Juwel

Hey everyone! I just had a quick question. I'm in Edmonton, looking to have my surgery done at the SWLC... they said that the fills are covered for the first 5 years after surgery. Anyone in Edmonton finding that they are paying out of pocket despite this promise? When I asked the clinic, the PR person was a little evasive and advised me to discuss that with my surgeon when I did my phone consultation. I dont have my consultation for another week :tongue_smilie:

Hi Cammy! I am going to have my consultation with Dr. Cobourn this week.... how is he as a surgeon? Have you checked out the patient forums on the SWLC page? All the people there are patients of the clinic and they are a great resource! I am hoping to be in your shoes very shortly :tongue_smilie: I have heard that the meditrim is not pleasant, but there are lots of little tips for making the shakes easier to drink. Some suggest sugar-free syrups, others suggest using baking extracts and almost every post I have read says to use lots of ice. The most common complaint is that the meditrim is the most difficult part of the whole procedure. If you've gotten this far in making your dream come true then I have faith that you will get through these next few weeks of hell! The key, from what I have read, is to follow the meditrim advice very carefully. Any extra calories beyond the recommended will knock you out of ketosis and you will really feel hungry. So it sounds like it is only the first few days that your body feels hungry as its not in ketosis yet. After that.... its just the taste of the shakes! Good luck! I hope to see you on the SWLC forum soon and hear about your amazing journey!

I have my consult with a surgeon next week and was just curious if anyone had experienced being denied for outrageous or really unexpected reasons? To give you a quick background on myself, I am a 24 year old female who has struggled with my weight since I was 10 years old. I do not smoke and recently had bloodwork done confirming I have elevated cholesterol levels (not to the point of being considered a risk). I have a BMI of 47 and currently sit at 310 lbs on a 5"8 frame. I do not have diabetes or heart-related issues. In essence I meet all the criteria. I have the finances for the surgery already covered and looked after (so I know that is one thing they wont say no about) From my own research, I can see no reason to be denied, but I have this awful fear that the surgeon will tell me no. Has anyone, who is similar in health condition and meets the criteria for surgery been denied? If so, please let me know. I dont think I could take hearing no from the surgeon when I know this is the path I must follow.

I think the general rule of thumb for the lapband procedure is that if you have a BMI less than 40 (but higher than 35) you need to have at least one accompaning weight related health issue (as per the official lapband website: http://www.lapband.com/get_informed/about_lapband/right_for_me/). As I havent had my consultation yet and my own cholesterol has not reached the high risk category, I honestly cant give you an answer on whether cholesterol counts as such. I will keep it in mind for when I have my consultation though and will post my surgeon's answer here. It would be silly not to consider high colesterol as a comorbidity of obesity, but I am not the professional in this field :tongue_smilie: