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

Hi there

I am totally new to this so please forgive me if I do something wrong and please tell me!!

Well, after battling with my weight for as long as I can remember I have decided to take the plunge and get banded!!

After reading great reports on this forum I have decided to 'get done' by Dr Chris! I have paid my deposit and am booked in for Friday 13th March (I know Friday 13th!! This was the only date that really fitted with my husband. I keep telling myself that I am not superstitious!!) :eek: Everything seems to be happening so quickly but when I make my mind up about something I just want it done!! I thought I may have to wait months especially booking so soon after Christmas!

Anyway I am both very, very excited and a little nervous so will probably be on here a lot! I had an emergency cesarean last year and keep telling myself it can't be any worse! :thumbup::w00t:

Is anyone else out there getting banded by Dr Chris on the same day? If so please get in touch!!

I'd also love to hear from anyone who can give me any advice or tips.

Thanks in advance x :tt1:

Welcome Sammy - I can't really add any more than has already been said on here. I'm due to be banded a week today and maybe then I can offer some useful advice. However as a pre-bandster I can say I am over the moon to have found this forum. The people on here are second to none and are the most friendly, caring bunch you could wish to 'meet'. T x

Thanks TC! Glad to be back. So pleased to hear your BP not going to be a problem and delay things for you. It will really fly by now and you'll be there before you know it, going through the same routine we did on Friday and then back home a couple of days later. I havent got any weighing scales and so won't be able to find out how much I've lost until I go into Boots in town and use theirs. I got weighed the weekend before I went and so it will be interesting to see what it is now - hope it's encouraging! Although, our emphasis at the moment is more about recovering properly and getting used to a new eating regime. Will be posting again before you are off - when are you travelling? Take good care of yourself and that BP down! Bigsister x

Hi Bigsister - Sounds like you are doing really well. I dont expect to lose very much weight until I have a couple of fills, so you are right, recover first and any pounds you lose before you reach your seet spot is a bonus. I have lost 8 lbs already on my pre-op diet, but I'm finding it very hard :thumbup:. I'm really pleased my BP is low enough for me to go for the op and I'm getting mega nervous and excited now. I leave on Sunday and have my op on Tuesday. I will post again before I go, but I'm working late to build up my flexi, so with that and getting prepared for the journey I wont be on that much. You take care and I hope your first weigh-in is a good one. T x

Welcome back gillian, wishfull, and bigsister. I'm glad to hear all went well for you. I'm leaving in the morning for Brussels. Op isn't until Friday, but I'm going to do a bunch of Victor Horta seeing. I love Art Nouveau and try to see some with every trip to Brussels. Here are some samples of what there is to see, but there is much, much, much more...

HORTA MUSEUM

MIM

www.kikirpa.be

Maison Autrique - Victor Horta - Welcome

www.autrique.be/docs/promenade/plan.en.pdf

Belgian Comic Strip Center, Brussels ? Home

Reseau Art Nouveau Network - Bruxelles-Brussel

H

Hope everyone here has a great week!!

Hi Tammy. I have sent you a pm - hope I haven't missed you before you go, I didn't realise you were going so soon. Enjoy your site-seeing and best wishes for Friday. We will all be thinking of you. Take care:grouphug:

Ah thats great ur doing so well and no bruising mine was unreal but maybe cos my fat was so soft it bruised easily i didnt actually be sick but first few days i was extremely weak and nauseous i heaved a few times but didnt get sick honestly when i think of the mess i was in leaving hospital no bra lol (so they were at my knees)lol massive bottoms no make up god how scary was i lol but i just was that weak and nauseous i couldnt of cared less just cringe when i think of it now... oh i tried adding u on facebook but u must not of known who i was lol

aah..sorry i missed you on facebook!!.try again please..whats your first name then ill know to add you! just beentalking to tropical lagoon on instant chat there too..did you join the chris de bruyne patients page!?...(that goes for everyone else too,there is a chris de bruyne pre and post bandster page! just started up!) i sound just like you leaving hosp and hotel..no bra, no make up, no knickers even under my big baggy bottoms, hair like don kings!..and usually i wont even go to the bin if im not in full slap!..doesnt last long though does it, i was all made up the next day again!. hope your doing well anyway, and thanks for your advice!! gillian x

Be careful ladies using FB, they are soooo nosey, and its quite easy for people to view your stuff, personally I dont like it.

Do you all have MSN Messenger, much safer to my mind providing you dont download anything.

What you can eat/drink after surgery seems a little different to 3 years ago when I first had my band op.

I had the surgery at 9am on Tuesday morning, couldnt eat or drink (only a sip of water) until the next day, when they offered me more water (WOW!!!) I asked for an oxo in hot water and it tasted like nectar.

I didnt vomit or feel sick at all, I wonder if this made the difference?

