thinner

I am from Calgary, Canada and am wondering if anyone has had the band done by Dr K in denver??? I spoke to Nicole at his office and she said that they have done 1 other person from Canada, so i wonder if you had yours done by him if you could tell me how it was etc....... I have spoken to the weight management clinic here in Calgary and there is a Dr who will do the fills for me ,so I am thinking that Dr. K is really good price and an alternative to Mexico . My other option is the clinic is missisauga ontario and it is 1600.00 compared to dr K and 9950.00 Not sure what to do ... any advice / info would be appeiciated thanks I

I havent posted for the last few weeks just been reading everyones posts...so here goes .....i had surgery on the 5th of dec in mississauga with Dr Coburn. Everything went like a dream ...very little discomfort and virtually no nausea afterwards , returned to work on the 12th . I did all the liquid and mushie stages no problem. Stared on solid food and again no problem until a peice of chicken got "stuck" wow...that was terrible...it has since happened two more times. I am now very careful how much i chew and how fast i eat . I had a fill last week with Dr Mitchell and that went without a hitch, although I dont feel full sooner than before the band, i am to go back in 4-6 weeks for another fill. My question is why does food get "stuck" if it is suppossed to stay in the upper pouch to make you feel full??? Im just wondering if everything is passed through the band no matter what the size then whats the point??? It seems to me that if all the food is passing through and only large peices are getting stopped and have trouble passing then you would not feel full until the lower part of the stomach is full. I hope someone can answer my questions. But on the bright side between the pre-op diet and liquids and mushies i have lost 27 lbs ......... and cant wait to find my sweet spot !!!!!

I am on my first day of the pre op diet ...I have to use slim-fast instead of opti-fast because even though it has been ordered and paid for , i have not had the pleaser of seeing it yet!! I hear that the opti fast tastes worse than slim fast so I can hardly wait!! I will phone again tomorrow if it does not arrive , I wonder why the opti fast is prefered, anyone know??? .. Anyway I am booked for surgery on the 5th of Dec and have every thing ready to go...since I am from Calgary I am taking the oppotunity to do a little Christmas shopping in Toronto/Mississauga area. Anyone know where there are any good places to by designer stuff such as "Coach" and "Juicy" there is most likely a better selection of stuff there than is Calgary, so any shopping tips are appriciated. Is there anyone having Surgery on the 5th of Dec as well??? Mine is at 8 am. I am arriving in Mississauga on the 2nd and am staying until the sunday night. I am not very nervous but am quite looking forward to getting it over with, and of course the recovery will be good to have behind me as well. I did not weight myself today as we woke to a lot of snow and then my daughter had a flat tire so I had to drive her to school and by the time i remembered it was late in the day so I guess I will get the truley bad news tomorrow. however after that I will never see the scale as my enemy ....I hope!!! Any ideas on the pre op diet are appriciated although I have read a lot of posts and want to do as well as I can so the surgery goes well. I hope that I am stong enough to stick to it ....I work 12 hour day and night shifts and it is always a food fest on the nights!!! So my plan is to pick a spot furthest away from the kitchen ( so I cant smell the cooking ) and furthest away from the door so I dont see the street guys bringing us treats!! I work for the police on the 911 emergency lines,and often the street guys bring us in stuff. Anyway wish me luck !! I just hope that I can do as well as all of you here seem to have and contunue to do........ susan ( thinner ....soon I hope)

Thanks for that info Andrew...Rasberry sounds great so Ill get that and see how it goes.... Susan

Thanks for all the good wishes ...it is now day 3 and im doing fine ....i have to pick up my Optifast tonight on the way home ....who knows wy it took so long , maybe it was on the slow train ....Great ideas for making the optifast taste better... Im going to go and get the syrups that you mentioned Andrew any recomendations on what flavor??? Ive used the salad spritzers and must say they are a godsend. I am also a pickle lover and saw Andrew mention them as a good part of your veggies or when you just need something crunchie...so they are on my list !!! I also liked the idea of blending it with coffee for an ice cap ...maybe ill try that tonight. I weighed myself yesterday and was just about where I thought so I am pretty motivated ...It would be nice to loose 10lbs or so just to get a boost on the journey. every one here is so helpfull ..it is great to see how everyone is doing, its a real motivator. I am feeling good ...not too hungry...and am determined to do my best on this pre op adventure... thanks, and all the best to everyone on their weight loss, you guys are an amazing group its realy nice to know that every one is supporting each other ......susan

I just found this site the other day, and noticed the info regarding getting the lap band in Calgary . My Dr referred me to the weight management clinic in the summer and i am still waiting ....so i called today and asked if it is true about the wait times and was told , "yes " the wait times would be anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 years and perhaps longer. What a dissapointment !!!!! Ah well I guess it was just too good to be true. I am now looking at my other options and have read some posts about Dr Kirshenbaum in Denver. I think that I will call him tomorrow and see what the wait time is . I am anxious to get the ball rolling. Are there many members here from Calgary? where did you get your surgery done and what were the costs . I hear that in Ontario there is a clinic and it is about 16000.00. I asked the weight management clinic in calgary if they would do the fill and she said that they will do them for $125.00. anyway i wonder if it is best to go to Ontario and pay the extra or if anyone in Calgary has gone to Denver. Do you have to fly down for a consult and pre op stuff or can that be done by phone and through your GP??? Sorry for all the questions but Im not as well informed as I would like to be !!! thanks

Your already doing awsome!!!and only 2 weeks out ....how was the recovery and when did you go back to work???

I am really looking forward to not pigging out this xmas and just enjoying the family ect.... Andrew .....in my consultaion Dr C let a little something slip so im thinking that is what you are talking about ..I could be wrong though...but anyway i wont spill the Beans. I am going to send my surgery authorization thursday or friday and then...welll...no turning back!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey i never thought of it that way.....a $16000.00 xmas present ...well it will be worth it and the best xmas present yet. Ive told my girls (21 and 18 ) that they will be getting smaller gifts this xmas ...the youngerst says thats ok if it helps you Mom but im afraid the oldest is a little less giving ........ my husband is not a xmas lover and so says lets spend the money on your mother and forget xmas altogether !!!...It is actually perfect timing as I work this year over xmas so i plan to give myself a head start on new years resolutions!!!!!

I think I knowa little something about Andrews mystery...even though I am new here I have some insider info and can be bribed hahahah.... .....Andrew Im sorry I have not yet called you but I have been on shift for the past few days. I work for the police as an emergency operator and things an get a little hectic ...just 2 more night shifts and Im off for a few days and then I will be booking my surgery and calling you. Actually Dr Cobourn has tentativly booked me for Dec 5 and my husband has arranged to go with me ...we are going early and doing some xmas shopping beforehand. I will confirm with Dr C this week and then ill be on my way to a better me!!! I feel a little more positive now that I have read a lot of the posts on this site ...every one is so supporive and kind and doing so well........I hope I will do the same.

Hi .... Regarding warantee ..that was on of my concerns as well and also just general support. I called the weight managaement clinic and they said if you have the band put in somwhere else they will do the fills and take it out in an emrgency ,but as far as anything else ...slippage ,erosion, or needing the port replaced they would NOT do. I then calld Dr K and his nurse said she did not know what he would do if you needed anything replaced as it had never happened. ( I think that means you would have to pay again!). So with what Andrew said about the tax deductuion and a little bit back from AHC i think it is about 2500.00-3000.00 more to go to Dr Cobourn which I think is the way I am leaning THis board is amazing everyone is so supportive and knowledgable ... Thank you all...........I will be making my decision this weekend and hope to have everything in place to get the surgery before the new year, scary but exciting as well. I have tried and failed to loose and keep weight off for most of my adult life .....this is my last kick at the cat, so to speak and you are all so inspiring . It is hard to committ to spending this much money when you have failed so often .........................

Wow, Thanks for all the replys and great advice ...Although I think I may be more confused that ever about where to go for the surgery. I am sure that this is the best thing to do for my health , i just have to decide where and when. I think the sooner the better!! I have now spoken to Dr Cobourn in missisauga and he seems like a very nice man and every one has great things to say about him. I really appreciated the comparison to Mexico as well, although it sounds safe and a great price I think my husband may cart me off to the loony bin if I suggest surgery in Mexico....he's uber conservative and cautious !!!! I wounder if anyone has info about Dr K in denver ....his price is $9950. but only includes after care for 3 months . I called the Calgary weight management clinic and they said that a Dr there would do the fills for 125.00 and also if there was an emergency would do surgery to remove the band but would not replace it if necessary. I guess my question is how much after care is needed and is it worth the extra $ 6000.00 If i had bags of money I would go to Dr Cobourn as he seemed great , but I wonder if Dr K in denver is ok as well.....Any thoughts?