Elsie

Hello Everyone, I think Shrinking Shamrocks is perfect. I'm due to be banded on 4th March by Dr. DeBruyne in Belgium (I'm Irish). Getting nervous now!! Elsie

Ailbhe, totally with you on this one. I'm just the week behind you and getting really nervous. One minute I'm nervous about the procedure and then the next I'm nervous that they'll find something during pre-op testing and tell me they can't do it. Have you been doing a pre-op diet?

Thanks Ellen. Yeah, its all set. I just decided to stay another day in Brussels after my conversation with the GP. I'm getting nervous now but looking forward to it at the same time. I have struggled with this all my life and I can now see some light of the end of the tunnel. Congrats on your success so far. Elsie

Hi All, Decision is made. I will be going to Belgium to have the op with Dr. DeBruyne. Date is all set for 4th March. So start my pre-op diet in a few days. In the end I just couldnt go with the Beacon because I don't have the money if anything goes wrong and the re-op isn't included. I will get it somewhere if I need to have a re-op in Belgium as I wont be in too much debt. So anyone with any pre- op (or post op) tips, please feel free!! For anyone who went to Belgium can you tell me what kind of Taxi expenses you had? The reason I ask is because a colleague of Dr. DeBruyne is offering "personal coach" packages. What this includes is 6 taxi's i.e. being met at the airport - hotel - Dr. Debruyne's (night b4 op) - hotel - hospital - hotel - airport. It also includes a personal coach who will see you at the hotel to explain the schedule and meet you again after the op with diet plans etc.And you get a number to call them personally. And the hotel for three nights. Cost is EUR600. I checked the hotel and its about 300. Thats 300 for the rest. To be honest, just for convenience sake, I'll prob take it up as i'm travelling alone and would rather not have hassle of booking taxi's. Coco - Thanks for the recipes. Look forward to trying some. Seriously, what would be do without you on this board? Alesha - Congrats on the milestone. I can't wait to be "overweight". PrincessLK - Thanks for posting the nutritional info. Its very useful. Elsie.

Welcome to LBT Simone. There is quite a few Irish people on here. There is a whole called called "Hi from Ireland". Actually if you go back out to the new posts and look up a few you will see it. Your welcome to come join us. I met Chris DeBruyne when he was in Dublin a couple of weeks ago and will be having the op on March 4th. Elsie

Hi All, I went to my GP last week to let her know of my plans to go to Belgium for Lap-Banding and she advised me that the Beacon Hospital in Sandyford are now offering the Lap Band Procedure. You will need a referal from your GP. The cost is EUR11,500 which includes a year aftercare. I went for a consultation today and met the surgeon, Robert Stuart and also the nurse and a dietician. It took nearly 2 hours. Lot of questions, making sure you are suitable and ready and know what to expect after the procedure and also that you are realistic in your expectations. I also met Chris DeBruyne in Dublin last Friday. That consultation was no where as long as the one in the Beacon but very informative. Was sent away with some reading materials. I was impressed with both Dr.'s and now have a tough decision to make.:smile2: I would probably be inclined to go for the Beacon, even with the MASSIVE price difference but when I asked would a reoperation be covered in the case of slipage or erosion they couldnt give me a 100% guarentee. The surgeon would fight for a free re-op within the first year but at the end of the day it was up to the hospital. He was confident that it would be but not 100%. After shelling out eur11,500 I really couldnt afford a cent more if anything was to go wrong. Where would that leave me! Will let you know what I decide. Elsie

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

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.

SkinnyIrishBabe I've just seen your before and after pics on PIX thread. You look absolutely amazing. Well done!!! There is such a difference. You so live up to your name. I love seeing these pictures, they really spur me on. :wink2: Elsie

Hi All, Coco, Allure, Alesha and Terry, it was great to meet you all last week. Thanks for your support. Seeing your before photographs was great and spurred me on no end. I'm still undecided between going to Manchester or Belgium. So I'm booking a consultation for both and i'll see how I feel then. Ailbhe - Well done on booking your date. Let me know how you get on. I'm considering Dr. DeBruyne myself. Marge - Here's a link to Dr. DeBruyne's website. Welcome to Obesity Assists's site. Best of luck!! Elsie

Thanks Allure See you tomorrow!!

Hi Coco I'm new to the boards. Thanks for the open invite to meet up on Saturday. I would really like to meet up with yourself and anyone else who will be there. I haven't been banded yet. I'm still at the stage of researching where I want to have it done. See you Saturday Elsie p.s. Never been to Bewleys in Sandyford, is the hotel big? Is there a particular area where I'll find you?

Hi All, This is my first post but I have been reading them for a few weeks now. I have more or less made the decision to be banded. I have found this forum very useful to help me come to my decision. I had a consultation with ACS about a month ago but after some research online I decided I'd rather go with Healthier Weight Centre in Manchester. Has anyone else gone with these? Would you recommend them? I'd love to hear from you. Elsie