Miss Flump

Hi folks,

I've just had my third fill taking me up to 6 mils in a 10 mil band and I am now suffering from acid reflux, having never suffered before in my life.

My question is, has it gotten any better for anyone as the band starts to settle or will it worsen if I go for another fill?

I'd really appreciate people's thoughts on this matter.

Thanks,

Miss Flump x

Hello everyone!! Sorry I haven't been on here for a while,:thumbdown:

My life's been a bit crazy since February for various different reasons, but I'm happy to say it's all getting back to normal slowly but surely.

Since the last time I came on here, I've had three fills with Frederic in Manchester. I had 3 mils, then 2 mils then a further 1 mil put in on Thursday, taking me to 6 mils in a 10 mil band. I actually believe I may be starting to get nearer proper restriction now, although one more fill might be required, I'll have to see how I go at easing myself back on to normal foods over the next couple of days.

My weight has been coming off slowly, but at least it's going to be sustainable this time. I have lost 24 pounds, but am hoping that a few more will come off in the next few days. I'd be really pleased if I get to the two stone mark soon. I'm not buying any new clothes yet though!

You might remember that I started a Facebook group called 'Gastric Band Patients of Dr Christiaan de Bruyne' which a few people did not want to join because their friends did not know about their operation. Well, I am pleased to say that I have now made the group invisible, so it won't appear on anyone's Facebook profile. So, if people would still like to join the group, send me a personal message on here and I will add you as a friend on Facebook and then invite you to join the group.

We've got 8 members at the moment, and it's much easier to follow the conversation than on this thread, because it's sooo long!!

Anyhow, I hope you're all well and I'll check back in again sometime soon.

Bye for now,

Miss Flump x

I think it might be chromium picolinate.

I'm not sure if it's a Vitamin, but you can certainly get it from most health food stores in the UK and there's tons of information about it on the web.

Hiya peeps,

Glad to hear that everyone's recovering little by little and welcome to the newbies!!

Just to remind people that I've set up a group called 'Gastric Band Patients of Dr Christiaan de Bruyne' over on Facebook if anybody would like to join. There's 5 of us now and we're looking for more members!

We'll be able to start lots of different topics that relate to our lapband experience over there if anyone would like to join.

I've started a topic where we can all introduce ourselves, and another one about life with the band, but as yet, without a fill. Come on over and join us!!

Speak to you all soon,

Miss Flump x x x

Welcome back girls!!!!! Hope it all went well!!! We've all been thinking about you!! :smile::wink2::smile::w00t::smile::smile:

I am soooo sorry I never got the chance to come online and wish you well before the three of you went over to Belgium. I could have kicked myself about that one. :mad2:

I don't have the internet at home, so most of the time I have to wait until I'm at my boyfriend's house at the weekend before I can post on here. I think I definitely need to sort that one out. LOL.

Anyhow, hope you're all recovering well. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that we're all eagerly awaiting your return to the forum with your surgery stories. And you'll be able to help the newbies who have started posting since you've had your surgery.

Thanks to those asking about how I am getting on.

Everything's going well. I gained a few pounds back, but they're gone plus a couple more, so I've lost 16lbs in total. I am on mushy foods most of the time, but I have eaten a couple of slices of pizza which has gone down surprisingly well as long as I chew it really well. I certainly can't eat it at the speed I used to, so I'm guessing the band must be doing something already!!

I'm waiting for my first fill now, which is still 25 days away, so I've accepted that I'm not likely to lose that much more in between now and then, but I'll certainly let you know how it goes when I do.

Talk soon,

Miss Flump x x

Hi Miss Flump, glad all appears to be going well for you. You aren't going to desert us now for Facebook are you (two-timer)?! Not sure if I will be able to 'work' Facebook, it is one of those new fangled things that I'm probably too old for and be a bit scary for me! Will give it a go though when I get a spare few minutes.

One question I have for the recently banded is whether you are able to use your mobile phone in the hospital? I know that you are now able to do this in UK hospitals but not sure of the rules in Belgium. Grateful if someone could advise me about that? Thanks, bigsister x

Hiya Bigsis,

You should be fine with your mobile. I didn't see any posters or signs up and both me and Tropical Lagoon used ours and no one said anything.