Tammy, be thinking of you on Friday hunny, hope all goes well xxx

:thumbup:hi TC!, feeling fine today, just bit of heart burn..but rennies etc do help..so get some of those in!..just been in shower and changed dressings..theres hardly owt there!.thought the port one would be the biggest but it only looks like one stitch...its the only one you have to have removed by nurse or doc, others dissolve and fall out within 14 days he says ..anyway..youll be off soon!, its good your going on the sunday as youll have all monday there, try and get into brussels, i wish i could but we only had a few hours to do owt in..there isnt much in vilvoorde..but when you come out of hotel..go under railway bridge, and dont bear left towards the train station..go across the crossings and go down the street ahead..it dont look like there is owt there but all the shops atc are at the bottom (inc a hand made belgian choc shop!) then if you cross road there is H&M, C&A and a Lidl shop.. anyway, good luck if i dont hear from you before, hope everything goes ok (it will!)..and cant wait to hear from you when your back!!:tongue: gillian x

Hi Bigsister - Sounds like you are doing really well. I dont expect to lose very much weight until I have a couple of fills, so you are right, recover first and any pounds you lose before you reach your seet spot is a bonus. I have lost 8 lbs already on my pre-op diet, but I'm finding it very hard :tongue:. I'm really pleased my BP is low enough for me to go for the op and I'm getting mega nervous and excited now. I leave on Sunday and have my op on Tuesday. I will post again before I go, but I'm working late to build up my flexi, so with that and getting prepared for the journey I wont be on that much. You take care and I hope your first weigh-in is a good one. T x

Hi TC. 8lbs on pre op already?! That's absolutely fantastic, do another weigh in before you leave at weekend and you may not need to go at this rate! It will also help keep your BP low too won't it, another plus? Next Tues will be here now before you've chance to even think about it, especially if you are working extra hours. I will hopefully be posting my first weigh in after I have visited Boots on Saturday - hope it's not embarrassing like 2lbs on or anything, how shameful would that be?! Can't see it though cos only having drinks and bit of soup and bit of liquid yoghurt up to now - until usual curry Sat night then full roast dinner on Sunday, of course! Bigsister x

What you can eat/drink after surgery seems a little different to 3 years ago when I first had my band op.

I had the surgery at 9am on Tuesday morning, couldnt eat or drink (only a sip of water) until the next day, when they offered me more water (WOW!!!) I asked for an oxo in hot water and it tasted like nectar.

I didnt vomit or feel sick at all, I wonder if this made the difference?

hi freckles! no water til next day, just a sponge lolly on a stick to dip in cup of water!..you get a meal next day, but no one really managed it!...not really nice...my husband got me some little cartons of orange from lidl..they were like nectar too...infact im just gonna make myself a cup of oxo now..youve set me off now..cos i feel like summat savoury!..not dinner time yet when i got some lovely posh chicken soup, and only had my breakfast just over an hour ago...baby rice! mmm!..gillian x

Hi everyone. I have just been on the scales and i have lost 1 STONE, yippeee. That is including my preop aswell.. i had a look at some recent photos and you can allready see the difference,especially in my face. I am totally made up. Good luck 2 everyone else who has just been banded and the ones who are about to go xx

:thumbup:hi wishfull...how you going on!?...im so much better today now that heart burn has eased!..showered and changed dressings this morn..surprised at the little tiny holes!..and port one is tiny!...put new dressings on..the ones i got from boots..everything fine...took my lovely white stockings off now, last jab tomorrow, stitch out tues at docs..then its all done and the part of experimenting with eating starts..hope i dont get carried away and spoil it. anyway hope everything is going great for you.Gillian x

Hi gillian i didnt join the dr de bruyne page on facebook as i dont want anyone to know i was banded as i havnt told anyone but il private mail u my name and email and u can look me up on facebook but ur doing so well bet u 3girls are glad to have it over and on the road to being thin

:thumbup:hi wishfull...how you going on!?...im so much better today now that heart burn has eased!..showered and changed dressings this morn..surprised at the little tiny holes!..and port one is tiny!...put new dressings on..the ones i got from boots..everything fine...took my lovely white stockings off now, last jab tomorrow, stitch out tues at docs..then its all done and the part of experimenting with eating starts..hope i dont get carried away and spoil it. anyway hope everything is going great for you.Gillian x

Hi gillian, im doing great. i changed my dressings lastnight and they do look good.. i took my stockings off y/day they were doing my head in lol. I still get a bit of a stinging pain in my port if i lean to far forward, it only lasts a min.. really thats all the pain i get. I wont be eating solids till a wk fri/sat, im still on cup a soup, actimel yoghurt drink or slim fast :tongue: .. not em all cos i cant manage em o and plenty of water. Im glad your starting to feel better, what with your windies xx

You are doing so well girlies, proud of you.

Your incisions sound small!!!!

My port incision is still 2 inches long, one is about an inch long the other 3 are tiny, just one stitch each.

Every surgeon works differently I spose.

Keep those stockings girls as they are the same as flight socks and if you do a long haul flight it will save you loads, as they cost!!

I have used mine a few times.

Bit of an update

Solicitor rang me today, she says this is the best thing that could have happened for me as my surgeon will make sure that he's extra careful when removing the faulty band and will send it to the manufacturers, who in turn will send it to the USA for examination.

There are 2 things that could have caused the hole.

1. The handling of the band by the surgeon

2. A defect in the band before implant.

She doesnt think it likely that they will blame the surgeon as he uses their bands, so is a good customer.

Whatever happens, we will be looking for compensation and costs.

She told me to keep every receipt.

I am just waiting now for the surgeon to confirm the Spires agreement as to the costing of the surgery.

I wonder where my x-rays are :tongue: