CanadianComfort

I'm glad you started this thread! I was just about to start my taxes and was wondering if the surgery would be covered (I'm located in Mississauga). Did anyone have to get an official tax receipt from the clinic who banded you, or was the print out they gave you when you paid sufficient? Thanks!

Assuming that your surgeon uses steristrips (as opposed to surgerical tape or stitches), mine began curling up at the edges after my first shower. Most of them had fallen off by themselves within 6 days. I was told by my surgeon to remove any that had not fallen off at the 7 day mark. Since that time I have been putting polysporin on them to reduce the scarring and promote healing. It would probably be best to check with the clinic/hospital where you were banded just to make sure. Initial Consult: November 8, 2007 Surgery Date: November 20, 2007 Banded by Dr. Mumford, SWLC, Mississauga (Canada)

Smallerme, I had a similar situation. I live alone and chose not to tell friends or family about my surgery. The clinic where I was banded, however, insisted I have someone pick me up after the surgery was over and stay with me for 24 hours. It was to cover their legal liability in case something happened to me after I got home. The clinic gave me the number of a nursing service where you can hire a nurse or home care provider on a temporary basis. If your clinic/hospital insists on the same requirement you might want to ask them if they can recommend a nursing service. Or perhaps you can find something in the yellow pages. Initial Consult: November 8, 2007 Surgery Date: November 20, 2007 Banded by Dr. Mumford, SWLC, Mississauga (Canada)

Just a thought... are you sure it's your band you're feeling? Perhaps it's scar tissue from your surgery? I hope your doctor gets back to you soon so you can set your mind at ease. Initial Consult: November 8, 2007 Surgery Date: November 20, 2007 Banded by Dr. Mumford, SWLC, Mississauga (Canada)

I'm not exactly sure of my first fill date yet, but it will be in about 2 weeks or so I imagine. For six days after my surgery on November 20th, I couldn't do more than take a few sips of Water and even that caused pain and reflux, plus spasms in my diaphram. I went back to the clinic to speak to the nurse and it turned out I needed a de-fill, so she removed 3.4 c.c.'s from my band (I wasn't even aware anything had been in there!) Since then it's been pretty much smooth sailing and I'm now onto soft foods. I met with the nurse again this past Monday for my 2-week post-op appointment and she said I was doing fine but quite likely would need a fill when the time came since my band is now completely empty. She asked me to give her a call next week to book the 4-week post-op appointment and possible fill. I can't say that I've been having any hunger pains; although, I must say mentally I've not been very satisfied with sticking to no more than 1 cup of food per meal. It just doesn't look like very much, and my brain is telling me I couldn't possibly be satisfied with that, yet my stomach seems to disagree. So... I've been trying to listen to my stomach and ignore my brain until I get accustomed to this. The not drinking for 1 hour after meals is also very hard for me and takes effort to remember! So much to adjust to. I wonder if there will ever be a time when all this will become second nature? Initial Consult: November 8, 2007 Surgery Date: November 20, 2007 Banded by Dr. Mumford, SWLC, Mississauga (Canada)

Hello Fellow November 20th Bandsters!! Sorry for being out of touch so long. I’m very bad at corresponding Sounds like everyone is doing a great job!! Pats on the back to you all!! :whoo: I’ve been doing pretty well, especially since this past Monday. In an earlier post I mentioned a problem I was having: “When I drink anything and it hits my stomach I get a burst of pain that lasts for several minutes and often the Fluid heads back up my esophagus. It's not vomiting, it more like a clogged drain and everything gets backed up. And sometimes my diaphram goes a little spazzy (like hiccups without the hiccups), which is really very painful.” Well, after 6 long days of this, I decided to drop by my clinic on Monday to talk to one of the nurses. Turns out, I needed a de-fill. I thought the bands were installed empty – and maybe some are – but mine was partially filled. I had no idea! The nurse found my port and after 2 attempts withdrew 3.4cc’s of fluid from my band. Ahhhh the relief!! Since then it hasn’t even felt like I have a band – I feel no restriction whatsoever. Maybe that’s normal? I have my 2-week check-up at the clinic tomorrow so will be finding out. Also, of the 5 holes they poked into my stomach, one is about 3 inches long. It feels really hard underneath so I’m not sure if that is just healing tissue or if maybe it’s the hose that leads to the port I’m feeling under my skin. The port itself in about 1½ inches to the right of this scar so it’s not that. Anyhow, I guess the nurse will tell me tomorrow. I’ve recently been learning about the joys of a food processor. I hate cooking (fast food junkie) so never really had the need for one before. I’ve been using it about 3 times a day for the past 5 or so days and it’s great! It’s just a small 3-cup one and it doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, so even I can use it! I’ve been doing great on the liquid and mushies stage, and think I’ll even manage the soft food stage, but will have a problem when I start back on solids. Meal planning, cooking and portion control are NOT my forte I’m afraid And no drinking Water with my meals will be a major adjustment. But hey, I gave up my 5 Diet Coke/day habit cold turkey on November 8th so I can handle anything! :Banane52: Keep up the great work everyone!! Initial Consult: November 8, 2007 Surgery Date: November 20, 2007 Banded by Dr. Mumford, SWLC, Mississauga (Canada)