As for the Facebook thing, it's not that scary honest! I'm a total luddite where technology is concerned and I get my boyfriend to help me.

It's very similar to signing up for this forum, but with a dedicated group for Dr Chris's patients where we can have lots of different topics running at the same time. Only me and Tropical Lagoon are members at the mo, so there's very little chance of us abandoning the forum just yet!!

Anyhow, give it some thought and any more questions just ask. :tongue2:

MF x x

Hi TC...same as me, I have never been as big as this in my life, i ate for england when i made the date for my op, and put loadsa weight on on top!..i now have at least 6, maybe 7 stone to lose..my pre op diet has gone rubbish!..i have 4 more days to at least put a bit of effort into it!..dunno if its worth it now!? you are 11 days after us, so not long for you too, lets hope you get some nice friendly english people in your room, so you can give eachother some support. hope your pre op diet goes better than mine...think bigsister and wishfull are struggling too..me and bigsister had curry last night and then chocolate and then i made baileys,double cream and ice cream smoothies!..oops..slimfast for 4 days?! Gillian x

Hey Gillian,

Sorry I've not been on here for a while. Just want to wish you all the very best for your operation. You are in very capable hands with Dr Chris and his team. I really can't sing their praises highly enough.

As for me, I'm on the mushy stage now. Eating lots of mash, tuna, custard, jelly and carrot and turnip etc. Have even started to eat doritos/tortilla chips and a bit of rice, although not everyone can manage this and a lot of people can't have this after they start getting their fills.

Whilst I can still eat quite a bit, I am definitely eating less than I could previously. I also definitely have to eat slower, because I can feel the food travelling through my insides and if I put too much in my mouth and swallow it too quickly, it hurts.

Also, I've noticed I always try to fill my mouth too quickly when I eat finger foods, so now I understand why finger foods are not recommended.

I felt quite restricted for the first few days after surgery and I think this might have been because I had pre-menstrual bloating. I thought I would have been due on around the day of my surgery, but luckily my body held out until a few days after the op.

I lost a stone, but I've put a few pounds back on. I've heard that this can happen as you can start to introduce more foods and in the run up to getting your first fill, so I'm not too concerned, although I have eaten quite a bit of chocolate which won't help!!

I've got my first fill booked for 12 Feb and I can't wait. It's in Manchester and it's costing me £90.00.

Just a quick question for everyone, how many of you use Facebook?

I have just started a group called 'Gastric Band Patients of Dr Christiaan de Bruyne' if anyone is interested in joining it. If you search for that group, it should come up and anyone can join.

It would mean that we can start loads of different discussion topics in one area, rather than having one really long discussion about everything on here.

Anyhow, hope everyone's well and will pop back on here again soon.

Miss Flump x

Hi miss flump i have just seen your video on youtube and very good it was..i wouldnt be able 2 do 1 as im not that good on the comp as it is.. i no it was only head and shoulders but u really dont look big, maybe cos ur so tall u carry it better than someone like me who is a shorty.. i look 4ward 2 watching ur journey x

Hey Wishfull,

Thanks for checking out my video. Hope it gives you a bit of an insight into what the hospital's like etc.

As for me not looking too overweight in the video, I'm all belly and midriff !!! I regularly get mistaken for being pregnant which is never good!! I am tall (5'10'') and my BMI was nearly 38 when I went for my operation. I could do with losing about 7 stone in total. Only another 6 to go now though!!

Don't forget, any questions, just ask.

MF x

Hey Wishfull,

Thanks for checking out my video. Hope it gives you a bit of an insight into what the hospital's like etc.

As for me not looking too overweight in the video, I'm all belly and midriff !!! I regularly get mistaken for being pregnant which is never good!! I am tall (5'10'') and my BMI was nearly 38 when I went for my operation. I could do with losing about 7 stone in total. Only another 6 to go now though!!

Don't forget, any questions, just ask.

MF x

Hello everyone and a happy new year!!

