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Hi everyone, I'm seriously considering getting a lap band at Maples Surgical Centre in Winnipeg. Right now I'm in the information gathering stage, and have an initial consultation the first week of July. It's very overwhelming reading all these posts as everyone seems to have had different experiences since being banded. Has anyone know anything or had any experience with Maples in Winnipeg? Thanks!:smile2:

Good luck Paula. It's now 10.15am your time so I presume you're having the surgery right now! Congratulations!

Hi Lisa, I think we're eating just about the same thing - just that I'm chewing to puree my food. There's something about chicken that I can pour out of a blender that I don't find that appetizing. :wink2: You know I have pain on my left side too, but I think it's probably gas. I know that my port is at the front, about 4 or 5 inches down from my breast bone - I can just about feel it if I'm lying down. The surgeons told me that the port is located about an inch or so under the biggest incision you have, so that should give you an idea as to where yours is. Today was pretty good, but I'm not that enthused about going back to work tomorrow. I may take off one more day, as one of my incisions is bothering me a little bit, and I think it should get a bit of airing! But I have to go back Wednesday as I have no sick time left, and my coworker is sick too so I can't imagine how much work will be piled up for me when I get there! How are you doing with protein shakes. I think I told you I can't stomach them at all, but today I found some oven ready salmon, which has 25g of protein per portion and is only 140 calories. That's what I'm having tomorrow, so that I can get in enough protein. Congrats on your 6.6 pound loss. I weigh myself every morning on the Wii Fit, and every morning a cute little Wii voice tells me I'm obese! Oh well, not for much longer. I was 214 this morning, but I'm pretty sure I'll be about 98 pounds if I can ever go to the bathroom. Ok, not quite... Take care, and let me know how you're doing, Tracey

Hi Everyone, Just thought I'd share a little tip I found out quite by accident the other day. You know all the yucky glue residue that's left on your skin after you take your bandages off? Well, I tried just about everything to get it off, but in the end the absolute best thing was a pencil eraser! I erased all the residue off my stomach in under 5 minutes. Just thought I'd pass that along!:wink2:

Yes, well my diet wasn't exactly supposed to be chicken the first week! LOL. They said liquids and purees for the first couple of weeks, and solids after that, but I have read so many different things from so many different doctors, and so I figured I would see what was best for me. As long as I feel fine, then I guess it's probably alright. Having said that I'm being really careful, and when I say a bit of chicken, I mean no more than a teaspoon. And I chew it until it's basically pureed before I swallow it anyway. My surgeon told me that if I can suck it up through a straw it should be fine (within reason of course - he wasn't talking about blended chocolate bars!) Today I had oatmeal for Breakfast, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese for lunch, and about 1 cup of tomato Soup. How are you feeling today? That's great that we have the same weight loss goal! Tracey

I was banded August 5th as well. How are you feeling so far? I'm doing really well, and feeling better every day. I'm planning on going back to work on Tuesday, which should be fine as long as I get up and walk around every once in a while. What are you drinking/eating so far? I find I get full fast, but I can eat a bit of chicken as long as I chew it really well. I can't STAND the protein powders, so I thought I would try some chicken and have had no problems with it!

Good Luck to you! You've made an excellent decision to be banded. I'm still very new at this - only been banded for 6 days - but so far it has been wonderful. Keep us posted!

Good luck to you on Tuesday - that's a horrible thing to have to happen just before surgery. It's good though that your doctors are being diligent and found out that there was a problem before you went in for surgery...at least now you're prepared. I saw a lap band being performed on OR-live.com, and I remember that the spleen is up and to the right of the stomach. In the video they were able to push it right out of the way, so hopefully they will be able to do the same for you. If for some reason they can't do the surgery, don't give up hope. Just think of all the years you've been wanting to lose weight, and how close you are to fulfilling your dreams. If you have to wait a month or so until your spleen has gone back to normal, the time will fly by. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you on Tuesday. Let us know how it went. Take care!

Hi, I was banded August 5th, and could lie down the first night. The trick is to put a couple of fluffy pillows under your knees, which brings your thighs up and stops the pulling on your stomach. Just use a regular pillow for your head. This was the best way of sleeping for me, because my torso was flat, which helped the gas pains in my shoulder, but my stomach wasn't being stretched because my legs were drawn up a little. Hope that helps!:thumbup:

Good Luck tomorrow Jenbug! I had a C-section too, and the lap band doesn't even come close to being as painful. It's a walk in the park compared to that! Hope that helps a little! Take care!

Good Luck tomorrow Sam and Sweetpea!!! You'll both be just fine! I had my surgery August 5th, 2008, and feel great. I went shopping today and spent all afternoon at the mall, and I'm starting to feel almost normal again. I've lost 5 pounds since the surgery and I'm already starting to feel a bit smaller. This is the best thing ever!

I was banded 5 days ago on Tuesday. I still feel quite bloated, although not nearly as much as I did to begin with. I found the Gas X chewable tablets helped me quite a bit, and walking is excellent as well.

Hi all, I had my surgery on Tuesday, and I have found the best bra to wear is the stretched out saggy one that doesn't fit very well to begin with (ie. the elastic has stretched out and is a bit big). I find that those bras don't sit snugly on the breastbone, and so they don't hurt my incisions.

:thumbup:Glad to hear your surgery went well Mary. I had mine yesterday, and I feel fantastic. I have a few more incisions than you, but they are small and should heal up no problem. I don't have any port pain, or any pain at all in the incisions, just a bit of gas, and I guess that will "pass." (groan) I had a C-section 10 years ago, and this is a thousand times easier so far than that. I've also been eating pudding, jello, and drinking lots, and feel absolutely fine! Good luck to everyone else in August! Tracey

I didn't wear granny panties, but I know what you mean about the wings! I had my surgery yesterday, and of course it was that time of the month, but really, once I got in there, I wasn't really concerned about it anymore. I figured the surgeons probably had better things to do than check out my brand of feminine hygiene products. I guess I'll know for sure if they bring it up when I go get my stitches out!!!

Hi Johnny, I really can't say much about being from out of province, because I live in Winnipeg. All I know is that I was 100% self pay, and at Maples the grand total is $18,375.00 Very expensive I know, but half the price of a new car, so definitely worth it. Maples is an excellent facility, and the two surgeons, Dr. Bracken and Dr. Andrew are extremely competent. I had my surgery yesterday and couldn't have asked for a better or more caring experience. Whereabouts do you live? The only reason I'm asking is that the cost includes all your fills for the first year, so if you are a long way away you might have to find a fill doctor closer to you. Anyway, good luck and keep in touch!

Yes, there is quite a high sugar content, but I only had about 2 teaspoons of the stuff, and decided it was worth it! Looks like there are lots of good ideas on here - good luck!!!

it sounds like you are being banded in a really great place if they are going to that extent to do all the pre op testing first. So, I think you will be in good hands. I have my surgery on August 5th, and it can't happen fast enough for me. The liquid diet IS hard for the first 4 days or so. You WILL be hungry and maybe a bit miserable. But, if you weigh yourself often, you should notice some results on the scale, which will be an incentive. And after day 4 your tummy will just stop asking you for food. I was starving to begin with, and now that I'm at the end of the two weeks, I'm having trouble getting down three shakes a day. About your Mom....maybe you could show her some studies on obesity, or better yet, show her the documentary about it on PBS. I think maybe she just needs some more information. It's natural for people to think that you can do this by yourself, and that surgery is too drastic, but that fact is, most people can't do it by themselves. If you go to www.pbs.org and type in "obesity" you'll probably find the documentary. Take care, and I hope all goes well!

Hi Everyone, Well I just about made it through the Optifast, and am getting ready for surgery on Tuesday. I'm so excited about it. Not nervouse yet, and I'm not sure if and when that will set in. Good luck to everyone else being banded this week. :biggrin:

Hi, I have my surgery on the 5th of August, and got a sore throat a couple of days ago as well. It's my understanding that the anaethetist will decide whether or not you can have the surgery, because you have to be intubated. I'm a bit worried too, although the sore throat is going away now. My husband made up an old German recipe, and seriously it has worked wonders. Chop up a whole bunch of onions (well maybe 2 or 3), and add some Kandis sugar - these are the big crystals of sugar. If you don't have that, then use regular sugar I guess (the bigger the granules the better). The sugar will melt over the course of the day and will draw the moisture out of the onion, and leave you with a sweet, foul tasting "drink." A couple of tablespoons of that, and it will really help, I promise. I didn't believe it either! let me know how you are doing!

I was intubated when I had a general anaesthetic for a C-section. You won't even know that there has been a tube down your throat, expect you might find it a bit sore and dry. I didn't find it a problem at all. Basically, my anaesthetist told me that you are intubated, because you are respirated during the operation - so the tube is actually a breathing tube which is used to keep the windpipe open during surgery. Don't worry about it - it's really not a problem at all. Good luck!

Remember that your stomach is swollen too after the surgery, and that will take a few days to go down - so maybe that's why you're having a tough time with Tomato Soup. Good luck!

Sounds kind of fishy to me....I wonder if there's a problem with the site security, and the letter you got was not really from Allergan but from a third party? Seems to me if I had a company, I would do my best to promote my product, not turn people away and point them in the direction of other alternatives. Just a thought! Anyway, I would imagine you should be approved - good luck at the doctors!

I take Effexor XR as well, so I went and talked to the pharmacist about the best way to take them. Basically open the capsule and get the contents down somehow - the important thing is not to chew them. So, a sip or two of water for the first couple of days, and then in something a bit more substantial later. I'm being banded on August 5th, and usually take my pill at night, so I'm going to switch it up and take it that morning, so that at least I have 24 hours after surgery before I have to take it again! Good luck!

Hi everyone, I'm being banded on August 5th, and super excited to get this show on the road! I started my liquid diet 7 days ago, and have 7 more days to go. The first three or four days were very difficult - I was starving all the time. By Day 5 the hunger had started to dissipate a little, and now it's smooth sailing. My stomach has realized I'm not going to feed it (well, nothing except three Optifast shakes and 2 cups of veggies, that is) and it's stopped asking. So for all you people who still have the liquid diet ahead of you - all you need to do is get through the first three or four days, and then you should find it easier. I promise! Good luck to all August bandsters!!