Gastric Banding anyone? Mod Note: No Clinic Names

cufroige · 28-03-2007 3:37pm #1

Hello,
I'm looking for people to chat about either having had Gastric Band fitted or are considering having it done?
I am currently booked for consultation & if approved will be "done" mid April.
history of yoyo dieting, depression & low self esteem since communion age. Have sucessfully dieted numerous times but struggled always to maintain loss...biggest & most recent loss being 7 stone
(sensibly, I might add...through hard work,diet, personal training & excercise)

Weight now back on AGAIN & am devastated. have considered having band before but never thought I actually would.
I finally admit I feel powerless against this never ending battle.
My husband, sister & best friend know about this & are with me 100%, but
I have not discussed this with other friends as I am not confident I would get support (small town) there is a stigma that it is the easy way out.
I have lost over 20 stone in my lifetime, that is not easy, either is living with yourself having reached a position of personal empowerment of achieving massive weight loss only to end up with it all back on.

Gastric banding is not a magic wand that makes you skinny...It supports you while learning to change your behaviour & helps enforce LONG TERM lifestyle change.
I believe this is a major key factor for yoyo dieters as we generally can't go very long without having a bad day/binge, thus breaking the cycle of "good behaviour"
My health is affected.. I wanted to start a family this year, this is now on hold.
My life is being wasted, my weight & subsequent damage to my self esteem has ruined & robbed me of a lot of life experiences. I pick myself up off the ground again & again only to end up crumpled back there over & over.
I cannot go through another weight loss only to gain again...it would kill me emotionally.
I am having this surgery if I am approved to face this problem once more & this time to use the band as my support & ally.
I have been board messaging with a lot of people who had this done, but all from the US & UK.
I'd love to hear personal experience from an Irish point of view

Anyone have anything to share on the subject?

Mod Note: We don't allow email addresses, website addresses or recommendations of any practitioners on boards, and certainly not in this thread. In the interests of the greater good, I've been trying to turn a blind eye to this, but there's only so much turning I can do.

Clinics in Ireland have been lying about their identity, and pretending to be people looking for support and advice on this thread.

Do not be under any illusions as to the depths which some clinics will go to to try to drum up business. If a clinic needs to lie to try to advertise on this thread, ask yourself if you're comfortable trusting them with your money and your health.

If any user, particularly a user with a low post-count or recent join date, contacts you over PM to discuss posts you've made on this thread, please let one of the mods or admins know.

once more:

PLEASE, do not publish email addresses, websites, or names of any company or person providing this proceedure. Mods will not be obligated to issue any more warnings, and if the practise continues, the thread will be closed.

Owen · 28-03-2007 3:46pm

My sister has had terrible problems with her body, as my Mum was on the pill when she was conceived back in the 70's, she's had serious circulatory problems, weight problems, and on top of that she's Ginger (Just kidding, just kidding). Her kids have also had issues with her eldest being Autistic, so her problems have been compounded over and over again.

She opted for Gastric Banding as her Husband is consultant in King's Hospital London, and he met the Surgeon who would be peforming the procedure. In a year, her weight has slowly trailed off, and her confidence is growing. She's a different person.

So, my opinion. Go for it. Nothing worse than being overweight and unhappy. I have a little beer belly which is driving me mad, so I feel your pain

Steyr · 28-03-2007 3:57pm

You can keep the weight off by regular exercise thats easy and fun like swimming which is what i do 6 days a week for 1.5hours each day, drink plenty of water and dont eat after 8PM as thats when your bodys metabolism slows down and what u eat after then wont digest properly and will go to fat, its not hard i used to be 18stone and im now 11.5 stone and loving it, its good to cycle too everywhere you go, the OP you want might help you but will cause more harm than good if you do it naturally like swimming which is fun it will be way healthier, just make sure its Lane swimming like in a 25M pool and buy a good monutain bike and your sorted.:) Im living proof.

cufroige · 28-03-2007 4:30pm

Steyr wrote:

You can keep the weight off by regular exercise thats easy and fun like swimming which is what i do 6 days a week for 1.5hours each day, drink plenty of water and dont eat after 8PM as thats when your bodys metabolism slows down and what u eat after then wont digest properly and will go to fat, its not hard i used to be 18stone and im now 11.5 stone and loving it, its good to cycle too everywhere you go, the OP you want might help you but will cause more harm than good if you do it naturally like swimming which is fun it will be way healthier, just make sure its Lane swimming like in a 25M pool and buy a good monutain bike and your sorted.:) Im living proof.

NED78...thank you.. it's good to hear your sis is benefitting from her surgery.

Steyr, I too was living proof that regular excercise, water & good diet will get weight off... I did it. I was that woman you see standing in one leg of her former sized trousers! I went from 17 1/2 stone to 10 1/2 stone. Size 22 to size 12!
I could write a book about how metabolism works, maybe you didn't read fully what I went through.. If you went back to 18 stone, could you face loosing it again? And I must say, i'm amazed you found loosing 7 stone easy!
Congratulations to you & I wish you continued success!!

I appreciate what you are saying, but please take a fool's advice & don't for one minute forget what being 18 stone felt like, don't forget what you have now is so precious.. you have a new life!
I hope you never go back there like I did... I really thought I never would.
Keep up the good work..
I am upset that I am at a place where I am considering getting a device put into my body to help me, I am not making this decision lightly. I have tried to deal with this every way over the last 18 months, counselling included.
I am lucky enough to be in a position to be able to afford it too.
The only positive thing I have realised from this is that I honestly thought I was "cured" when I lost the weight last time, I now know I had only won the battle not the war. I couldn't & can't do it alone.
I am surrounded by similiar advice to your own & feel I am often judged for not being able to just do it by diet & excercise..it's not as simple as that when your mind is the driving force behind sucess & failure & is not in a good place, you are dealing with a can of worms!
It is a very private pain I am going through hence being here on message boards to talk about it.
It makes me smile to imagine you in your achievement, being in your shoes once, I understand exactly how good you must feel & how hard you must have worked to get where you are.
Thank You for sharing your story..x

Oh, one more thing... The band will not 'make' me loose weight, it will help me rather. I will still be adhering to the old fashioned rules that apply to any weight loss journey.
I will be eating healthily, more than ever, cause I'll have to focus more on the nutritional quality of food.. and also I'll be excercising and continuing with my behavioural support programme. My band will be there to see me through the bad times & help me have less of them, and also ensure I don't end up in this position again! (Coz it Sucks!)
It will still be a long road, just with a better destination!

dafresh · 21-04-2007 5:17pm

I'm not trying to be insensitive but I cannot understand how you could successfully go from size 12 to 18 stone after loosing so much weight through proper diet and exercise and not by crash dieting. How did you lose all the hard formed healthy habits that you must accumulated during that period?

You must have some serious self discipline issues that should be looked at before you consider a drastic, easy option surgery. I have read articles about women who have had the surgery only to be crippled by nutrient absorption issues leading to loss of teeth and hair among other debilitating complications.

Surely you will admit that many people are overweight due to ignorance of proper diet and exercise needs, the function of metabolism and so on.

You are armed with the knowledge and experience but you have let yourself slip, find some inner courage and put in the hard work again (you have done it before so why not do it again?) but maintain it this time. You will be healthier and happier.

Putting the weight back on has been a set back, learn from your failure and become slimmer and healthier than ever.

tbh · 23-04-2007 1:35pm

ok guys, as much as possible I'd like to steer things away from the debate about whether this procedure is warranted or not - it's an interesting topic, and I personally could swing either way but it's better suited somewhere else.

The fact is the OP is considering the procedure, so if anyone has any experience of it, please share it, and OP, please let us know how you get on.

abi2007 · 21-05-2007 8:10pm

I'm considering havin it done, my family is dead set againt it. More so because of the money. I've constantly struggled with weight, up and down all the time. I'm miserable when i'm on a diet and usually not to bad when i'm off it but see a picture of myself and i diet again. never ending battle. its worth 10k to me to be slim and not have to constantly diet. I know you need to make an effort to loose the weight too but havin the feeling of fullness on small amounts of food will be a major help. Its the hunger that usually gets me in the end.

LegacyUser · 30-01-2008 10:04pm

I am a man of over 25 stone and thinking of the op as well, I know the feeling of down weight then up the weight again , will you let me know how you get on and how much it cost, I am trying to get motivated again as my back is killing me, I find comfort in food and am as passionate about it as I am Liverpool FC which is saying a lot

dumpling · 01-03-2008 6:54pm

I have ben reading this topic with some interest since, I will be having my Gastric band fitted in May 2008. I, like many of you have battled with weight issues, mine and other members of my family. It really is a terrible burden. When I told my mother that, I was going for this operation. She was so happy for me, alittle jealous but, happy. I am only 36 she is nearly 60 and has been burdened with weight problems all her life. My Nan put her on slimming pills from the age of 12, made her wear a coat in the middle of summer and, were very embarrased by her. this led to my mother having Agraphobia all my life. She hid herself away and felt she was not good enough to mingle with society.

I on the other hand have not been affected in this way but, I have been affected. Five years ago I gave up smoking, meat, alcohol, recreational drugs and sex! In addition, took up food. I have since piled on the pounds. 5 stone to be exact. So, a year and a half ago i went to my Gp and discussed the matter in depth. Told them all my history and now i have finally been given a date for surgery. I am scared but, i'm looking forward to working with the band and being restricted from over doing it any more. I truly have had enough of food and it's control over me.

I'll let you know how it goes if, your interested that is.

Best regards

Dumpling

tbh · 03-03-2008 9:23pm

welcome dumpling, please let us know how you get on - I'm sure a lot of people would find it very helpful.

dumpling · 03-03-2008 9:39pm

Hi There and thanks.

Thankfully I don't have too much to lose.

But thanks for the welcome.

dumpling · 17-06-2008 2:57pm

well, things changed for me quite abit. I went in for surgery on the 20th may and, just as iIwas going down, my surgeon came to me and said that he want's me to have the Gastric bypass:eek:

I thought no! i have spent two years researching the band. He also mentioned that the band can slip, your body may not take to it and so on. So, he convinced me to have the bypass. The first two weeks were hell. no pain, just feeling so, down and weak. By the time the third week came round i felt alot better. Today and this week, great!

In addition, i have lost 10 kilos 22lbs I can't believe it!

If you want to make life long changes i would say go for it. really, there was no pain, it was all emotional.

inaddition, you can't eat the same way, there isn't the room!

RobbieMc · 17-06-2008 3:09pm

OMG!! My worse fear. It's not that I'm afraid, but I would prefer the band to the bypass.
did he mention why he said you should have the bypass(besides what you mentioned) You must have been terrified :eek:

I'm glad things are getting better,I hope long term all is well.
As I research the two options open (banding or Bypass) I'm thinking that the banding is better for ME, but who is to say that the doctor will not say different. I'll let you know as I plan to first meet with my GP next week and talk to the VHI to see what is covered by medical insurance and finally how long I have to wait.
At present, my scales now screams in pain when I try to use it. But it all came to a head when at a party last weekend. An old family member came up to me and said " Jesus, I did not reconise you, when did you put on all that weight. Only I say your son I thought, who is that big person"

That was the last straw, I've had enough, Now I need to find my answer. The question is familiar enough.

Thanks for the update and best of luck,stay in touch

Rob

tbh · 17-06-2008 3:17pm

I've been wondering how you got on, Dumpling, delighted that things are going well for you. Best of Luck Robbie, keep us in the loop, if you'll pardon the pun

dumpling · 17-06-2008 4:00pm

Hi again!
well he said that the success rate was not as good with the band. I have to admit, when i go on the forums for these procedures there are people in tears because they have paid so much money and the thing is either slipping or falling to bits. don't get me wrong, there are those who are singing its prasies but, you just have to weight so long after having the operation to have it tightened ( 6week!) the bypass just gets cracking right away.

Rob please pm me and keep me updated..

ps: thanks Tbh I'm alot happier

tbh · 17-06-2008 5:12pm

Hi dumpling - I've removed your email address from that post, we try to keep personal details off boards.

toreachmylimit · 21-06-2008 8:40pm

Hello all.

I have been reading this topic with interest.

I have been considering having gastric band surgery. However, before I can take another step, I really need to get an idea of the costs involved. Can anyone give me approximate idea?

Thanks all.

RobbieMc · 23-06-2008 8:36am

Some news since my last post.

I spoke to the Beacon hospital and to the VHI. Firstly the Beacon. They wanted me to get a referal letter fom my GP as they want him/her on board if I decide to continue and have the operation. This i arranged on Friday. My GP just asked me questions about the procedure, what my feelings were on it and what other options I had looked at and why I picked Banding. After that, letter was no problem.
Then the VHI, I rang to see if this type of procedure was covered by my health insurance. After a little pause and a few, "please hold" I was told that as long as it was not cosmetic, that my BMI was above 40 they would cover type 178 and 179 procedures ( big fancy names that even I couldn't tell you what these mean, but I believe it's Gastric Banding and Bypass)
But, (there's always a but) They have to pre- approve the procedure. So I have arranged an appointment for beginning of July to meet the Surgeon, he will have to do a medical report, which I submit to the VHI, they will then pass it onto their medical board and write back to me if they will cover part or all or any of the procedure.

If they will not cover the operation, then the fees for banding is €11,500 euro :eek:
Lotta mulla,

Will keep you informed what happens next,

In the mean time, I have started Reductil and Xenical ( yes together, I spoke to my GP and this is ok as they both act differently)

Rob

RobbieMc · 07-07-2008 8:47am

RobbieMc wrote: »

In the mean time, I have started Reductil and Xenical ( yes together, I spoke to my GP and this is ok as they both act differently)

Rob

Little update,

I've been having issues on the combination meds and had to stop the reductil. The dizzy spells,headaches and swollen ankles put me out of work for a week. I've been of the reductil now for 4 days and feel no better. My GP has no idea and is sending me for blood test's this week.
Flip it anyway, as I was loosing the weight, done 6 kgs in forst week.
Still, I have my appointment for next week.

