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Yes. it is great to have some slimbanders on here!

Hi, I am very new to this I have only been looking into it for awhile. I need help I am reading so much information on this blog on goods and bad surgeons. I do not what company I should go with? I am looking at slimband as it sounds that they can get me in the quickest ( I hating when I really want something). But I have heard good and bad things I would just like some advice from people who have been banded recently. Also does anybody know if someone does banding in Calgary and how long does it take to get in if they do? Any advice would be very helpful at this point. How do I research the surgeons? Thank you Very confused

@@freshair, I'm a Slimband patient and I love them! The staff are so nice and helpful. I've lost over 70 lbs and I do eat whatever I want. Ive made lifestyle changes and try to eat healthy, but I want to be a healthy person, not just a thin person. I'm young and single and I don't cook, I eat almost all my meals through take-out or prepared at the grocery store and I've still lost that much weight. I think it's still a business and all companies are a little creative with their advertising. Even Weightwatchers commercials say you can eat what you want and we all know that isn't true. You can eat what you want as long as it's less than the 30 points you get for the day or whatever it is. You can't eat big macs and milkshakes all day and expect to lose weight. Slimband has changed my life!

Strange how people join support groups to put us down. I paid Slimband I am enjoying my 40 lb loss and looking forward to 40 more. It is important to follow your doctors rules for all wls. I support my friends choices for their WLS and wish them well in their journey

Iam definitely interested in a lawsuit against Slimband. I have lost thousands of dollars in pay due to having to take unpaid sick leave (in fact, I am lucky to even still be employed). Also, I'm told that almost everyone will need to eventually have to have it removed (mine hasn't been yet). My personal e-mail is Lauren.hayden.Stevens17@gmail.com if you would like to connect with me. Does anyone have any information or does ohip cover what to do

Ghost surgeons are real. Some surgeons allow other surgeons to sit in on their surgery as advisors or even to do difficult technical procedures. The primary surgeon is held accountable for any mishaps. Yau could be working for any of the particpants such as Slimband, the primary surgeon or even the hospital as a contract surgeon case by case. Anyway, that's how it works here in the States? May be different up North?

I've had the Slimband since 2011. Dr. Yau was the surgeon. I've been having some complications, and there is nobody to go to with this anymore. If there is a class action, please notify me. Thanks! Bryn ... bryndayman@hotmail.com

Hi Anna: Are we cut off or do they want us to pay for fills and defills? My understanding is that we no longer receive free lifetime support which sucks but I do believe they will see you provided you pay them. I have an appointment with Dr Yau this month and I will address this issue with him to see what we can do (not holding my breath on this one). I know thre are a couple of threads on this issue and some members were looking at a legal solution. Search TLBC on this website and they will pop up. As for me, I had the gall to challenge Slimband on this on their website and now I'm completely cut off and can't even post. No loss for me because I think their website sucks but....

Greetings All I think this is my first post in many years. I was curious about "slimband", emailed and then got the calls, but it feels like I'm getting a hard sell over the phone so I'm not impressed. So I approached my Dr. and she was on top of things immediately, she has already sent in the paper work and she said I'll hear from the clinic soon. If you could see Her face, it was like she was relieved for me, that i had made this decision. I live in Alberta Canada and the clinic would be in Edmonton. If I've waited this long I don't mind waiting a bit longer. I'm in no rush, over the years I've made a few bad decisions so I'm ok with taking it slow. In the meantime, I was wondering, how many different kinds of lapband devices are out there? Brand name or otherwise. and how does one find the one that seems to have the least amount of issues connected with it's life span?

Hello all, Now I can't give any details just yet, as myself and many others are in the process of a class action lawsuit, but if you are reading this and are thinking about getting a lapband through Slimband please don't do it. Please look into other places because there are others. When I can share more information about the concerns about Slimband I found out today, I will post again. I know it might be frustrating that I'm not sharing specifics but for right now, I needed to get the word out that those who are thinking about get banded with Slimband, please don't. And if you have a surgery planned with them, I think you should cancel and go somewhere else. Again, when I am able to share this information, I will.

Hi i am wondering what is the word of slimband and dr Yau.if we have a emergency who do we contact .i am having a endoscopy with another doctor who doesn't know much about the lapband.and i am nervous .Has anyone had a endoscopy with another dr.besides the band doctor ,thanks.how much is it to file a civil lawsuit.

