Doddie63

E.L. Phewwwwww! Good decision. We can't make it for you but i am glad you read between the lines. Congratulations and we hope to see you in bandster land soon. Doddie

Juney: There are plenty of posts about clinics. Questions: Where do you live - clinic(s) closest to you. What are their policies of after care. Are they free or do they charge. For instance TLBC charges 18,000 but all after care is free, including band replacement, port corrections, slipped bands, erosion etc. They also have a fluro. Dr. Yau has done more than 16000 surgeries whereas CIBO for instance is just starting up. The other clinic in Toronto is SWL who also have a tremendous reputation. So to start, if you are in Ontario, look at the TLBC and SWL clinics. If you are in Alberta, they have fine clinics as well. BC, Sask, Man, Maritone no such luck that I know of. I am sure someone will post if they know of other clinics in Canada. As for going out of Country, many do to Mexico and to the USA. Personally would not be my choice due to the problems of after care. Well this is start good luck. Doddie

I had a very good answer from the fill nurse when I asked whether I needed a fill or not and if so how much. Her answer was getting more fill is not going to make you loose weight. The goal post is to have a fill that allows you to eat solid food by chewing it thoroughly and you are not hungry for 3 hours. You should have protein every three hours. If you are hungry after eating then a small fill would be required starting at 1/4 cc. I now believe that I am just a slow looser (64 years old) and I am not an exercise guru. I like to exercise but not to the point of exhaustion 7 days a week. To me that is just not fun. So I will be content with my 1/2 lb per week. Doddie:thumbup:

Congratulations Gaffer, you are not only a new man for yourself, but for your child as well. You stand a much greater chance of seeing him/her give you grandchildren. Well done. Doddie

How do you know it was started by a dry cleaner? Doddie

Your doctor has good common sense and made the right choice. He will be able to work with Dr. Woodhead so you will get good care. My port is on its side and it takes Dr. Woodhead a bit of time to get the fill in so your GP would need access to his knowledge if yours should be on its side. No big deal really, it can be corrected easily but I chose not to. Doddie

Well said Angi. Dr. R. Woodhead is a reputable doctor and right in our own backyard. Why anyone would want to go to Mexico and take a chance on the after care is beyond me. But what the hey, their life not mine. All we can do it point out what can happen. Doddie

in the blue menu on the right is the search engine. type in saskatchewan and you will get a lot of Sask. people. doddie

Check further into this websie. There is another link from Saskatchewan patients. You could get some insite and maybe contact them on that link. Doddie

Please, do not use credit as the reason for going to a clinic. Credit can be obtained in many ways. CIBO comments from people have not been good, especially their PR. If you go to them and have to miss a payment, what then. Ask them what their response would be to a missed payment? Let's face it, there are any number of reasons that a person would have to miss a payment. A reputable bank or credit union when advised of difficulties would be considerate as long as they are advised. Would CIBO deny you fills, refuse to replace a leaky band, refuse to put right a flipped port, etc. Ask them. It is vital you have these questions up front. Just some thoughts. Doddie

Hi: Joine the BC WLS website. This site is mainly for BC residents who have had gastric bypass or gastric band. Just post and you will get all sorts of information. You have to apply to be a member. Also, there is a monthly meeting of Gastric by pass patients all over the lower mainland and one monthly meeting for gastric band patients at the Lions Gate Hospital. You have to be very agressive with the BC Government. If you doctor recommends it, you could also be sent to Washington State. I know of a gastric by pass patient that went that route. By attending these meetings you will get all the accurate information your require. I had a BMI of 50 and now down to 40.5 and I could not get help so went private. If I waited any longer I would have died. Since the band, I have a cleaned our RRSP but I also have had my medications reduced considerably. You may want to try going private. Doddie

Hi Liz. Of course you can. You have seen the light. Joining weight watchers is great but now you have the added tool called the gastric band. I think all of us know we can loose weight, just starve but over a period of time, we put it all back on time and time again. So WW changes your eating habits and the band keeps you honest. Watch the weight start coming off now. Exercise is good, but start off in moderation. There is a fellow from our clinic that cannot exercise due to Spinal Bif(?sp), yet he took of a huge amount of weight and is keeping it off, thanks to the band. So welcome aboard to slow loosers, we need encouragement. I have been exercising and no more than 1 cup of food per meal and yet I have lost nothing since Feb. 01 but I keep trying. Not much else I can do. Good luck Doddie

well said Angi. The band is for life. who says the American border will be forever open to us Canadians. It is getting more difficult to cross since the American government has been shifting more and more to isolationist policies. Not faulting the US, they have the right to protect their borders but I have to think of my future. Doddie

uk angel. Don't get down on yourself. We all have the ups and downs. As I said above after the novelty wears off, we forget the band is a tool to help us and we start eating around it. I am a slow looser also, 0.85 lbs per week. The first thing you have to do is figure out why you are back to old habits. Then make a conscious effort to get back on track. Try the old "just for today I will walk", or "just for today I will measure my food and track what I eat". Do this and soon you will be back on the straight and narrow. Good luck. Doddie

Cure if you are lurking, please don't be so sensitive to boors. You need the support and what you have to offer others is huge. People who make snide remarks could very well be fraudsters who are not fat. They love to intrude on website and be hurtful. There are also people out there that so dislike themselves they have to hurt others that are showing success. My attitude is to feel very very sad for them that they feel they have to buly others. So stand up to bullies and keep on posting for and to give support. Doddie

Hi Bert 99. Did you see the article in the Vancouver Sun this morning. No wonder BCers have trouble getting the message across we need help. Some self rightgeous individual wrote an article how she lost weight and has kept it off for the last five years. She has been successful so can't see why the authorities are mollycoddling people with weight disabilities. The article is long and vicious with no understanding of how others struggle. If you have the ability to respond to her I wish you would. I can't keep my rage in check long enough to tell her what I think of hier prious holier than thou attitude. Doddie

Tammy, I forgot to say that protein turns to energy and muscle whereas salads such as lettuce, and other veggies turn to sugar and carbs which makes you hungry. Protein is the nutrient that satisfies the most. Doddie

Tammy: You are experiencing what I think we all do. Once the novelty of the band wears off, we start to revert back to making poor choices. You don't have to be hungry. Just don't choose peanuts a good protein but high in calories. You should be eating protein every 4 hours. So pick a protein drink or have a cracker with some low fat cheese, yogurt with frozen berries. You know the choices you should be making and the nurse was correct to remind you. We all need checking up once in awhile. Also, measure for awhile. your total meal should never be more than 6 -8 ounces. 3 oz of protein and veggies the rest. Not soft foods but foods you have to chew, chew, chew so the thought of eating more turns you off. Good luck Doddie

Hi Atthiner: So sorry you have to see and arrange for your father's future care. Everyone's scales are different. I have a digital upstairs and the one downstairs is exactly 10 lbs lighter and my doctor is 10 lbs heavier and my surgeons is 5 lbs. So I use my scale as he official one as I love to weigh daily but Saturday is my "official" day. You have enough on your plate without worrying about weighing in. Just practice your good habits acquired over time, follow the instructions on eating. Focus on those things until you get home again. You may be pleasantly surprised. Keep posting and we will try to give you the support you need. Doddie

Hi: Angi thanks for telling it like it is. Washington State sounds wonderful and I do know two individuals that go down there. However, if you have any type of health issues such as HB pressure, medical travel insurance will not cover you. You buy the coverage but they will only pay out on physical injuries. So you could find your self in a foreign country and be bankrupted if you take ill. Also, what if you get stuck and are in severe pain. What then. Who do you call? Getting stuck happens frequently and sometimes if you have a loose fill, you can puke it out but sometimes you have to have an emergency defill. Then what? Don't forget the band and its care is for life. It may be exciting to go to Mexico or wherever, but reality will soon set in. Good luck in your decision. We have tried to point out all the downside but yes, you are the one that has to make the final decision and I wish you well. Please come to the LGH for support meetings. You will be welcome. Doddie

:thumbup:There are Canadians that go south but there are Americans that come north to the TLBC. So I guess it is preference. Personally I would want to be in my own country because of our health care system if anything went wrong. I have heard that private medical insurance is not to keen to pay up for patients that have "pre existing condition". Well anyoneoverweight usually has high blood pressure at least. That covers every possible illness you could get such as heart attack, stroke, which does occur in surgery. So personally I recommend Canadians stay in Canada and American can come here. They would be covered by our medical system as well even though not a resident.

If the old logins and old passwords no longer work. and If you can't log on then you have to contact the tlbc for approval. You send by email your name, date you were banded by Dr. Yau and your suggested password to Hanna Biernadt hbiernadt@groupatf.com. I did and received a reply to my email within 24 hours. I have been able to log on since. It is a great site. Sure hope they keep it currant. Doddie

You are on you way. Finances are a problem and TLBC has a financing scheme you can check on their website. However, most recommend a loan from your bank because financing interest can be expensive. I personally was so desparate I cashed in my RRSP but again, I have never regretted my decision.. Doddie

Hi: I am in BC and was banded a year ago. The band is the best decision I have ever made BUT research carefully which clinic you go to. After care is such a big issue with long distance patients. There is a link called TLBC patients and you can get a lot of information from them. Also, two of the most popular clincis Dr. Coburn whose support system for fills is very good across Canada. The TLBC has Dr. Yau who was one of two surgeons who introduced the band to Canada. He has banded over 1600 patients and is in the process of setting up fill stations across Canada (a weakness of his clinic). However, if I had to chose again I would still go to TLBC. Some questions to research: Surgeon and how many surgeries has he/she done. Any issues. As far as a know, there have been no deaths attributed to the band. After care such as a fill nurse in the local area or can you afford to fly back and forth. After care costs. TLBC is free others charge Some sites: TLBC website giving information on the band as well as Dr. Coburn's site. You can get most of your medical information from those two websites. Also, I understand the charges are $18,000 now.:tongue2: Keep asking questions of the various bandsters because, you will go thru a gauntlet of questions and fears. Hope this starts you on the way to making a decision. Good Luck Doddie

HI: We are having news article one after the other about obeseity and the failure of the medical profession. A study by an obesity clinic found that 1 our of 5 doctors felt repulsed when they had to treat an obese person. That they deliberately skipped examining them and used the old phrase "loose weight". The obesity clinic said that psychological, genetics played a huge part and that the medical profession had better start examining how the treat us. Relatives I can handle, but I can't get over my feelings of unworthiness when being examined by a specialist. Not one of them recommended a gastric band to me. And by examine, I mean a stethoscope was used. All said loose weight exercise more. Thankyou pay the bill on your way out please. With the band, my BP have been reduced, the diabetic pills have been reduced and yet not one specialist was interested in what I had to say. Just the usual loose weight, eat less. Good by. I wonder why I ever go to them. Doddie