Ovahkummer, I'm so sorry to hear about your setback. Your doctors sound like they're really on the ball, though, so you can be thankful for that! The next time will go much smoother I'm sure My surgery on the 20th went well and I'm so glad it's over! The past couple days have been good and I've not suffered any gas pains (thank goodness!!) My incisions seem to be healing well and only the largest incision (the port site) is causing a slight bit of discomfort at this point. My muscles are mending quite quickly and I pretty much have full mobility back (within reason). I am having one problem and I'm wondering if any of you are experiencing the same thing? When I drink anything and it hits my stomach I get a burst of pain that lasts for several minutes and often the Fluid heads back up my esophogus. It's not vomiting, it more like a clogged drain and everything gets backed up. And sometimes my diaphram goes a little spazzy (like hiccups without the hiccups), which is really very painful. I spoke to the nurse at the clinic yesterday and she told me it's due to swelling in my stomach and it would pass, but it hasn't yet. Because of the pain and reflux, I know I'm not getting in all my fluids and I'm concerned about dehydration. Is anyone else going through this? Otherwise, all is peachy-keen!! Banded by Dr. Mumford, SWLC, Mississauga November 20, 2007

I envy you, Jill.... I wish mine was scheduled for early morning! I'm scheduled for 12:30 on the 20th. Going without so much as a sip of Water after midnight tonight will be really hard for me. But I know it'll all be over before I know it so I'll try not to obsess about that part! I'm so excited to be starting this journey! Good luck to everyone tomorrow!!

Hi all, I'm being banded on November 20th as well (Dr. Mumford, SWLC, Mississauga). I think I have it a bit easier than some of you... I don't have children so no Hallowe'en candy temptations thank goodness! And being Canadian, we had our Thanksgiving in early October. My biggest hurdle will be Christmas and I hope to have a handle on things by then. I've had surgery a couple times before so I'm not particularly nervous about the actual procedure, but I am anxious to get it all over and done with. Good luck to you all!!!

Lilycat, like you I'm currently on my pre-surgery diet of Optifast (Dr. Mumford, SLWC). They only had one box of vanilla so I've had that for 6 days along with my steamed veggies (I have a new appreciation for brussel sprouts! Who knew!?!) I found that adding a bit of almond extract to the Optifast made it taste sooooo much better! (Avoid mint extract or it will taste like Milk of Magnesia YUCK!!) Since the clinic didn't have enough Optifast for the duration of my pre-op diet, they told me to go on Slimfast shakes, so as of yesterday that's what I've been taking. The chocolate one is excellent. Fortunately for me, I reached ketosis on day 2 of my Optifast diet and I haven't been craving food, but boy have I ever been tired!! These drinks don't give you much in the way of energy. My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, November 20th so I don't have much longer to wait now! Hang in there, Lilycat, and do the best you can... it will all be worth it in the end!!

Hi everyone, I need some pre-surgical advice!! I would like to undergo the lapband procedure and have recently met with Dr. Moffat at The Credit Valley Clinic in Mississauga, Ontario(The Credit Valley Clinic - Weight Loss Surgery Program). I have decided to go ahead with the procedure and am really excited about it. However, he first needs me to meet with two others in the clinic before they decide if I get the green light for the procedure. I've read through many of these forums, particularly the Canadian one, and see no mention of Credit Valley, but many many mentions of The Surgical Weight Loss Centre (Drs. Cobourn & Mumford) and the TLBC clinic in Toronto. Has anyone been banded by The Credit Valley Clinic? Does anyone have any recommendations as to who the best choice of clinic and doctor would be? I just want to make the most informed choice. Thanks so much for your help and input!!

Thanks Jacklyn & Donna! I feel more positive than ever that going to SWLC will be the best choice for me. I can’t wait for my appointment! :clap2:

Thank you all so much for your input and advice!! It's greatly appreciated! In addition to the consult at The Credit Valley Clinic, I also made an appointment with SLWC so I could compare. My consult at Credit Valley was last week and my appointment with Dr. Mumford is tomorrow! I just had some concerns since I could find no mention of anyone being banded at Credit Valley in this forum. From all the many positive experiences I’ve read about in this forum about Dr. Mumford and SLWC, however, I don’t think I’ll have any problem choosing the right clinic!! Thanks again for your help! :confused: