Hi

I have decided to get the procedure done - just have to save up for it. I live in uk and want to go to Brussels as it seems cheapest and safest there. Anyone know of the above?

Thanks

Information & contact for Dr Chris Bruyne

Dr De Bruyne Christiaan - Gastric Lap Band - Bariatric Weight Loss Surgeon in Brussels, Belgium

Hi tc27, the story so far.. i met bigsister and gillian at manchester airport (they wher just going in2 burger king lol) after a gud flight and getting our rental car, gillians partner drove us 2 the hotel.. we unpacked and went 4 a bit ov a walk around the area and found a lovely park, at the hotel i had steak and chips and it was sooo nice, i even ad the small chocolate mouse mmm. i had done well on my preop diet so was having my last treat. just after 9pm frederik came 2 my room just 2 ask a few questions bwt my height,weight and health, he took the money and said see you in the morning..i slept well considering and was up just b4 6am so we wher at the hospital 4 7am, its 1st cum 1st seen and it got busy really quick so make sure you get ther a bit early. they took me upstairs 2 wait 2 get called 2 go 2 a ward, we only waited bwt 10mis and was soon on the ward, dr chris then came 2 see us and told us what he was going 2 do also we had 2 fill in a form and sign it. then the nurses came in taking blood, doing blood pressure and gowning us up and of course the lovely stockings you have 2 wear. then we waited 2 go down.. when my time had come i was wheeled down and once outside theatre frederik and dr chris both came out in ther "party gear" and asked was i ok and said they would be starting in a couple of mins, when i was in theatre i can remember the anesthetist saying you'll be out in i min, but i wasnt. i was thinking do they no im still awake!! they hadnt even give me the anaesthetic by then lol. in mins i was away. zzzz then i remember waking in recovery and watching my blood pressure, it went down 2 46 over 23 so i think thats why i felt crappy. back on the ward. the nurses keep coming round 2 take your blood pressure and take blood again, dont be afraid 2 ask for anything the staff were great. except they wake you bwt 4ish in the morn 2 take your blood pressure again, sat morn. They come 2 take the drain out.. it wasnt painfull just a weird feeling but i will say when i tried 2 stand up after that it was painfull,not wher the drain was taken out but inside wher it had been. you are then taken for your barum drink (yuk) then after that they bring you sum lunch (double yuk). i left the hospital and went back 2 the hotel 2 rest. The following morn i didnt have any pain i was just hot i thought i was going 2 pass out, thats when i asked for a wheelchair at the airport and am i glad i did, they took me and my partner straight through, we didnt have 2 queue at all, even on the flight i had 2 av ice 2 put on my head 2 try and cool myself down. Home. since arriving home iv had no pain just a bit uncomfortable, its better than what i thought it would be AND i have weighed my self 2day and i am 2lb off 1 stone gone, thats including my preop but how good is that already. Hope everything goes as well for you has it has for me, believe me you wont regret it. dr chris and frederik are both great xx

I bet your looking forward to your first fill on Thursday and to re-start your weight loss, where had the port been put, I assumed everyone's in the same place but I've just found out that some are on the side and some are under the bust centrallly placed

Open question,-- please, all post banders -are you willing to tell me where the port has been placed. does it depend on the surgeon or on the patient. Thank you xxx

hi mmm, chris puts the ports on the left,just above the waist. i know some surgeons put em inbetween the boobs but was told that your bra can irritate it there. yes you get loads of oxygen, dont worry!.someone asked that question..also you get those lovely white op stockings to wear for 5 days..lovely! just washing mine now! another good idea i can tell you is buy some calpol 6+..its easier to take than the horrible dissolving paracetamol they give you. i took some lucozade tablets too just to give me some energy after,esp when getting up at 3,30am to go to airport! just let em dissolve on your tongue. the injections you get are little disposable syringes for 5 days...they are so easy and painless...no probs..just nip yourself a lump of fat hard and you wont feel it, they are tiny...it really scared me when i found out about those, but they are nothing, important though esp when your flying back as are the lovely stockings!..people asking about bigsister!...she is fine and did great...she is much too busy shopping today with my other sister though, so that shows shes ok! shell prob check in here later...i will honestly say though that when i woke up from op i was groggy and said i would rather be fat!...but that feeling only lasted that day..and now im really pleased i had it done..i have been on scales and have lost 4lb like wishfull too, but thats not surprising after surgery..only about 76 more to go!...im not going to be over enthusiastic though and hope it is at least 2 lbs a week for...a long time!..as long as it goes, it can take 2 years for me. booked our fills for manchester on 12th feb.. TC27..youll be going this weekend!...hope it all goes well for you..oh yes, take a soft bra thats comfy and big baggy old women knickers for after!..also pull on stretchy trousers and pref slip on shoes, its hard to fasten em...i looked gorgeous i did! gillian x

Hello everyone, i'm booked in to get banded on April so i have a few months to wait & save...more importantly lol....this thread really helped me to understand the procedure and also book with Dr Chris De Bruyne. I think i will end up travelling alone so if anyone is going @ the end of April, op booked for the 21/04/09 gimme a wee shout please x

Welcome mand, not much longer and your date will be here.. believe me it will come round really quick. i wudnt recommend you travel alone tho.. i'm sure you will find this forum a massive help as i did, everyone on here has been great. goodluck x

Hi gillian, my dave done my injection this morn and bloody nearly killed me lol. the air was blue i tell you, i wasn't impressed. Hope you and bigsister are both well x

Ahh, yes I see, so the op was the usual hour, thats good to know chick.

And good about the oxygen too, cos it does give you a feeling of well-being, otherwise we may start to get upset, well I would anyway, cos I'm soft lol.

Thanx for all the info. Is Big Sis ok do you know?

Wishful and Gillian, sorry I missed your posts, I always seem to do that

Thank you for the stories, sounds a piece of cake, hope mine goes the same, if I ever get there!!!!

I think my x-rays did go parcel post, but surely they should be there by now:crying:

I've been trying to phone the Post Office all morning but they must be busy with pensions and stuff cos they're not answering. I onlt wanted to ask how long parcels take to Belgium.

I'll try again later.

:wink5:

Wishful and Gillian, sorry I missed your posts, I always seem to do that

Thank you for the stories, sounds a piece of cake, hope mine goes the same, if I ever get there!!!!

I think my x-rays did go parcel post, but surely they should be there by now:crying:

I've been trying to phone the Post Office all morning but they must be busy with pensions and stuff cos they're not answering. I onlt wanted to ask how long parcels take to Belgium.

I'll try again later.

Hi freckles, i wouldnt say a piece of cake but it is better than what i thought it would be, hope you get your date sorted out soon x :ihih:

Hi freckles, i wouldnt say a piece of cake but it is better than what i thought it would be, hope you get your date sorted out soon x

Oh gawd...... well I was terrified when I had my first band op, and afterwards, I was amazed at how well I felt....some pain of course, only to be expected, but nothing I couldnt handle.

This time I'm not quite so scared but I know I will be in theatre for 2 hours instead of one because Dr has to remove the faulty band.

I spose because the port is stitched to the muscle that is going to cause me some discomfort, which will be as well as the new band being stitched into place.

Blimey I'm putting the willys up myself writing this:crying:

I dreamt last night I was going for Liposuction and the nurse said no you cant have it you're too fat gee thanx for that nursey :wink5::laugh:

Hi everyone. Yes, thanks, bigsister is fine and thanks so much for everyone who has mentioned us and been sending their thoughts. First in line for us to think about and send good wishes to is Tamisu, hope it all goes as well for you. Then shortly after it will be TC's turn. You are in such good hands, no need to worry on that score. All your medical needs will be well met. Agree with sister gillian that for the first 18 hours, felt quite 'ropey' and wondering how I would be able to leave the hospital in a few hours time but just a short while later, felt fine and virtually no pain at all - just a bit of discomfort more than anything else. Have to say here though that probably one of the reasons why I did feel rather rubbish early on could be cos the bottle of pain relief put up to go through the drip didn't go through so had nothing for a number of hours! Wishfull mentioned the hospital food and to be honest, think I would prefer the x-ray barium to the awful Soup they serve up - it really is that bad - no wonder they had to invent some decent chocolate to make up for that c**p! Have started this afternoon with a bit of pain/discomfort which goes from chest-neck, gillian has been same too and not sure if it is because we have been troughing down the soup a little bit quickly - think it feels a bit like an air lock? Thought we hadn't done it too quickly, but on reflection, may be we need to take it down a gear. Agree with gillian that the sexy surgical stockings are a real plus and worth the 4.000 euros alone and will certainly be wearing mine well after I need them - they are driving my partner wild with desire! (Pity for him about the no sex rule until you're down to size 10 then - he'll just have to look but no touching!) Have done an injection myself this morning, no problem, can barely feel a thing.

We flew into Charleroi which was fine going but the journey of about 1 hour back is not quite as good and unless money is a real object, I think on reflection, I would have preferred to pay a bit more and fly back from Brussells which is only 10 mins away. Don't think they seemed very well organised at Charleroi as there were very big queues at various stages and they took ages to go down, and although me and gillian managed, we felt we could have done with not standing around so much in one go. Think we may have requested a wheelchair had we known. Also for info, remember reading on forum that taxis don't run early in Vilvoorde but when I was checking out of hotel around 4.15am, the receptionist asked me if I needed a taxi. I queried this and told him I thought they didn't run this early but he confirmed that they did.

If anyone thinks of any question at all, please do so and if any of us can answer, I'm sure we will asap.

Thanks again to everyone for being kind, hope other recent bandsters inc TL & Miss Flump continue doing well, being an inspiration to us and keep posting with their progress for a little while yet, good luck with your fills!

Love to all & thanks again, bigsister x

Hi tc27, the story so far.. i met bigsister and gillian at manchester airport (they wher just going in2 burger king lol) after a gud flight and getting our rental car, gillians partner drove us 2 the hotel.. we unpacked and went 4 a bit ov a walk around the area and found a lovely park, at the hotel i had steak and chips and it was sooo nice, i even ad the small chocolate mouse mmm. i had done well on my preop diet so was having my last treat. just after 9pm frederik came 2 my room just 2 ask a few questions bwt my height,weight and health, he took the money and said see you in the morning..i slept well considering and was up just b4 6am so we wher at the hospital 4 7am, its 1st cum 1st seen and it got busy really quick so make sure you get ther a bit early. they took me upstairs 2 wait 2 get called 2 go 2 a ward, we only waited bwt 10mis and was soon on the ward, dr chris then came 2 see us and told us what he was going 2 do also we had 2 fill in a form and sign it. then the nurses came in taking blood, doing blood pressure and gowning us up and of course the lovely stockings you have 2 wear. then we waited 2 go down.. when my time had come i was wheeled down and once outside theatre frederik and dr chris both came out in ther "party gear" and asked was i ok and said they would be starting in a couple of mins, when i was in theatre i can remember the anesthetist saying you'll be out in i min, but i wasnt. i was thinking do they no im still awake!! they hadnt even give me the anaesthetic by then lol. in mins i was away. zzzz then i remember waking in recovery and watching my blood pressure, it went down 2 46 over 23 so i think thats why i felt crappy. back on the ward. the nurses keep coming round 2 take your blood pressure and take blood again, dont be afraid 2 ask for anything the staff were great. except they wake you bwt 4ish in the morn 2 take your blood pressure again, sat morn. They come 2 take the drain out.. it wasnt painfull just a weird feeling but i will say when i tried 2 stand up after that it was painfull,not wher the drain was taken out but inside wher it had been. you are then taken for your barum drink (yuk) then after that they bring you sum lunch (double yuk). i left the hospital and went back 2 the hotel 2 rest. The following morn i didnt have any pain i was just hot i thought i was going 2 pass out, thats when i asked for a wheelchair at the airport and am i glad i did, they took me and my partner straight through, we didnt have 2 queue at all, even on the flight i had 2 av ice 2 put on my head 2 try and cool myself down. Home. since arriving home iv had no pain just a bit uncomfortable, its better than what i thought it would be AND i have weighed my self 2day and i am 2lb off 1 stone gone, thats including my preop but how good is that already. Hope everything goes as well for you has it has for me, believe me you wont regret it. dr chris and frederik are both great xx

Hi Wishful 'WELCOME BACK' - thank you so much for writing such a detailed accout of your journey so far, it's much appreciated. A really good read; it was informative and made me laugh too ( you, Gillian and bigsister have been a big miss while you were away) You are doing really well and your weight loss so far is fab - well done you!! I hope you continue on your excellent recovery and that you continue to have a great weight loss. I am really excitied for my op now and much less nervous after reading your report. I look forward to your next installment. Thanks again Wishfull and take care. T xx

hi mmm, chris puts the ports on the left,just above the waist. i know some surgeons put em inbetween the boobs but was told that your bra can irritate it there. yes you get loads of oxygen, dont worry!.someone asked that question..also you get those lovely white op stockings to wear for 5 days..lovely! just washing mine now! another good idea i can tell you is buy some calpol 6+..its easier to take than the horrible dissolving paracetamol they give you. i took some lucozade tablets too just to give me some energy after,esp when getting up at 3,30am to go to airport! just let em dissolve on your tongue. the injections you get are little disposable syringes for 5 days...they are so easy and painless...no probs..just nip yourself a lump of fat hard and you wont feel it, they are tiny...it really scared me when i found out about those, but they are nothing, important though esp when your flying back as are the lovely stockings!..people asking about bigsister!...she is fine and did great...she is much too busy shopping today with my other sister though, so that shows shes ok! shell prob check in here later...i will honestly say though that when i woke up from op i was groggy and said i would rather be fat!...but that feeling only lasted that day..and now im really pleased i had it done..i have been on scales and have lost 4lb like wishfull too, but thats not surprising after surgery..only about 76 more to go!...im not going to be over enthusiastic though and hope it is at least 2 lbs a week for...a long time!..as long as it goes, it can take 2 years for me. booked our fills for manchester on 12th feb.. TC27..youll be going this weekend!...hope it all goes well for you..oh yes, take a soft bra thats comfy and big baggy old women knickers for after!..also pull on stretchy trousers and pref slip on shoes, its hard to fasten em...i looked gorgeous i did! gillian x

Hi Gillian and bigsister - 'WELCOME BACK GIRLS!' I'm please that you are back safe and well. Like I said to Wishfull, I am really greatful to you for posting your experiences so quickly and providing a witty, informative recount. I also want to thank you for your good wishes for me too - they are much appreciated. You all seem to be doing really well and are having good results with you weight loss already. I would be overjoyed with 2lbs a week. Keep up the good work girls and dont forget to keep us up to date with your progress. By the way I went to my GP again today and although my BP was a little high, she said it was ok - so Belgium here I come T x

Great news about your BP hunny, it will be fine:thumbup:

Fingers crossed for you.

You 3 girlies have done really well, to be back on the board so soon!!!!

So was it fish soup in the hospital? I think I would throw up:eek:

Did you get some of that Danish crispbread, they are nice I like them, but I thought it was liquids only for a couple of weeks?

I noticed on the blog I sent you girls that the lady mentioned those Danish crispbread thingys.

Hi Gillian and bigsister - 'WELCOME BACK GIRLS!' I'm please that you are back safe and well. Like I said to Wishfull, I am really greatful to you for posting your experiences so quickly and providing a witty, informative recount. I also want to thank you for your good wishes for me too - they are much appreciated. You all seem to be doing really well and are having good results with you weight loss already. I would be overjoyed with 2lbs a week. Keep up the good work girls and dont forget to keep us up to date with your progress. By the way I went to my GP again today and although my BP was a little high, she said it was ok - so Belgium here I come T x

So pleased for you TC and well done with keeping your blood pressure under control, no wonder its a bit high, you are after all going abroad for an operation, not a holiday. I hope that after its over your BP will come back to normal. Good luck and best wishes for your trip, I'll be thinking about you mmm.xxx :wink5:

hi freckles...it was asparagus soup..not nice..and those dutch crispbreaks yes..they melt into nothing in your mouth chris says...i couldnt touch it..couldnt have even eaten a belgian choc at that moment,was still nauseus!..op takes about 40 mins he said before i went under.you will know what its like already freckles but the rest of you, dont expect to feel wonderfull for the first 18hrs or so,thing is you can just lay in bed and not get up..do it and dont forget to keep your pain relief topped up!..no medals for saying no to it...and we have paid in advance for it!..get your moneys worth!..staff are lovely,no shortage,and seem to enjoy helping you too..so make the most of them.you might wonder why you had it done for a bit but,it soon disappears..like having a baby!.i went to my doc this aft, she was very impressed with what they had done and the info they had sent back over about me..she wanted all the details and wants updates as she says she will be watching me like a hawk and may be sending her patients over in the droves soon. i made app for stitches taking out next tues with the nurse. today i think i have been having soup too fast as i feel like i have an airlock too like bigsister said..was chatting away (or more apt,gassing)while having it though so maybe took air in and thats why have got discomfort now...its a learning curve i suppose. I feel like i have got gillian mc kieth sat in my stomach and pulling a lassoo round it everytime i make a bad choice...saying "this is your punishment for that!" discomfort!..im going to go more slow now for a week or so, think im just getting carried away at doing well..but im only 3 days post op so stomach will be complaining a bit! it needs some tlc to heal....still got this gas pain in my left shoulder...anyone of you old bandsters know if thats normal??.also did you feel like you had airlock for a while just after surgery?.any tips on what to avoid having at first too?..any tips appreciated. thanks gillian x