Gaffer

My first was March 23, my next is April 13. Andrew

Andrew nominates Yoda as new Canadian thread moderator. Really, some of these posts are getting ridiculous. Andrew

Yoda, Thanks for the info. I think I might be one of the newly banded that you posted this for. I know for me I am impatient to get to a better level of restriction, but I also think that I am able to be more agressive with my fills having the larger band. One of the drawbacks of having the larger band is that there is not that level of restriction without fills that can come with people who have the smaller bands. Also as a male I carry virtually all my weight in my abdomen, and I have alot of fat surrounding my stomach and other organs. I am sure that I have lost some of the fat between my band and my stomach, if that makes sense, making me have even less restriction. I am, and will continue to follow the guidelines set out by my surgeon and will be in touch with them the whole time, but I do want to get to a point of some restriction. My last fill was just a teaser, and the restriction did not stay around. I know from my past weight loss attempts that my resolve tapers off so I want to get some restriction to help me with my efforts. I have been strong up to this point and the quick weight loss has helped me stay on task, but as it starts to taper off I want some of that restriction there to guide me in the right direction. Andrew

I had mine done at my fill Dr. who also runs a weight loss clinic out of his practise. I was not expecting it, they just did it while I was there. I think it is a pretty crude analysis, certianly not as acurate as using a submersion tank, but it was interesting. They use a medical grade tanita(sp?) scale which sends an electric pulse through you to measure the resistance and calculate you body fat, non-fat mass (muscles, bones, internal organs, and you Water mass). As it turns out I have more lean mass than I expected. I was at 47% body fat and the print out said the ideal was 12-25%. According to my calculations if I was to aim for the high end of the range I would weigh 235. If you want a better one done, phone a good gym an see if they can reccommend a place that does them in the tank. Most kinesiology departments at major universities do them. Maybe start by phoning the gym at you closest university or college. You could also have it done with calipers and most gyms will have some one who should know how to do that. Andrew

So I had my first fill done yesterday, and it all went pretty well. I am now have 4cc on board and feel pretty good. They also do a crude body analysis with one of those Tanita body fat scales which gave me a print out of my lean body mass, fat mass, and non-fat mass. I know they are all crude measurements, but interesting none the less. Gives me some points to work from. No PBs, sliming or other problems to report. I can feel it in there now, and I am definately feeling fuller than I was before 2:00 yesterday. What was even better is the Dr. only had to stab me twice. All in all it was alot easier than I thought it was going to be. Andrew

Sounds like you are ready. I too went through the Farewell tour, and it was a tough one. I gained 8 lbs in less than a month from eating donuts, donairs and anything else I could get my hands on. I honestly think doing so helped me with the pre and post op as I was so sick of eating that I did not mind it. I am almost glad I did it. Now you are ready, and you will really notice a difference when you start your pre-op diet. Andrew

Stop man, you are killing me here. CanMac is on fire. Andrew

BEST POST EVER. Thanks for the props CanMac. I didnt pay for the breast reduction, instead I got the "enlargement" package, or was that "package enlargement"? :heh: I am sure I could use the credit at TSWLC. Maybe a panni removal if AHC does not cover it, but my Dr. seems to think they would. I will call them about that today :biggrin1: . Maybe I will get one of those vulva reductions that every one is getting.:omg: Give Mrs. CanMac a high five for me, and a glass of merlot. That is one of those sitiuations that you just wish you could have recorded. Maybe that will make that stuffy biotch think twice about cutting people down in front of a group of people. As the kids would say, she got pwned. Andrew

Thanks, I am flattered. I am afraid that this week hula girl went on strike. I will have to see if I am down tommorow as of official weigh in Wednesday. Having missed my workouts this week with looking after a sick baby and sick wife has not helped. I am sure the red wine this weekend didnt help either, or the Cookies that my wife baced to take to friends. I think I kinda went on an extended celebration for losing 50lbs / 1/3 of my weight loss. Oh, and damn those chocolate bunnies and lilliput eggs that seem to be going around too. I will have to get back on the wagon next week. April 13 - TGIF (Thank God I'm filled) again. Oh well Andrew

Why do you think it costs $200. Still cheaper than phone sex. Not that I would know.....really. Andrew

I really noticed the time flew after I started my pre-op diet, which was good. Congrats on making the first step. Andrew

I have pulled the portion control card numerous times as well. I also have in the deck the "I ate a big breakfast/lunch card", the "I ate a late breakfast/lunch" card, the "My Dr. have me crap & I must watch what I eat" card plus a million other little white lies that help me get through the day. A nosy girl that I work with said to me the other day "I dont want to be nosy, but you have lost some weight" I said "Well yes", she then said "would it be to forward of I asked you how much" and I said yes. I knew it was eating her up inside, and I really wanted to brag, but if I told her how much I am sure she would have known that something was up. Andrew

IIRC corectly from you other post you are going to the Surgical Weight Loss Centre. I am not from Manitoba, but have my fills done in Alberta. You have to pay for the fills unless you have them done at the surgical weight loss center. Basically, you call the clinic when you need a fill and they forward the paperwork onto the person who will do your fill in Winnipeg or wherever. The local Dr. who does the fill bills you. Andrew

That is how they do it here in Calgary. Hope all goes well for you. We built our home 3 years ago, and I am still not in a hurry to do that again. You have to become an a$$hole just to get anything done with these people. Andrew

Ugggghhh, Xenical. I still grab my ass when I hear the word. Worst invention ever, I dont know how they can make this stuff, and get people to take it for an extended perios of time. Back on topic. It is normal to second guess your decision, I was doing it right until they put me under, but I am so glad I went through with it. Remember that it is alright to do this for yourself, you owe it to ourselves to regain our heath. Andrew

Ditto to all of the above, and if not mentioned specifically the cost and the shorter/easier recovery times. Andrew

Congrats on the surgery, and getting Crosby's autograph, too bad about the stolen jersey though. Hope you are feeling better in the comming days/weeks. Andrew

That is freaking amazing. I cant believe it, you must look like you are melting away. Congrats Man, Andrew

That is great. Andrew

I know what you mean. I feel a bit of restriction, but I can still eat more than I should, and I have been feeling hungry again. I already have a fill booked for April 13th so hopefully that will dial me in a little. Andrew

Dr. Coburn does a phone consult. That is how I had mine. I am not trying to push you in any direction, I just know that it was nice to have all my options in front of me when I was investigating. Andrew

LeslieLee, I think you attached the pic correctly, you need to just resize it a little before you post it. There are Dr.'s doing bands in Calgary. As for the self pay in Ontario. All I did was call the clinic and told them I was interested in Lapband. They said great and emailed me a package with a questionaire, weight, height, past medical history, past diets etc. and faxed it back. They then set up a phone consult with Dr. Coburn, and we talked about the surgery a little more. After that, I called back and booked a date, which was about 8 weeks from when I talked to Dr.C on the phone. They send you a package with what you need to get done from your Dr., medical history and physical, and some blood tests you need to have done. They package has all the info, and your Optifast of the require it. Simple as that. Andrew

If you are going to TO anyway you may want to look into Dr.Coburn's clinic www.lapband.ca There are several people here that have used him for thier bands and are very happy. Andrew

The good thing about having an appointment with a trainer is that you are also motivated to make that appointment. I have never used a trainer though. If you are looking into a trainer make sure they have some qualifications, basically anyone can say they are a personal trainer. That gym you are looking into sounds great, pool, track, and all that will be nice. Andrew.

LeslieLee, I think it is great that your Dr. is supportive, it will make things alot easier in the long run. My Dr. is so supportive that he says he wants to see me every month to satisfy his curiosity, and has gave my info out (with my permission) to some other patients. Did your Dr. refer you to the clinic in Edmonton or Calgary? I am just wondering because I was refered to both in summer 2006 and did not hear from Edmonton, and didnt hear from Calgary until late Feb.2007, right after I got my band. I hope that you hear sooner, because all that uncertainty sucked. I also think that is really good that he had a patient that had the band already. He should know how to get you in there. Also remember, that if you do opt to go for a self pay that you can get back $1036 if you go to Ontario, or about $1700 if you go to Mexico. Andrew