Lapband to be Newbie - 2nd fill o

[Bookie]

Hi everyone. :flowers:

Well, I have done it, I have made enquiries at 2 clinics for a lapband, one in France (Le Havre) and one on Belgium (Brussels), and I thought I'd better have a look around before I commit to one or the other.

Well, in brief, this is me:

50 years old, mum of 3, live in SE London, sick and tired of being in pain all the time (chronic back pain), been thinking about doing this for about 3 years now and finally got the ball rolling over 1 year ago, but...

My PCT is being starved of funding and my BMI is just on or below the NICE guidelines and I got tired of waiting for funding that will probably never happen, so worked my butt off to get the money together and well, here we are, I am ready to get going!

Looking forward to chatting to you boys and girls on the board!

 

[Clare121]

where about in SE London do you live and good luck.

 

[Bookie]

Hi Clare, I'm on the SE of Croydon.

 

[Clare121]

cool I'm in Mottingham so other side of bromley

 

[Samsara]

Welcome Bookie and good luck on your weight loss journey x x

 

[top_kat]

welcome... Fellow bander here and have had it now for 8 months

 

[sharynt]

Hi! I'm also a newbie hoping to have gastric band - have consultation on 18 may to have my surgery in Brussels. Have found this site invaluable in answering any questions I may have. I had a bit of a wobble at the weekend (excuse the pun!) and was seriously wondering what i was doing even contemplating this. However just reading peoples diaries has made me realise that im not alone and can do this! So welcome and i look forward to reading about your journey x

 

[Bookie]

Thanks all.

Well, I have made up my mind, and I am going to go with the French one.

It's the Groupe Hospitalier du Havre, and the surgeon is called Dr Bernard Bokobza, if anyone already knows the name, all feedback would be welcome.

Comparing the Belgian one with Dr de Bruyne and this one, they offer very similar services, both surgeons seem to have a very good reputation.

In the end, what's made up wasn't just the price difference (Le Havre is £600 cheaper than Brussels), but the surrounding facilities: the French hotel is just next to the station and the clinic is a good few kms further out, but they provide the taxis there and back, whereas the Belgian one, the hotel is close to the clinic, but kms away from the station, so bearing in mind the post-op travel, it was a fairly easy decision to make.

Hubby works for the railway in the UK, so we get excellent discounts on the trains even in Europe, so London to Le Havre is going to cost us less than £120 return for the 2 of us, that's for Eurostar + train from Paris to Le Havre, so really can't complain, and the trip will take 5-7 hours depending on changes, I'd rather do that than be stuck on a plane and hang around for hours at airports etc, in discomfort. Let the train take the strain, hey?

The lady from the clinic is calling me back later to discuss things further, dates in particular! Will update later.

 

[Mazza]

Hi and welcome!

As a long term bander, I think the most important factor in chosing who to go with is the aftercare on offer. Does the package come with UK aftercare?

You will need fills (maybe even defills) along your weight loss journey, with no UK aftercare you may have to pay a couple of hundred pounds each time.

Then theres the access to a dietician should you need one.

Hopefully your package covers all of this.

 

[Bookie]

Hi, the refills will be £90 a go, which isn't a problem for me. There is a clinic in London so access to it won't be a problem, and should any problem arise (fingers crossed it won't!), then I am saving the NHS a substantial cost as it is, I blooming well will expect them to pick the care up should anything more complicated arise!

It may not be the most braces and belt approach I would have liked, but I simply can't afford the "all-included" costs, I'm afraid!

 

[Mazza]

Some providers offer aftercare only packages, with fills included. They may work out cheaper in the long run and might be worth looking into.

Its an expensive business alright and I'm sure you will be fine x

 

[Tarot Lady]

Also Lapband to be Newbie

Hi Everyone,
I'm totally new to this and not even sure if i'm posting this in the right place.. :wave_cry:
I saw Bookie's post and (if you're reading this Bookie) I was just wondering how you are getting on?

I too am considering having my Band fitted at Le Havre by Dr Bernard Bokobza but am still researching etc.. Has anyone else been to him??
Anyway this seems like a great site and it's lovely to meet you guys xxx

 

[wannabeyummi]

Hi Everyone,
I'm totally new to this and not even sure if i'm posting this in the right place.. :wave_cry:
I saw Bookie's post and (if you're reading this Bookie) I was just wondering how you are getting on?

I too am considering having my Band fitted at Le Havre by Dr Bernard Bokobza but am still researching etc.. Has anyone else been to him??
Anyway this seems like a great site and it's lovely to meet you guys xxx

Hi ya
I've not had my op yet but this site is great for support and information
Good luck on ur journey x

 

[Bookie]

Hi Everyone,
I'm totally new to this and not even sure if i'm posting this in the right place.. :wave_cry:
I saw Bookie's post and (if you're reading this Bookie) I was just wondering how you are getting on?

I too am considering having my Band fitted at Le Havre by Dr Bernard Bokobza but am still researching etc.. Has anyone else been to him??
Anyway this seems like a great site and it's lovely to meet you guys xxx

Hi there, yep, still here and counting! 20 days!

I speak and read French fluently, so I did a bit more research on him through Google France, and he does seem to be one of the tops in his speciality, he's in quite a few medical reviews and such things.

I was a little bit worried by some reviews about Tullia (the clinic co-ordinator, I think she also covers one the Belgian clinics) which I found were very negative, but so far, every contact I have had with her have been great, as soon as I e-mailed her with my concerns, she phoned me back within a few hours, but I don't expect her to be checking up on me every 5 mns, that's not her job, so maybe the people who were complaining didn't quite understand what her role is? Anyway, in for a penny, in for 3000 pounds, hey?

I do admit to a prejudice towards French hospitals, which I know from experience are normally impeccably clean, not rife with MRSA like so many UK hospitals these days , and the place is in fact a state hospital which also takes on private patients (us!) so I feel that I'm getting the best of both worlds.

Let me know what you decide, if and when, ok? It's a big step, but sometimes you just have to go for it. Take care.

 

[CjWheeler]

Hey Bookie

I've been talking to Tullia over the phone about a gastric sleeve. How was your experience with them? I don't know how to speak any French...would that be a problem for me? Also...did you pay for your surgery before hand?

Kind regards, Cj

 

[Bookie]

I can honestly say the experience was fab, if I had a worry, she would immediately phone me back, the hospital is clean with nice and helpful staff who seem to enjoy their work (it's been a long time since I saw that in a UK hospital!)

I met another lady there who was getting her sleeve on the same day I was getting banded, and they alleviated all her fears. Ok, so the staff is not as totally bilingual as the literature would have you believe, but Dr B. speaks very good English.

Yes, because it was only a few weeks between booking and the actual op, I had to pay in full straight away, my understanding is that if there's a long gap between the 2, you can pay a deposit, but the question didn't arise for me. I admit, once I had transferred the money, I did have a few moments where I thought, what have I done, what if it's a con? But the scars on my tummy right now as I type this from my hotel room confirm that it was all real!

 

[allrico]

Hi everyone I too have gone for the du havre clinic in france too my surgery date is 6th of November and I found Tullia very well in communication and upfront with any issues I have raised well here goes and Hope I come back to speak of my experience after my surgery date .

 

[Doots75]

Hello all. I'm jumping on this thread 3 years later! Were you all happy with your experience in France and the results 3 years on?