Later,
Rob

LegacyUser · 20-07-2008 11:10pm

Dear All,

Im so glad i came across this forum.

I had the gastric band fitted 1 week ago and i have lost 12 pounds in my first week.

I was very nervous before having it fitted but the Surgeon in Baker Street, London was very good and very helpful.

He did explain to me about the issues the band may cause but i still went ahead not wanting anything to change my mind.

I know i have a long road ahead but i have the support of my partner, family and friends. I feel ok, bit sore still thats all!

Ill let you know how i get on

bernadette1 · 28-07-2008 1:10pm

I'm thuinking of having the gastric bypass or gastric band is there any clinic in cork that do this operation?

bernadette1 · 28-07-2008 1:21pm

Is the Gastric bypass done by key hole surgery?
I'm new to this what do you put in to Title section?

tbh · 28-07-2008 1:49pm

Hi Bernadette - welcome to boards

You don't have to put anything in the title section if you don't want to - it's just a subject for your post. Most posts won't have one. If you've any other questions, feel free to send me a message.

tbh.

bernadette1 · 28-07-2008 7:04pm

hi i'm considering having gastric band ,or gastric bypass which is better? I

have been told that buypass is more for the long term anyone have had buypass done let me know how you got on!!
Is there any clinic in cork that does the op!!

bernadette1 · 28-07-2008 7:06pm

thanks tbh for info about title

RobbieMc · 30-07-2008 8:57am

I had my meeting with the specialist as arranged. Spent the whole morning doing the rounds. First with the Nurse, then the specialist, then the dietitian and finally back to the nurse.

It was so much to take in, I did not know if my head was on right or not. Anyway,after much thinking about what had been said to me about the complications and the procedure and the long term effects. I have decided to hold off for a few months.
My main reason, well, TBH I think it was when i was told that WHEN not IF things go wrong with the band, it's another operation and another bill.

I had asked about the long term problems with having a band in place; slipping, bursting, discomfort with the port( which is placed in a different place than advertised) Infection, I was not happy with the replies I got. Plus I found out while there that this clinic is now looking after pople who had been through the operation from a cosmetic clinic and some of the horror stories.

Anyway, I'm rabbiting on, No operation for me, just yet anyway.
Back to the med's,

Robbie

bernadette1 · 14-09-2008 12:20am

Hi I am going to consultant monday re gastric bypass any questions I should be asking?

bernadette1 · 18-09-2008 8:49pm

what kind of complications would you have with gastric bypass:eek:

bernadette1 · 27-09-2008 8:10pm

Hi dierdra 27
I recently went to consultant about gastric bypass the consultant Didn't say he wouldn't do it He is referring me to get blood test done .it one of the guideline set out by vhi or quinn healthcare. they won't cover unless you do this.
You said that the consultant was for it .Who is against it?
ask plenty of questions?
regards
Benadette:)

bernadette1 · 02-10-2008 9:18am

deirdre27 wrote: »

hi i am going to see a consultant next sunday in belfast and then the procedure over in leeds. and i am so nervous. i am going to try and get the gastric band done. i have been doing the weight management in loughlinstown and i have been doing it for so long. the consultant there said i should definitely get it done but its that other there that wont agree. and the one in leeds i can get that done any time i like rather then waiting for over a year. it is with a group called the 'the hospital group' and vhi say they might pay but have to wait and see

hi derirdre how did you get on in Belfast with consultant?:eek:

FunkyMissMonkey · 07-10-2008 7:22pm

I'm based in Cork, 29, and roughly 150 kilos :eek:

I've been looking into gastric bypass surgery for a long time, my mother in law had it done, and seeing her go through the process made it a lot less scary for me, and then I got so jealous of her weight loss!

I'm with Quinn healthcare, and having read this thread, it seems that insurance companies do sometimes help with the cost of obesity surgery? I was trying to think of ways to find the money to do it myself.

I imagine the first step is to talk with my GP, and explain my desire to explore surgical options also? I've moved around a lot since my early twenties, so I've had multiple GP's, and never had a particularly good experience with asking for help. Generally I get told "eat less, control your portions and exercise more" which, yes, I know, is the magic formula! But at my weight, it's not as easy as that anymore.

Any advice gratefully received at this point. I'm feeling like part of my life has slipped away, and I didn't really live it, and coming up for my 30th birthday, I want to change that.

Gastric Banding anyone? Mod Note: No Clinic Names

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