Sorry I've not been on here for a couple of days, but as I spent Christmas alone in Belgium, I've been relaxing and spending a lot of time with my family and my boyfriend since I got back. It's been great!! Better stop it soon though, and start thinking about work on Monday. :tongue2:

My dear old Grandad reminded me earlier that it was a week today that I arrived home from Belgium and it really has flown by. Other than wearing dressings, I can honestly say that I don't feel as if I underwent surgery just over a week ago. I'm wondering whether having TL there to keep me company might have helped a bit. Even if she did say that I can't half sleep!

For those of you that might be interested, I have been documenting my gastric band journey on Youtube. There's one video of my bedroom in the Campanile Hotel and one in the hospital, the day after my surgery. I even get my dressings out!!

I'm hoping to actually do a video about my hospital experience in the next few days as well if you fancy checking back at some point. Just search for Miss Flump and you'll find everything I've uploaded.

Anyhow, if anyone has any questions, just ask and I'll do my best to help.

Have a good weekend everyone.

MF x x x

Hi everyone,

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!!! I ended up spending mine in Brussels - which I'll explain about in a minute.

Just to let you know that everything went fine with my surgery and the pain was definitely manageable. As Tropical Lagoon said, the pain was a bit like having done a million sit-ups. But, I know it's different for everyone.

As you all know, my operation was on 23rd December and I had my flight booked for the 24th December. But when Dr Chris found out that my flight home was the same day as my release from hospital, he said he would cancel my operation unless I stayed an extra day in Brussels!!

I mentioned that I thought Bridget was supposed to have spoken to him about this, but he said 'no' and that 'she knows it's three days in Brussels'. SO, I ended up having to reschedule my flight and stay an extra two nights in Brussels and flew home on Boxing Day instead of Christmas Eve.

Am sooo glad to be home with my family and boyfriend now though. When Tropical Lagoon went home, I thought I'd lose the will to live in the hotel room by myself on Christmas day with only one channel of TV that's in English!!

Anyways, am definitely feeling full very quickly. Had a small Starbucks frappuccino at the airport on the way home and it took me ages to drink. Normally, I'd have a large one.

I've lost 10 1/2 pounds since 23rd December, but not sure if this will all stay off when I start taking in more fluids and go on to the mushy stage. Think I've had such a good loss, because I had such a lousy pre-op diet. Apparently my liver was a bit big in the op.

Anyways, this is a huge posting, so I'll say bye for now. But, feel free to ask any questions.

MF x x x

Hi Greek Lady,

Huge congratulations on your recent banding and fabulous 6 pound weightloss!!

I am flying to Brussels tomorrow and getting banded by Dr Chris the following day on 23rd December. Now, I am very excited, if a little nervous.

Sounds like you're eating all the right things at the minute. I can't really think of anything else that you can eat right now, but you might be able to progress on to the pureed/mushy stage in time for Christmas.

Anyway, keep up the good work and I will post again when I arrive home.

Miss Flump x

Hey Miss Flump

Hope your not checking our grammar !!!!!,( or our grampa for that matter )

listen all you will need for the hospital is knickers,cos they give you a gown,there is a hand towel in the washroom,and they will clean your stitches while you are there,

you will need toothbrush ,toothpaste,deodorant,hair brush and if hairs long a scrunchie or hair clip to tie it up,

i took loose joggers and a dark t shirt with a pattern on the front,trainers and a plain black hoody,i couldnt have possible worn a bra if my life was dependant on it,and im a 46ff,!!!!!!

Before you leave you will pick up a pack at the nurses station which contains, painkillers,anti nausea tabs( 3 of ,so use sparingly)pink antiseptic wash ( to use when changing dressings on day 3, tho i had to do mine sooner,cos of a reaction to the dressing )and your lovely last but not least injections for preventing blood clots,the needle is very sharp so very little pain there,small sting for a second,thats all

your wounds will be covered,oh and you will also get anti embolism stockings,so leave yours at home,im just mentally trying to tick off your list what you said you are taking,and as this is not a regular holiday where we all take loads of stuff we dont need or even use,leave as much as you can at home!!!!!!

any way good luck and any more questions ,just ask,:confused:

Hey Fox,

LOL. I'm a secondary school music teacher, so you needn't worry about me checking out your grammar!!..!!!..,,,,,,,:shades_smile:

I really want to say a big massive thank you to you for all the info that you have given us band virgins. You've been really helpful and as others have said, I definitely feel more at ease knowing about what I'm about to go through.

I'm glad to hear we get to keep our knickers on. It's bad enough getting my stomach out without the prospect of having to show off anything else!!!

I've another couple of questions for you, they won't put me on a catheter will they? I hope not, only I've seen other lapband patients (from USA) on Youtube who mentioned they woke up with a catheter attached. That would really alarm me if I didn't know it was gonna happen.

Well anyway, today I stopped at Superdrug on my way home from work and bought lots of dissolvable painkillers, Remegels and waterproof wound dressings in preparation for coming home. I also bought a few Protein Shakes from Asda the other week in preparation for the liquid diet. All this prep is really making it sink in now.

How long does Dr Chris insist on a liquid diet afterwards? Does he give you any documents with all this info on? When and how do you go about booking your first fill?

I apologise if I'm asking questions which have been asked before. I have read the whole thread, but it was a while back now and I can't remember everything that's been said, so any more advice you can give would be great.

ALSO, just a massive thanks to everyone who has sent their good wishes to me and Tropical Lagoon about our ops next week. I think the support on here is absolutely brilliant and although I'm nervous as hell, I'm also really excited because of how well everyone on here seems to be doing. Your glowing reports about Dr Chris have all played a really, really big part in my deciding to go along the surgical route.

I hope I'll be able to log on again before I leave for Brussels, and I'll definitely be back on after my op, so hope to speak to you all soon.

Miss Flump x x x

dear miss flump

cant remember if i said,i wasnt offered a shower at the hospital,but neither did i feel like one,and i was going home to my hotel,but maybe if you ask, there will be facilities,there is a bathroom which you and your roommates share,well not really a bathroom,more of a large toilet with sinks for washing,in the ward/room,but if you really want a shower just ask,if you dont ask you wont get, good luck and remember to log on and let us know how you get on,our thoughts will be will you,love from the fox:thumbup:

Hey Fox,

Thanks for your reply. Good powers of deduction by the way, because I am a teacher!!!

Thanks for the info about showering in the hospital. I asked mainly to see if I could travel without a bath towel, cause I want my luggage to be as light as possible!! If they don't offer me a shower, I'm not gonna ask. I'll wait until I get home.

Can anyone offer any advice on what they have been doing to look after their incisions after surgery? I've never had an operation before and obviously want to keep everything as clean as possible afterwards.

Will let you know how I get on.

Miss Flump x x x

Hey Fox,

It's really encouraging to hear that you're improving by the day and that you don't have nearly as much pain as you did.

My surgery is booked for 23rd December, with my flight home on Christmas Eve. I know I'm crazy, but I would have had to wait until the summer for the surgery otherwise, because of my job.

I'm not taking a companion with me, so I am worried about the airport on the way home, but I'm only taking one small weekend bag on wheels, with my nightdress, flight socks, clean underwear, washbag and painkillers. Then I can hopefully focus better on making my way through the airport. :tongue2:

As there are no flights home on 25th, the best date to come home was Christmas Eve and this was mutually agreed between me and Bridget. Bridget said she'd inform Dr Chris about this, so I'm hoping it will all be fine.

I will probably feel like death warmed up, but I don't want to cancel now as I'm all geared up to do this and everything's booked. In 10 days, I'll be banded!!

I will keep you posted with all the gory details!! Also, any other advice from any other bandsters will be gratefully received.

Miss Flump x x

P.S. Do you get to take a shower in the hospital?

Hey Fox,

Ooh, I'm a bit worried now. I'm coming home the day after the operation by myself, but I wanted to get home to have Christmas day with my family.

Guess I'm gonna have to travel extremely light and dose up on the painkillers. I'm not going to be able to afford extra nights in hotels and possible changes to my flight at that time of year. :rolleyes2:

Thinking of travelling light as possible, can anyone tell me whether the Campanile Hotel and the hospital provide bath towels, or should I bring my own?

Hugest congratulations to you on your weight loss. You've done so well. A stone loss in ten days is FANTASTIC!! Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

x x

Hey guys,

I'm also being banded on 23rd December. I'm from the UK, but flying to Brussels to have my surgery. I'm nervous about flying home by myself the following day, but I'm certain it'll be worth it.

Good luck to you all.

Miss Flump x x x :sad_smile:

Hey folks,

I'm being banded by Dr Chris on 23rd December.

I went to the bank the other day to get my Euros and the reality has finally hit me. I'm nervous but also dead excited.

I can't believe that I'm on my way to a slimmer future, cause I've always been a fattie.

Will let you know how I get on.

Hey folks,

I'm due to get banded on 23 December and am extremely excited as I've had a weight problem all my life. I've never, ever, been in a healthy weight range and can't wait to see how my new body takes shape.

I am a typical apple shape. I have no butt, a fat back, big belly and midriff with skinny legs, thighs and smallish boobs.

My question is to those of you that were also apple shaped with small boobs before surgery. Did your boobs look in proportion after you lost the weight? I've always considered myself on the small side where my chest is concerned and would consider a boob job if they shrink too much.

Hope this isn't too personal a question to ask.

Thanks,

Miss Flump xx

Hi Sally,

Wow. Travelling back Christmas day. I'd not really considered that, but I can't change now unfortunately, as my ticket's booked.

I haven't booked a hotel yet, but I think I'm going to go with the Campanile in Vilvoorde. Their website seems OK and most other people on this forum have tended to stay there.

I know what you mean about the mixed reactions you've had from people. I've only told about 6 people so far, and my boyfriend is dead set against it!! His 'have a bit of self-control' is easier said than done. He's of the whippet breed!! I'm a total foodie and I need the restriction. It can't come quick enough for me now. I'm counting down the weeks in school!!

Hope to talk to you soon.

Katie x

Thanks for your help. I'll check out the other websites you mention. :thumbup:

Hi everyone,

I'm getting banded in December and from what I've read, I understand that different patients are fitted with different sized bands. Is this to do with make / model of band or amount of weight (and therefore restriction) people need to lose?

Can anyone shed any more light on this for me?

Thanks,

Miss Flump x x x

Hi all, especially those in South Wales. I have read all posts with interest. I am contemplating 23 December also but have not made firm arrangements. I am also toying with the idea of going to France for just a few euros more. Has anyone heard of a Dr Frering?

Sally

Hi Sally,

I'm getting banded on 23rd December by Dr De Bruyne and flying home Christmas Eve. I hope I'm not going to be in too much pain.

I need to get it done in December because I'm a teacher and I'd have to wait until the summer otherwise.

I've not heard of Dr Frering, but if you do a search on this site, you might find out some more information.

Good Luck and post back to let us know of your choice. If you choose Dr De Bruyne, there's every chance we might meet one another.

Miss Flump x x

This is such a good thread.

I'm getting banded on 23rd December and the things I won't miss about being obese include:

* Being mistaken for being pregnant

* Being given dieting advice from slim people

* Having a bigger appetite than most people I know

* Eating very quickly and people commenting on it

* Having three wardrobes full of clothes but only wearing the same three pairs of trousers, because everything else is plus size, but too small!!!!

* Shying away from heels, because they hurt the balls of my feet.

* Walking down the street, having people stare at my stomach and then unconsciously rearranging their clothes. (anyone else notice this one?)

* Sweating

* Not liking what I see in the mirror, especially in my bra and knickers

* Heavy periods

* Snoring

* Sore hips and knees

* Not having to shop in Evans all the time and pay their bloody expensive prices.

I'm sure there's more. xx

Hi there Alfie,

I am a 31 year old female from UK who is flying to Brussels on 22 December to get banded. I fly home on Christmas Eve!! I am nervous but excited. I can't wait to start this new journey. I've never been slim, so am extremely curious about what the future holds after being banded. It would be sooo nice to be in a healthy weight range for the first time in my life.

Hope you're well.

Miss Flump x