Personal story till surgery
First of all I asked my GP for he's view on the procedure and all the pro's and cons. He was very enthusiastic about it but told me the NHS would not pay for the treatment and that if I wanted it done I would have to go private. I did a lot of homework and found the cheapest that I could get this procedure done in the UK was £7.800!!.I just could not afford that amount of money, so looked on the web for gastric banding abroad. The name of Dr Dillemans kept coming up so I asked my GP if he had heard of this Dr Dillemans, he said that yes he had heard of him and that he was classed as the best bariatric surgeon in Europe (at this stage I had never heard of bariatric surgery but didn't want to show my ignorance) and that if I went to him I would be in safe hands.

Your diet experiences
After yoyo dieting for the past 30 odd years and reading Sharon Osbournes story of gastric banding I decided to do some homework into the procedure myself.

Personal experiences in Belgium
I consequently contacted Jaap through their web site, he then made all the arrangements for me to go to Belgium where I was met with the lovely Marc and taken to the hospital to book in and meet Dr Dillemans who goes through the procedure with you and answers all your questions you may have. He really does put your mind at ease. Because Marc has had bariatric surgery himself he knows how anxious we feel and what we are going through. He really is so kind and helpful even down to booking your hotel.

Results after 1 month - 3 months
It's now been 5 weeks since my gastric banding and I have lost 8kg (17.6lbs) and I go for my first infill next week. I am thrilled to bits with the results and feel so much better.

Would you do it over again?
A huge thing for me is that I am not really having to work at loosing weight because now I don't wake up famished nor do I constantly want something to eat as I did before the op. My biggest regret is not knowing about Dr Dillemans years ago and spending years struggling with food addiction and obesity.