Ok. I think we all need to settle down and take a few deep breathes. Attacking each other will not lead to an understanding. But perhaps there will not be an understanding between everyone because everyone's journey is different. Now my initial post has nothing to do with how the band works or doesn't work. I have lost 110lbs with the band, so I'm quite thrilled about this. Others have not had any success. For those who have not had success, I don't think it's fair for anyone to accuse you of not working with the band or sabotaging yourself. I don't know you and am therefore not going to judge you. I'm in this for myself and I have no desire to "pick" on those who haven't had a good experience. So what was my reason for coming on to this forum? Even though I have had success (therefore I'm pleased with the band) I had the sugary done in 2007 and was guaranteed a LIFETIME SUPPORT SYSTEM for $18,000. This included all fills, refills, correction surgeries, etc. And now Slimband is not honouring their agreement with me (and other banded on TLBC). Again, many of us (I've been contacted by 62 TLCBer's) have had great success and therefore we are very please with the band. OUR CONCERN is Slimband as a company. Bottom line, they are not professional. They lie. They don't inform patients of changes. They are condescending. If you make a complaint and call they will hang up on you. Their customer services is a disgrace. A surgeon at Slimband has a tendency to yell at patients post surgery. IN SUMMATION, the band is great (for me at least). Slimband as a company is great for those who are succeeding and don't have complaints but for those who have the opposite experience, it's a horrible experience. So shop around. Other places do the LapBand procedure. Ultimately it's an individual choice. Please stop hurting others with attacks. Talk about your own experience with the understanding that yours is unique and unlike others. It's not the band! It's Slimband!

My Fellow Albertans! If you are able, and need your band adjusted, I am organizing a Fill Day in Edmonton, AB on Thursday, October 10th and then in Calgary, AB on either Friday, October 11th or Saturday, October 12th. If you are interested, please contact me! If you can't make those dates, reach out to me anyways and we can talk about options. Hope I can help those Slimband / CIBO / Smartshape / other lapband bandsters that need support! Hugs, Niki

I am fine right now, but this Slimband Calgarian is really happy to see that there is some support for us still!😊

I live in Kelowna, BC and am also self pay. I spoke with Dr.C and SlimBand over the phone and then drove to Victoria to meet with Dr.Tang. I found Dr.C very helpful and great mannerisms while speaking with him. Overall I decided to go with Dr.Tang in Victoria BC. He is very honest and genuinely there to change peoples lives and overcome weight problems. I also found the cost to be lower ($15,300) for a grand total since i have to travel a long distance as it is an extra 2 hour ferry ride doesnt seem so bad for a lower cost. I wasn't overly impressed with SlimBand because I felt like it really was a sales pitch and Toronto is a little far. So I made my decision based on who made me the most comfortable and at ease. Congratulations and I wish you all the luck on your journey

Hi all, I'm considering having a gastric bypass. I currently have the band but it has done nothing for me and Slimband has been the worst to deal with. I'm currently on the Bariatic Registry List in Ontario and have my first consultation in June. I'm just looking for some advice from those who have been through it. It really scares me because I've heard the nightmares of people dying. The recovery I can deal with. I've had 4 surgeries with Slimband re: complications. I want to hear from everyone, the good, bad and ugly. I'm also worried about the access skin after weight loss.

Hi Lesslee. Thanks. Have you had many issues with the slimband team. Are you feeling supported by them? Trying to avoid any hassles along the way. This is stressful enough.

Hi. I'm considering lap band and deciding between cibo and swlc. The pre op vlc for swlc has me worried because I'm not sure what it involves. I've ruled out slimband due to many reasons and surprisingly got my $2500 deposit refunded. I have a consult scheduled for march 22 at cibo. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

What is a Slimband patient?

I started to look in to Slimband over a year ago but chicken out do to cost and lack of knowledge.My best friend looked in to the band more recently and she ended up booking. She rekindeled my interest and I started researching again and got approval for financing (I'm in Canada so I'm self-pay).. I've done a lotof research and decided I wanted to the band but was still a little hesitant to book. Today I took my friend to her slimband surgery and the staff were excellent and the clinic was very nice. I got a chance to meet the surgeons and anestheologist (sp?). I took the plunge and booked my surgery while I was waiting. All the papers are signed and the appointment is booked for June 22nd!!! They had plenty of appointments before that but I work FT shift work and am not entitled to vacation so it was difficult for me. Now I'm sitting here freaking myself out. I'm excited but I'd feel better if i had the full suport of my family. My Husband is supportive of me and will help me but he feels it is a waste of money and is too risky. I've explained the pros and the reasons why I feel it is the right decision for me. he's still not on board. My Mum supports my decision either way but wont really talk to me about it and I know not to even tell my Dad. I'm glaf I'm going to have the support of my best friend and hopefully some more support from my husband. I start my pre-op June 12th for 10 days before my surgery. I know it's a while away but I am looking forward to meeting more June Bandsters! btw, my friend is doing VERY well. She was wide awake whne they let her out of recovery. She said she doesn't 'hurt' shes just uncomfortable. I'm excited to see how her recovery goes.

I think the consensus is that the lap band does work whether it is put in at Slimband, SWLC , CIBO or any other clinic as long as you work with it. And as long as they have the proper aftercare. I say one should go with wherever one feels the most comfortable. 4 more days and I will be banded at SWLC!

Please read this post carefully. Some of you have been following the TLBC/Slimband/Dr. Yau thread on BP over the past week and I wanted to give everyone an update. As one of 3 organizers of the 2014takeaction@gmail.com email account, I can assure you that we have had an overwhelming amount of people contacting us to offer their support and interest in joining with us. These people include those banded by TLBC, some by Slimband and even former TLBC/Slimband staff members. So we’ve got a solid group and there’s a high potential for growth once we spread the word and more people go online. All of us are either interested in pursuing legal action or are looking for more information. On concerns relate to how Slimband has treated/mistreated us as TLBCer’s/Slimbanders. At this time, myself and two other woman are looking around for a lawyer who will represent us. Two of us are in Toronto and this is likely where we will be looking. But before we contact or meet with a lawyer we wanted to do a bit of leg work first. That’s where all of you come in. If you are interested I would a statement which would speak to your specific TLBC/Slimband story/experience. Please include whatever information you think is important. Please also include what concerns you have with how things are being handled. These statements will help us show/tell the lawyer what are concerns are and that there are a lot of us who want to take action. The only people who will see these statements are myself, the other 2 organizers and the lawyer. Please do not share you statements on this forum/thread. Instead, email them to me at 2014takeaction@gmail.com I have been forewarned (by a former TLBC/Slimband staff member) that Slimband will most definitely be out there posing as a TLBC bandster. This is to be expected and it’s fine as we are not doing anything illegal. But I do want to limit the amount of information we give them so that's why you should communicate via the email above. When you are able to submit your statement via this email address, please include as much information about yourself as possible. Date of surgery. Surgeon. Home city and/or province. I have some phone numbers and I will personally be calling you to chat and connect with you so if you want to share your phone number I will call you. You could include where you went to school and/or what you do for a living. If you have a LinkedIn Profile that would be a good way to connect as well. I don’t want anyone to be offended by this semi-intrusive procedure of obtaining personal information but it’s important for us, as we go forward, to only communicate with those who are serious about wanting to take action. So if you are onboard, please submit your statements/stories ASAP. Preferrably by Monday March 3rd 2014 as we will be meeting with a lawyer in the next few weeks. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at 2014takeaction@gmail.com I hope to hear from you all soon. Thank you. PS – Keep spreading the word.

Please read this post carefully. Some of you have been following the TLBC/Slimband/Dr. Yau thread on BP over the past week and I wanted to give everyone an update. As one of 3 organizers of the 2014takeaction@gmail.com email account, I can assure you that we have had an overwhelming amount of people contacting us to offer their support and interest in joining with us. These people include those banded by TLBC, some by Slimband and even former TLBC/Slimband staff members. So we’ve got a solid group and there’s a high potential for growth once we spread the word and more people go online. All of us are either interested in pursuing legal action or are looking for more information. On concerns relate to how Slimband has treated/mistreated us as TLBCer’s/Slimbanders. At this time, myself and two other woman are looking around for a lawyer who will represent us. Two of us are in Toronto and this is likely where we will be looking. But before we contact or meet with a lawyer we wanted to do a bit of leg work first. That’s where all of you come in. If you are interested I would a statement which would speak to your specific TLBC/Slimband story/experience. Please include whatever information you think is important. Please also include what concerns you have with how things are being handled. These statements will help us show/tell the lawyer what are concerns are and that there are a lot of us who want to take action. The only people who will see these statements are myself, the other 2 organizers and the lawyer. Please do not share you statements on this forum/thread. Instead, email them to me at 2014takeaction@gmail.com I have been forewarned (by a former TLBC/Slimband staff member) that Slimband will most definitely be out there posing as a TLBC bandster. This is to be expected and it’s fine as we are not doing anything illegal. But I do want to limit the amount of information we give them so that's why you should communicate via the email above. When you are able to submit your statement via this email address, please include as much information about yourself as possible. Date of surgery. Surgeon. Home city and/or province. I have some phone numbers and I will personally be calling you to chat and connect with you so if you want to share your phone number I will call you. You could include where you went to school and/or what you do for a living. If you have a LinkedIn Profile that would be a good way to connect as well. I don’t want anyone to be offended by this semi-intrusive procedure of obtaining personal information but it’s important for us, as we go forward, to only communicate with those who are serious about wanting to take action. So if you are onboard, please submit your statements/stories ASAP. Preferrably by Monday March 3rd 2014 as we will be meeting with a lawyer in the next few weeks. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at 2014takeaction@gmail.com I hope to hear from you all soon. Thank you. PS – Keep spreading the word.

My name is Stephanie, My reason for posting this is to share my story with you in hopes that you will take the next step and get the Slimband procedure. I feel very passionate about Slimband as it has changed my life in ways I had never expected. My story will shed some light onto how it all began. I was banded in April of 2010 and I am happy to report that just over two years later, I am down 127 lbs, and feel better than I have in 20 years. I made the decision to have the Slimband procedure when I finally became sick of being sick and tired. I have 3 young boys and I was not being the kind of Mom I had always envisioned I would be. I was out a dinner one night and saw a friend of a friend eat a very small portion of food (1/2 of a hamburger and a few fries) and push her plate away. After asking her if she didn't like her food, she simply replied, "no, I'm just full". A 10 minute discussion later revealed that she had lost 90 lbs. with Slimband and had kept it off for almost 3 years at that point. I was on my 2nd diet that year-- Herbal Magic as a New Year’s Resolution (over $1700 invested- 36 lbs. lost and 47 gained) and was on U Weight Loss at the time (had almost $2000 invested and a pile of pills that I couldn't bear to take any longer--27 lbs lost and constantly starving). And, there I was stuffing my face with nachos (having been on smoothies and shakes for 4 months) and decided that Slimband could be the thing that ended my endless yo-yoing with different diets. Within two months, I had several phone calls with Niki, a consultant at Slimband and a former patient who had lost over 80 lbs. herself. I spent several days discussing the procedure with my husband who eventually came in person to meet Niki and speak about the procedure. While he was not happy about the $16,000 expense, I decided to cash in my RRSP savings. At the time it seemed silly to be saving for a retirement that I may never get to see being in the obese category at 275 lbs. I was sick of weighing food, taking supplements, drinking smoothies, going for weekly weigh ins, wasted gym memberships and double digit dress sizes while shopping in the limited "PLUS size" sections of clothing stores. I just wanted to have a built in appetite suppressant and it seemed Slimband would be just that. I came to the offices with my payment and was booked in for surgery 2 weeks later! I did a 4 day pre-op diet to reduce the fat around my liver and prepared some meals for me for my post- surgery times--pureed Soups and stews. I arrived at the serene offices/surgery clinic at Slimband, was weighed, had a comforting chat with my surgeon Dr. Patrick Yao and was led into the surgery suite. After a 45 minute procedure, and 1/2 hour recovery, I was on the way home to begin my new life. I had some slight discomfort at the site where the port was implanted, but other than that, I was pain free and did not need the prescription pain medications that I filled pre surgery. I enjoyed my chicken broth the next day as I sat at the Thanksgiving dinner table not missing eating but happy that I was well enough to be sitting with my family. I was back into the regular swing of daily life with 3 young boys within 3 days. After the manditory clear fluids for two days and then gradually moving from pureed foods to mashed to small diced food, I was eating regular meals with my family within a month. Just as the girl at the restaurant, I was full after 1/4 of what I was previously eating. I enjoyed the online Slimband community and the support staff were extremely patient with my many questions when it came to eating/drinking nutritional requirements. I had a binder that lead me easily through each and every day with regard to what/how to eat and then I followed the Protein first, veg second and then, if there's room eat your carbs rule, no drinking with meals and chew your food well and slow down. How simple! Pair that with 2 Snacks, like apples with almonds or cheese with veggie sticks, and I rarely found myself thinking about food, I simply wasn't hungry until meal times. I didn't weigh, measure, or count a single calorie! I was down 40 lbs. within 3 months. It slowed to 2-3 pounds a week, but slow and steady has gotten me to where I am now. I have had a few fills and de-fills (saline injections into a port which loosens/tightens the band around the upper portion of my stomach). I am at my "sweet spot" now, which means I can eat a small plate of food and feel full just before I finish it. I am not hungry between meals and really force myself to have those two snacks. I'm down from a size 22 to a size 8 (which I haven't been since high school), I work out daily 3X a week, I run with my oldest son for his cross country practises and my home based business is flourishing with my new found energy and focus. I am no longer out of breath at the top of a flight of stairs and, most importantly, I am modelling healthy food portions and choices to my 3 precious boys. My father-in-law recently had the surgery at 65 years of age and since April 2012, he has lost over 50 pounds, has been taken off his high blood pressure medication, no longer has high cholesterol, no longer needs the costco size Ibuprofen tablets he took daily for his sore knees and is playing the best golf of the last 30 years of his life. There is no coincidence that this procedure has literally saved both of our lives, Slimband works, end of story, it does exactly what it promised to do, help you eat less so you can live more! I can assure you that this is the last time you will struggle with your weight. It is unfortunate that you don't hear all of the success stories about Slimband, just those who have encountered difficulties. I have come to realize though, that this is because most of these people have gotten their lives back on track and are too happy and busy sit down and post about it. I just had to share my story because it has changed my life and I can only hope I will help to change someone else’s for the better too!