too fast and not chewing enough, it can be painful. It can take practice but for me its worth it. Elsie

Hi Julia To be honest I didnt ask about the lifetime of the band and it wasnt mentioned. Well if there is a complication such as erosion it may have to come out but Dr. Chris said this was very rare. As far as I know the current bands havent been around long enough to have a solid time limit put on them. The way I see it is that in 15 years if it has to be replaced then it has to be replaced but At least I'll be around for it. The way I was going weight wise I probably wouldnt have lasted that long. I certainly wouldnt let it put me off my decision to be banded. In relation to costs, Dr. DeBruyne prices everything separately. The cost for the op is from 3400 euro up to 4000 euro depending on the type of band I think. I have a Heliogast Evolution. Fills cost me EUR120 or if you travel to Belgium they are Eur50.00. I have had 3 fills so far and have spent less than 4500euro which included the fills, op, hotel, flights, taxi etc. The same thing in Ireland was costing nearly 3times as much. Dr. DeBruyne seems to be very concious of costs to his patients and will try to save them money where possible. Let me know if you have more questions. Elsie

Hi Julia I was banded by Dr. DeBruyne in March and I have no regrets. I am very happy with my choice of surgeon and the aftercare I have received. I am in Dublin and Dr. DeBruyne visits once a month for fills and consultations so I dont have to travel to Belgium. He also visits london and edinburgh. Although the price was excellent, the lowest i've seen in fact, that was not the main reason for choosing Dr. DeBruyne. I researched quite a bit and spoke to other patients of his(he has done thousands of ops). I have not heard a bad word about him and he has an extremley low complication rate. He is a true professional. If you have specific questions feel free to PM me. Best of luck with your decision. Elsie

Welcome to LBT KristyLynn There is a thread for scar stages right here on LBT. Heres the link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/scar-stages-share-yours-6117/index32.html Best of luck with the surgery and the tattoos. Elsie

Hi Ma Yes, I had my consultation here in Dublin before I went over. I could have done it via email but I felt I needed to meet the surgeon before committing. The consultation just goes through the op, how the band work and some other stuff. You will be given time to ask as many questions as you need to. He will also give you the available dates for the operation. I did speak to my GP but it was a case off I'm having this done and I'm letting you know rather than what do you think? I'm the one that has to live with this body not her. She asked a few questions and the only thing she suggested was having in ireland instead of belgium, not because of the aftercare, but because of the flying after surgery. I went for the consultation with the Beacon hospital but I really couldnt afford it as they couldnt guarentee a re-op would be covered if needed. I could afford 3 ops with Dr. DeBruyne if needed. It put the sh*ts up me to be honest but decided to stay one extra night and also got opinions of another independant dr. who said I'd generally be grand to fly the short distance after 24 hours. You are given meds to prevent DVT in hospital and also sent home with 5 shots of it as well (which is easy to do). My GP wished me the best of luck and after the op I went to get a cert and she was all questions. Dr. Chris also gives you a letter for your GP to describe exactly what he did to you during the op. Oh and in relation to aftercare. If you decide to go with Dr. Chris he mentioned to someone there that he would have an emergency contact in Dublin within 6 months. Hope that helped. Elsie

Thanks Coco, Thats very useful. Elsie