CanadianChubbling

Well, I think our decision for the Lap Band procedure (self paying patients) as opposed to the Gastric Bypass procedure (OHIP covered) is now made. We investigated both surgeries fully and without bias. We have friends who have used the Gastric Bypass and others who have done the Lap Band. Both have excellent stories of success over the long term and both have stories of difficulties. Overall, the desire to have the cost-free version was strong but the 3-10 year wait list was wholly undesirable. In fact, I would say that if we were a full 100 pounds heavier than we are right now, my husband and I might have actually qualified for emergency surgery and a US destination hospital. Our co-morbidities are relatively non-existant so its off to the bank for us. Anyway, Lap Band is the absolute winner now. Our Consultation is tonight and we expect that all will go swimmingly and our banding will take place in the next 30 days or so no matter where we choose to get the procedure done. As for Canadians out there considering leaving home to get banded... I think you should re-consider whether you are self-pay or insured. We did the math and here is how we saw things... Cheapest is undoubtedly Tijuana, at least the procedure portion. Many of the clinics flooding the internet are from Tijuana, Mexico (usually just refer to themselves as a suburb of San Diego). You can really save thousands of dollars there if you are only considering the banding. Prices range from 5000 USD to 11000 USD and the market there is dominated by a handful of practitioners, some from the US and Canada. Problems we considered are as follows with absolutely no evidence, not even anecdotal, just our own 'WHAT IF' brainstorming. - Hospitals and clinics have unknown standards - Dr's claims to huge surgical numbers are unverifiable - On returning home, complications may result in the removal of your expensive band by Canadian doctors using non-laproscopic methods. - Free follow-ups require traveling to Mexico - No liquid diets noted prior to surgery... does this not put the liver at risk? - Unless you speak Spanish, are you sure you are safe? The United States is the Most Available option for Canadians. There are many practioners all over the country and lots of financing companies willing to help you pay for the procedure. Consider the following... - The US Dollar (at time of writing) is at a 20% premium to our Canadian Dollar which means that you will pay 20% more for everything from travel to lodgings for a few weeks in the host city to the procedure to medications purchased before returning home. - The consultation we had in a good hospital in a good market gave us the cost of the procedure at 16000 USD but they did not provide any free follow-ups after the first year or fills ever. That means that should you decide to return for fills or adjustments you will again pay our in USD. - Even if you decide to get it there and use the clinics up here to fill and follow-up... expect to keep paying and paying. - Should you experience an emergency complication... you may again lose your band the hard way. Finally, Canadian clinics... In our opinion are the Best Choice. For the following reasons and more... - Your dollar is at par... hello!!! its our dollar and their dollar... doesn't change from day to day - Since you will use a clinic close to you... the follow-ups and fills are probably free. - Your band clinic will be contacted for emergency complications and I should hope that your banding doc would have something to say about the band's removal before it happens. - If you have complications that only require a visit within 24-48 hours to your clinic... you can get there! - Your costs outside of the procedure and some medications may only be a night in a local hotel once in a while depending on the distance you are from the clinic. Well, I hope this information isn't too contradictory to anyone else's considerations. It is for these reasons and more that we will choose a clinic within a few hours drive from home in Ontario. Any comments?????

Yay... I found you! My husband and I are consideirng WLS (Lap band of course) and so we are checking out all the info online all over and stumbled across this wonderful site. We will keep you all apprised of the developments in our journey... We are also looking for any photo diaries anyone has out there or anyone has seen with interesting real-life stories. Take care all! See you around!

ok, wait... what was that you called me? A full-time World of Warcraft player.... roflmao /me bops the noob on the head with a 42 pound grouper

Hello everyone, Happy New year! Well, 2009 has brought my husband and I that much closer to the decision for WLS and it looks like the Lap Band is in the lead for our decision making. As Canadians, there is of course less of a selection of surgeons and clinics and more resistance from physicians to any surgical procedures. This is separate from the questionable health insurance coverage for such procedures. I hope to go well-armed to my consultation this month with our physician. So I hope that we can get all the unbiased information we can in the next few weeks. A bit about me... I have been struggling with my weight since I was a teenager when my mother complained about my extra 10-15 pounds back then. My self-confidence with respect to my body was always depressed and in retrospect, I was probably pretty hot-looking as a young adult. My obsession with dieting and my weight caused a yo-yo-ing with which I am sure many members are familiar. In the following 25 years, I must have gained and lost the same 20 pounds a hundred times and spent a fortune on books, tools, foods, programs, equipment... At 40, predictably, my gall bladder developed stones, and I had enough attacks to merit its removal. I am at my highest weight ever and a BMI in the mid 40s. We can't go on like this... Apart from rude comments from people about our weight, difficulties sleeping, joint pain, and the potential for further health problems as we head into mid-life, we are so tired of carrying around these extra 100 pounds. It isn't vanity that prompted this decision, it's simply a desire for a higher quality of life at a time in our lives when we can truly enjoy a more active lifestyle. People who are naturally smaller are absolutely unaware of how difficult it is to be morbidly obese. Do they even realize that it takes years to shed the amount of weight we need to lose? The cruelty we experience on a regular basis is disheartening. I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2009 and I hope the support we can provide each other and that which we can receive from others going through the process will make our journey less difficult. Best Wishes to all!