Doddie63

Buffie I will be in Toronto June 4,5 & part of 6th. Surgery for 3:00 on the 5th to be there at 2:00 in the afternoon. If you are there at the same time, hope to see you.

Please get therapy to assist you in recognizing what is causing you to work against the band. Once you take it out, there is only one way your weight is going to go and that is up. You need help in your journey. I would hazard a guess, that many of us harbor thoughts about our decision. Personally, I vomited every day for approx. 4 months before I realized I was the problem. I didn't want to give up my favorites. Then I started recording everything I ate (honestly), started an exercise program I could live with (3 times a week when I felt like it) and I keep a loose fill. I am 5.5 ccs of a 10 cc band. This allows me to eat everything I like but limited amounts. Even breads, rice, french fries, etc. I must weigh and measure everything as my eye and brain don't match when it comes to quantities. I know many don't do this as it reminds them of dieting. For me it is the only way I can keep on track. The band is the tool that helps me. I still vomit one or two times a month, but I have lost 1/2 lb steadly for over a year now. Take baby steps as you start you journey. Go back to square one and set up a program you can follow. Don't worry about weight loss, concentrate on changing your desires and habits. It is tough work but it can be done. Good luck.

Buffie I am doing very well. Steady is the weight loss. Getting better at eating. I am so sorry to hear you are in pain and I hope Dr. Yau sorts out the problem asap. Does your doctor have any idea? I will be going to Toronto to get my port repositioned as it has turned making it very difficult toget a fill in. Just waiting for an appointment. You have been doing so well so hopefully it won't be long before you are on track again.

Yes doing great as well. Reduced blood pressure pills down to one a day from 3. Down 3 metformin to 1 a day. BP & Diabetes in check. Yahoo. With me, I lose 1/2 lb per week but boy does it add up. Just remember to not rush your fills and don't overfill. Many tend to get impatient thinking the weight will vanish overnite. NOT. Again, best wishes.

I think us youngsters fare better with the band because we are undergoing surgery more for health reasons than to look good in a bikini (although that would be nice too). We also have more life experiences to help us through. So go for the band and hang the age. I have been reading some bandsters are in their 70's. Wouldn't trade my band in that is for sure.

Best wishes Maggie from another BCer.

Argon use the ticker as an incentive. Make it your lowest weight and strive to meet or keep that weight. When you maintain or lose the weight over a period of time ie 6 months change it. I sat at 243 forever as I went up and down finally when a 238 showed up and has been with me for two weeks, I changed the ticker. I don't bother with the flucuations. If I did, I would be changing every day. LOL Are you back from SK yet? We just from SK a weekago. That is where I was born and raised. Do you have a job yet?

Buffie. Remember me Doddie. I am so sorry you are having trouble. Last time I saw you were just a few pounds from goal. If you go to CanadianLapbandtalk.com and post, Heather or Greeneyes might respond. They have been through everything the band is not supposed to do and they still love their band. I am totally with you about being out in a Province where the thought is to only remove the band. Shows the predjudice or igorance out there in the medical community. Oh were you aware that the TLBC now has updated their website? Good luck and keep posting.

Hi Skinnydippin. Hopefully your wait won't be very long and you can enjoy the band like I am doing. Swapping clothes is a great idea because as you lose weight who wants to buy new things just to discard them in a few months. I noticed you psych exam was on your anniversary LOL

Allison I am so sorry about your sister. When we make a life saving decision, we assume others will be supportive instead the insidious jealousy sets in. In a previous post, I told of my sister's reaction and how she has not spoken to me civillaly since. I totally know what you are going thru. Stick with your decision. The life you save will be your own. Good luck

