peaches9

May I ask why you have revision surgery from the VBG band??? just curious:confused:

Affordability Home » Office and Financial Info » Affordability Weight loss can change your life and significantly improve your health. You may also find that dramatic weight loss can greatly reduce weight-related costs, which on average can be more than $15,000 a year! What better investment could you make in yourself and your future? Today many health plans cover the LAP-BAND ® or REALIZE BAND ® procedure and most if not all of the costs will be paid for. Each health plan will have certain criteria that need to be met before you can actually have the surgery. Talk to your surgeon about health plans in your area that cover LAP-BAND® or REALIZE BAND ® surgery. In some cases your insurance may not cover the LAP-BAND® or REALIZE BAND ® procedure. This can be in the form of a "Denial" to what is called a Prior Authorization Request. Following denial or when insurance coverage for the LAP-BAND ® System procedure is not available, there are several alternatives that can be considered as viable payment options. These include lump sum payment and affordable patient financing. Beginning January 1st of 2008 (for a limited time), we are pleased to be able to offer either the LAP-BAND ® or REALIZE BAND ® procedure at Jewish Hospital, which is a full-service, tertiary care Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, for $12,500 (this is one of the most affordable prices in the region). This includes surgery, anesthesia, outpatient hospital stay, and 2 years of band adustments and care from Dr. Curry's team. We are grateful to Jewish Hospital for making this price reduction available to our patients! Watch Our Short LAP-BAND® Movie Affordability Calculator

Yes I do take my shoes off when going into someones house, except of course when I am wearing muk-luks.....

Hi Giselle; At my clinic TLBC it costs $16,000 incl Gst. for the Lapband and any proceedures for life. At SWLC in Mississauga its $17,000 plus Gst. don't know how long you are covered for subsequent fills and revisions(if necessary) DrWatkins Gastric Band Surgeon Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 98 We adjust all bands (including the new Ethicon REALIZE band) at our Chicago clinic in Oak Brook, IL. You can get their contact info from our website, Synchrony Health :: Home. The surgeon, Dr. Duane Tull, is banded himself. He'd be happy to see you. Hope that helps brad __________________ Gastric Band Surgeon since 2002 Synchrony Health :: Home I've 'pasted' the link to the Chicago Ill. site, sorry I tried to google the Detroit one but wasn't lucky. In Ypsilanti Michigan there is the BARIX Clinic, they do lapbands on Canadians plus my BF had her Gastric Bypass done there and the team was fantastic.... excellent aftercare too. Dr. Kam was the surgeon that she had.

You are going to do great! Being banded in December has got to be the hardest month of all!!!

Hi Karen; Good Protien sources: 2-3 oz. of chicken breast or if too dry, have dark meat chicken 2-4 oz. fish, I like Sole, Cod, Shrimp, Crab, Lobster 2- 3 oz. ham 2 eggs 2-3 oz beef or pork, but some bandsters have trouble with these meats, just see what you can do 1/2 cup Beans, or re-fried low fat beans, cheese Tofu Cottage Cheese 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup, I prefer to mix mine with canned peaches or pineapple(juice packed not syrup) EAT a Protein source 3 times per day, minimum... that means Breakfast for sure!!! these are a few of my favourites

I am glad you posted your BEFORE pictures. You will be shrinking before our very eyes. Good job on your W/L so far... keep it up. Peaches (Banded July07)

Hi Salsa; Thank you for putting down so eloquently what "we" should always be telling ourselves. I too am a colossal excuse maker... my latest excuse being that my "band' is leaking and that I am wide open, therefore can eat whatever the FLICK I like... not so... thanks for giving me a brick in the head!~

It contains ENZYMES that break down meat, that is why it is often used in MARINADES for beef, pork, chicken etc.

Hi Giselle; 1st of all if you are Self Pay (which I am sure you are as a Cdn) There is a place in Detroit that does it for $11,000 US.. but the thing is AFTERCARE is very important. Lapband is NOT a one shot wonder fix. At 6wks post op you go back to the clinic for your 1st fill, then every 2 wks or so you go back for subsequent 'Fills" until you reach a proper level of restriction. Now how quickly you reach restriction is reliant on the size of band that you have installed.. I have read that some U.S. surgeons use a 4cc band while other use the Vanguard 10cc band. The two doctors in Toronto/Mississauga use the 10 cc band. Mine for example is the French Mid-Band and is 10cc's. So my first fill was 5 cc's, then 2cc's, then 1 cc, then .75 cc's and so on.... then I ran into problems. I have a complication in that my band is leaking saline. Therefore I am not experiencing Restriction. I was up to fill #4, but I suspect that on the last fill the RN nicked the tubing when she was inserting the fill... don't know for sure? but what else could have caused the leak I don't know at this point. Or the join where the port meets the tubing could be a loose connect??? I will know more on Monday when I go for a Fluro barium xray at the hospital. All this said, I am still glad that I got the Lapband installed. Its just a tad frustrating that I am not loosing as fast as my other JULY bandsters have at 5 mos. out... but once this is fixed ... I'll be on my W/L way again for sure. Even with the looseness that I now feel, I only ate ONE plate of Turkey dinner instead of my usual 3..... LOL

