Doddie63

Well written NJ Gal. I have been married 36 years and as time goes by, the small slights don't seem to matter as much anymore. We have morphed into best friends. We have our disagreements true, but I can't remember every going to bed angry. We both found a way to ease the tension either by apologies, or being extra helpful, whatever. Again well written NJ. Doddie

Where is Isabella the person who started this thread? I haven't seen any posting from her. Donna D. you have made a great decision. Have you signed up for the TLBC website. The Q&A sections from Dr. Yau is awesome. One question he states the most serious form of abuse to the band is putting too much food into it at one time. It can cause erosion which is very serious. He also stated that protein creates muscles where veggies create sugars. As a diabetic this was a revelation. So now more protein and vitamin supplements to take care of the rest. I will still have the small amount of veggies but now I won't worry about health issues. I love the site. Doddie

Did and absolutely love it. You should post this on the TLBC links so others that follow those links will investigate. Doddie

Well done all of you. Ladybugred. You in my opinion did the right thing by insisting on only a light fill to start with. Once you know how your body and your band can work together (ie how you eat food-large chunks or small) you then can go further in your fill requirements. I did that I certainly don't regret it because it has taken me a year to train my self to not slip back into old chewing habits. Even now, I ate a sausage last night and it would not go past my band. I had to PB and am on liquids today because my stomach is sore. I only have 5 ccs in after three fills. So follow you instincts and try not to get caught up in the emotions to speed things along. Doddie.

Contact your clinic. They may know of someone. Doddie

Katrinalud: I am from North Vancouver, BC and was banded at the TLBC. The SWLC Dr. Cobourn I believe and TLBC clinics are both great. The TLBC has just announced today major support for locals and long distance patients BUT there is still the problem of getting a fill. There is a fill nurse in Washington State and Dr. Woodhead does fills but he charges $400 for the consult and $75.00 thereafter. It still is cheaper than flying to Toronto. However, have you consulted Dr. Woodhead or Dr. Leung here in Vancouver. They both do the band privately and offer free fills as well. Contact me privately, and I will give any information you may ask me (if I know the answer), Also, we have a bandsters meeting once a month at the Lions Gate Hospital if you would like to come and ask questions. The most commone one: Would I do it again. You bet my life I would no questions asked. Doddie

I can't do anything about your home life except you try Ann Landers thought for the day "Would I be better off with him or without him". Make your decision and get on with your life. I don't have kids but I do know that kids have energy and they also sense when things aren't right. There are probably acting up. Can you send them to a relative for a few days to give you time to think and get better. As for you fills, if you are shovelling things into your mouth then you don't have much restriction. How much do you have in. If you have the band almost 100% filled then you have a band that is probably leaking. If not you are better off with a loose fill. If you are eating emotionally, you would proably end up PBing frequently if you had more restriction and could cause band erosion or slippage etc. In the meantime, go for a walk when you feel like eating. Doddie

Hi: Yes, I am one of those few. There are 4 of us. Pat comes from Squamish so I really have no excuse for attending, as I live 5 minutes away from the Lions Gate Hospital where the meetings are. I really look forwart to them. The internet is a great place for support, but would never replace the face to face meetings and the fun we have all round. Sometimes the talk is serious other times we joke about the stigma attached to the band by the medical people and others. There is an article in the Vancouver Sun this morning about the major bias against the obese by the medical profession. I hope some doctors read it. It is an eye opener. For instance. 4 of 5 doctors admitted they do not like examining an obese person. Most admit to thinking their patients are lazy slobs and will not look further for complaints from the patient. So the psychological support I get from the others is so important. So to ramble, Donna but yes we are trying to expand our little group, but can't get any interest. Doddie

Hi Katrinaulud: Dr. R. Woodhead in Delta/Ladner. I go to him for my fills. He is young but I really like him. He is obese like you and so knows how we feel. Also, last November he went over to France and took additional training in the French Midband. I have this band and find it very comfortable. He also was trained by Dr. Yau, my surgeon. If you used him, he will be doing your fills and you won't have to go out of Province. You could at least have a chat with him. If you go for a formal consult, I think he charges but you could ask him simple questions or his assistant. She is not bad to talk too if she isn't rushed. Doddie

Hi Donna. 21 years ago you did what you thought was correct, you couldn't be expected to think of everything. One thing about hindsight, it always seem to indicate we could have done better. For instance, I did not ensure my doctor would do fills, he said he would but he reneged. Seems there is an insurance issue. I thought I too had done everything right but ....... Doddie

Hi Donna: A bad surgeon can have either a good or bad bedside manner. I never thought to do it, but one can go to the College and check out a doctor's background first. But a good bedside manner does not a good doctor make. Sorry we can agree to disagree on this one. Doddie

No question Dr. Cobourn and Dr. Yau are superior in our estimations. Probably why they are so successful in private business. But sincerely my advice is don't make the personality of the doctor your deciding factor. Look at their performance record in surgery, look at the after care offered by their clinics. The second most important research is to make sure there is availability of a fill nurse or doctor sponsored by the respective clinic near you. If you can't get a fill or defill quickly what is the point in using the clinic. For instance in my case, flying from BC to Toronto can not be considered a free fill. These days, more and more clinics are opening to do obesity surgury and individuals now have more choices than I did. I will say I have no regrets. My hardships have just strengthened my beliefs that what I did was the right thing. TLBC offers me support via the telephone and I use the web. They referred me to a surgeon out here that normally did not do fills for patients other than his own. But due to his connection with Dr. Yau he took me in. Now I am content. Good luck what ever your decision is. Doddie

No, I never have met with Dr. Yau and as a matter of fact I haven't met with any surgeon nor has my husband in any of our operations. Have met them after the fact but their instructions are short and crisp, then on to the next bloke. It has been the family GP that has answered questions. To me, surgeons are fabulous at what they do but most have the PR skills of a do do bird. Doddie

Where are you from. TLBC has tremendous support for locals but is lacking in long distance programs. I can call for any type of support regarding diet or queries about the band, but to find a fill doctor that is connected with the TLBC out here in BC is difficult. TLBC is connected to one fill doctor here but he has no fluro so if I had a problem, I would have to fly back to Toronto or use a doctor in Calgary. I have no hesitation is recommending the TLBC as Dr. Yau is one of the best. Just wanted to point out a small shortcoming that they are presently working on to improve. Doddie

Hi crazycat. I lost one pound last month. Exercised 3 days a week minimum. But and this is a big But, I succumbed to soft foods that are of course higher in calories. I track every day. But still one pound down in a month is a victory for me. For what my advice may be worth. Continue to work with your wonderful doctor and you will reach goal. He is leading you down the correct path. Don't get impatient you will win the battle. I wish I had such a doctor. My fill doctor (not my surgeon) isn't too good with the encouragement and advice bit. You will do find. Doddie

Well done crazy cat. You lost 30 lbs and the expectation of loosing 30 more this year. You have set a realistic goal based on your lifestyle. Loosing slowly is not such a bad thing. We tend to get impatient because of all the hype surrounding the band. Remember the turtle won the race over the rabbit and I bet you have a lot less saggy skin. Doddie

Hey Guys: The band is not a magic wand. You have to still work at loosing weight . The band is only there to help you with your appetite and the amount of food you consume. You have to decide not to consume fattening stuff, you have to decide to exercise. If you are depressed and not loosing weight and you have had your band checked for defects and all is OK, then you have to look at your head hunger and how it is controlling you. I am a slow looser because I chose to be one. I don't faithfully exercise as I hate it but I don't keep a tight fill. I am afraid of tight fills because of all the problems they cause. The loose allows me to eat most everything but no more than a cup or 3 oz of protein and 1/2 cup of veggies. As a result, I am only loosing .85 lbs per week. My point of all of this is "if you are not loosing weight look to yourself, not the band". Doddie

Before taking insulin, I sure a "h..." would decrease the metformin. It is the drug of first resort but can cause kidney damage. Also, Lipitor could be the culprit for increasing your sugar. Take a good look at the all the side effects of your drugs before going on insulin. By taking a look I mean actually going into a medical book that lists all the side effects. I was put on Lipitor and spent 6 days in hospital before someone (me) read the medical book and found that severe allergic reactions is difficulty in breathing. Just a caution from one that has been there Doddie

Hi: Becareful with Lipitor. It is a very common HB pill but when my doctor put me on it, I spent 6 days in hospital unable to breathe. We found out later that a very rare reaction to Lipitor can cause breathing difficulties. I was taken off he drug and I no longer have a problem. I would certainly check out the drugs you are on in the event you are having an allergic reaction to them. Some forms of rare reactions are not printed in the general handout but are in the medical books.

NJ Low impact is walking. If you have no aqua fit classes near you all doctors recommend walking. Get an IPOD (if you don't have one) put on a good pair of walking shoes and go for a walk. It may be only 5 minutes at first but before you know it, you will be putting on the miles. I read in the paper today that people that use a pedometer find they are more successful than when they didn't use one. Walking is also cheap. Doddie

I guess, the youngest in Canada could be interpreted many ways. One is the youngest in Canada for the TLBC clinic. I suspect each clinic can claim the youngest patient in their care. Doddie

Hi: I have Diabetes II and my pills have been reduced from 5 to 1. I am now seeing low 6's in my blood work. Here is an exerpt from the Financial Post yesterday: Weight-loss surgery using gastric banding can reverse type 2 diabetes in obese people, Australian researchers report. Obese individual who underwent the procedure were more than five times more likely to see their diabetes resolve than people who relied on lifestyle changes alone.............quote.:redface:

Right on Alex R. After care is vital. I know as I live out in BC. No fill nurse or doctor will do fills for other clinic's patients. As a favor to my surgeon, a local surgeon is now taking care of me but I was in a real panic. Also, don't forget there are side affects you could experience such as erosion, slippage, flipped port, stuck food. You need to get to get a fluro or defill quickly. How quick could you get to Mexico? Some Colleges of P&S are dithering on whether or not GPs should do fills as a result, many GPs are declining to do the fills. So think twice no three times before going out of the Country just to save a few "bob". Doddie

Go on line to the CRA website. You can also telephone them and they will tell you how to do it. There is a special form and make sure you have all your receipts for expenses you are climing. My Dr. at my clinic, also sent a letter stating his assessment of me warranted the surgical intervention.

If you would like support I have no problem with that. We could help each other. I have a e mail pal in Texas and also Halifax and I would certainly enjoy corresponding with you for support. Email me privately at doddie63@hotmail.com and we can chat.