maggiehpp it took me from Feb.07 to approx. July 07. My mindset was to continue the same eating ways and the band would save me. LOL. I barfed almost every day until I finally acknowledged I had to retrain myself. I started to weigh and measure my food so that it did not amount to more than 1 cup per meal. I emphasized protein as instructed by my clinic. I recorded my intake on 'Fitday' every day and still do. Then the weight started to come off. Many people do not like to record their intake as it reminds them too much of 'dieting'. I regretfully have to as I need to know how much I have consumed as I still graze when cooking for my DH. As long as I am truly honest when recording, I stay on the straigh and narrow. Now I look upon food as something I have to have not something I crave. I no longer crave high fat or salty foods. I guess I barfed so much that I have lost the need for food as a pacifier. My downfall is that I cannot exercise strenuously as I have arthrititis in my knees, hip and shoulders as well as I am a sedintary person by nature. So I purchased a treadmill and I try to walk as much as I can. My journey has been slow, but I have lost 1/2 lbs per week for over a year now and it is amazing how those little amounts add up. Thank goodness for my band.:thumbup:

Maggie you won't have any problem being motivated. The band is a wonderful tool and if you use it wisely by not overfilling it and having too high expectations of instant weight loss you will be successful. Some individuals are surprised that the weight loss should be between 1 - 2 lbs a week (the same as when you were dieting). The difference with the band is, it keeps you feeling full. At first, I fought head hunger. My favorite vise was binging or grazing for food. After awhile, I no longer look at food at "wanting", now it is I "have" to eat to remain healthy. Treat you band with respect and don't sabatogue it and it will give you the body, health and happiness you want. I know it has for me.

Tyler it was a lady called Heather that wrote the information about going out of country not me. I am Doddie. If you scroll downthe Canadalapband link, you will see a number of links to people in Alberta. Click on any one of them and post. You should be able to read in their posts where the clinics are. On a quick check, I came up with a Dr.Phillip Mitchell in Calgary. I am sure there are one or two others. You could do an Alberta Internet check for lapband surgery private and see what you come up with.Doddie

Hi: You don't have to go out of country nor Toronto if you don't want to. You have doctors that provide the private service in Alberta. We have two here in BC and one in Manitoba. There is a link wherein bandsters had some heated discussion on going to Mexico or out of country. Here is one exerpt. Quote "I have been banded for over 6 years now my Surgeon is Patrick Yau, I can honestly say I have talked to several Mexican patients who had issues and who came back to Canada to have those issues fixed because their Mexican band surgeons didn't want to deal with them. They lost the cost of multiple flights back and forth to Mexico to hear it wasn't a band problem it was their problem, it might be a fill problem etc with NO solutions until they had a CDN surgeon fix them, and it always took surgeries in every case I know of. I know TLBC used to take on outside patients and one of the reasons they stopped was because the main reason the patients were coming to them was to have their bands fixed because a variety of Drs in Mexico deserted them. At one point in time the Mexican Drs were even referring their banded CDN patients to the CDN surgeons because they didn't want to deal with the patients with problems! Personally I have talked to 4-5 of these patients over the years in email, phone conversations and face to face meetings. They felt abandoned over the years by their initial surgeons who could not diagnose or refused to diagnose and fix problems for them. They had to find alternatives after paying the money to Mexico. As of right now in ON you will be hard pressed to find any band surgeon who will take you on if you weren't banded there and why should they you choose to go with someone else. You choose someone else's aftercare etc. All I can say is in life you get what you pay for! And if I was going to Mexico I would want a lot of things in writing and I would want them reviewed by a Mexican and a cdn lawyer to make sure they are legal. I would want it spelled out what I get, what happens for complications, who pays anything etc. And this is coming from someone who has suffered just about every complication there is with a few exceptions. I love my band I would do it over again in a heartbeat even knowing I was going to have 6 band surgeries, but based on the people I have talked to in Canada over the years I would never ever go out of country to Mexico or anywhere else for any surgery that required follow-up whether it was banding or plastic etc. I would take what anyone was saying who worked for a clinic with a huge salt lick and discount it cause they are making the money not you and if your band fails or you need an additional surgery I wonder if they will be there for you then?" Heather This individual has been banded many years. Do you research carefully emphasizing after care as that is what you will require the most before making a decision.

:smile::smile: Special break for out of province. What a novel idea. After all, to get my free service I have to pay roughly 800 to 1000 to get to TO. But I wouldn't change my clinic under any circumstances. TLBC is like a family, I may be disappointed in a service but I would never throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Hang in there and allow yourself to heal properly. You can do it. You have a whole new lifestyle awaiting you. It is vital that you have a protein high diet. One reason is it is the fuel that drives the engine also, it prevent hair loss and other nasties. Carbs give you quick energy but protein stokes you for a long time. Could you be having a bit of depression due to not being able to eat? Keep posting, love to hear how you are getting along in the future.

I have read posts from long time banders that it is better to keep a loose fill than a tight one. I have followed those suggestions and find I can eat anything as long as it is not over a cup of food and have been losing 1/2 lb per week for a little over a year. I have 5.5 ccs in a 10 cc band. Some need greater amounts of fill to find their comfort zone.

Katie: Hi and welcome. I am 64 about to turn 65 and have had the band over a year, loving it more and more. Anyone can lose weight but the keeping it off is another thing. My band is helping me lose steadily and if I "forget" my healthy eating, it brings me up short very quickly. I love this site too.

Not really, but I suspect it was early this year. That is when I started seeing posts on the subject.

LOL Marivan: Good thinks happening all the time, but with the web it is usually the bad times that make the posts. People want answers to their problems which overshadow any nice things. However, nice things for me is consistant weight loss of 1/2 lb per week, reduction in medications, increased activity with joint issues being reduced. I am now able to sit in an airplane seat with the seat belt done up without the aid of an extendor. Great mental outlook give or take a bit of anxiety due to upcoming dental surgery. Boring isn't it. I think I would rather hear peoples problems then I won't feel like I am alone when I experience them. And I know I will as most issues such as vomiting, exercising, slow weight loss, medications etc are experienced by all. As for early collection of bills, I am surprised because I didn't pay up until I arrived on my day of surgery. Guess the policy changed.:confused2:

If you have sleep apnea and can afford a private clinic, why endanger your life by waiting for a government program. A car costs 22,000 plus isn't your life worth more than that? Most of us, I would hazard a guess, had to borrow the money from a bank or friend, etc. Me I cashed in my RRSP to get the band and I haven't looked back. I love my band. It stops me from overeating and keep the weight off when I am having binging thoughts. If I overeat I get a sharp reminder to stop and boy do I stop. Now I may retire a bit poorer, but I will be alive.

Well I get the saliva and feeling I have to vomit. Same feeling I get when I have the stomach flu. When I over eat or don't chew, I have real pain. But eating too soon after vomiting always brings this feeling. As for the post above, I just want to add, you owe no one an explanation. If you are under the weather or feel like you are going to vomit in public all you have to say is "I think I have a bit of the flu coming on". It won't be the first time someone has been ill in public that does not have the band. As for me now, I haven't eaten for 4 days although I am able to get some bariatric drink down. I have known I am going to have dental surgery and I guess the stress has closed my band opening. Let us know Angie when you get a surgical date.

two by two: For me when I went to Toronto, I had the Canadian MSA to cover me. I did not leave the Country. I was never in fear that if something went wrong I would not be looked after.

PS Read you blog. Don't worry about the weight gain. As you record your weight, you will see your body's pattern for weight loss. IE. My weight is less at the start of the month and as the month goes by, I gradually gain weight. Then at the start of the next month, I am down to the original weight plus some. Never fails. I have kept weekly records since pre op days. Seems my body likes to replace the fat with water. Don't know the science of it all, but I think you will find how your body treats weight loss. The secret is to keep upbeat and don't let the scales get you down. I find I have to weigh weekly even though I know I will show a gain. This keeps me trying even harder. Good luck

Yes you claim it under medical expenses. If you go to the CRA websie and type in medical expenses, it will explain which line to claim the surgery and pre and post op expenses. Be sure and document everything. If you get an accountant to do it for you probably will be easier. We are trying to do it on our own so will see what happens this year. There is a clause that states a claimant must justify why they could not get their surgery closest to home. I went to Toronto, so I think the band will be allowed but I am not sure about parking and travel costs. We shall have to wait and see. At the time I got mine, I was not aware of Dr. W or Dr. L and local GP did not know of anyone doing the band but did gastric bypass. We have been advised to appeal if turned down. How are you doing living with the band?