In Canada we have to self pay for this lap band surgery. Luckily for me though my surgeon and his staff cover the initial surgery, all fills for life and any follow up problems... plus nutritional counselling etc. So this won't cost me anything more, except my time and travel to and from the clinic which is a considerable distance from my home... I've already had 7 trips back and forth for fills and now I go again next wk for a Fluro.. I am hoping that I'll get a top up fill as well to hold me for the interim until the leak is perm. fixed... Sheesh, but as complications go I guess I am lucky with a leak, it is fixable and a lot better than having an "erosion" like I've read some few have.

Wow, so there are a current '3" of us on this thread. I am having a Fluro Xray of my band Monday Jan 7/08 Then I suppose the next step is port replacement.. How are you guys doing? I feel "wide open" right now and can eat just about anything. I havn't had a PB in months!!

Happy New Year Everyone! I thoroughly enjoyed the holidays and didn't watch my portions or content of meals too much. I am wide open right now and awaiting my Barium Xray On Monday to determine "if" I have a leak in my band.. LOL...I already know I have a leak!!! But I must jump thru the Dr's hoops first I guess. Then I suppose it will mean a port replacement proceedure. I am not weighing myself because I know it would be depressing.. I 'feel' like I have gained 5 lbs. so I suppose I should revise my stats at the bottom of the page. I will get there in this New Year.... just have to get my 'plumbing' repaired first ha,ha.. Best wishes to everyone

So happy for you! To be able to shower again is indeed Awesome!!! Can't wait for the photos

Aldolfs meat tenderizer, Papaya extract which is in Digestive Enzymes found at health food stores... try these two 'fixers' for food that is stuck... the meat tenderizer can be purchased at any grocery store.. These are a couple of things I've heard work

Hello Dr.Watson; I have a question regarding a leaking band. At least this is what is suspected.... I have had 7 fills, the last fill the RN decided to pull out all the Fluid in band to see how much was there... should have been 9.75cc's but only 4 cc's were present. I am booked for a Fluro Barium Xray on Jan 7th/2008 My question is this, what contrast material is used in the Barium swallow? The reason I am curious/concerned is that I am severly allergic to I.V.P. dye which contained Iodine. Back in 1975 I had to have a bladder/kidney xray and they put IVP dye into my vein and I went into cardiac arrest from anaphylactic shock..(sorry about the spelling) Can you give me any insights? Thanks in advance, Peaches

IRON deficiencies.... Ladies, its important to eat RED Meat for Iron, Liver is good too. However, if meat is an issue.... Eat Spinach Salads, outer leaves of the Romain lettuce these are all good sources of iron... plus you may need to get a blood test at your Doctors and take an iron supplement for a short time until your reserves get built back up. Our nutrician while banded is very important!!

would going to Michigan be closer for you??? As I know there are Barix Clinics in Detroit, Ypsilanti... etc that also do Lap Band.

As far as I know there are two GOOD centres in Toronto to do Lap Band. But there is another in Montreal that I've read about on this site... Sarnia Ontario has the Blue Water Surgical Clinic they do Plastic Surg. and now Lap Band too... their Lap surg. is Dr. Joffee who used to be at TLBC where I got done. Good luck with your search. I have nothing but good things to say about TLBC, I'd recommend them I don't beleive there is any place more North for you

Hi Great North, I've been banded 5 months, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. Just P.M. me, (private Message) you do it by CLICKING on my Name to the left. I was a self pay, but am planning on using the medical expense on my tax return for 2007.

Ha,ha,ha... too funny Janet. Yes, I am addicted to the bottle!!! Except in the one photo where I was 'sitting' that WAS my natural silver colour... but when I got banded in July, it was a symbolic NEW LIFE so I dyed my hair ... think I'll leave it this Med. Blonde... I know its looks kinda reddish, but I like it!.. :-)

I don't know how long this takes... I just tried the paperclip thing above. So I think its a pretty good before (surg.) picture just not at my heaviest.

You'll need several more fills before you feel restriction... just hang in there.. My Doc gives them at 2 wk intervals until you are losing 2 lbs per week.

Congrats Julie; And don't forget to name the "Girls"....

Hi Doddie; Congrats on your 2 oz. turkey day!!! Hopefully I'll be back to your measurements in the New Year after I get my leaky band sorted out...