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hi you can contact Lap Band Surgery Clinic | Weight Loss & Gastric Balloon - Surgical Weight Loss Centre, Toronto Canada or Weight Loss Surgery - Slimband I'm sure both clinics can give you a price for a fill. I was banded in Toronto and only had 4 fills in total... last fill was 3 yrs ago... I do know Slimband did fills for Mexico band people back then...not sure what they charge... i would contact both clinics. Hope this helps. Tom

Suggest you google OHHP to see what they are doing. I read out West here that they infact were covering the costs of lapband but when and the criteria is anyones guess. MY suggestion to you is join Canadianlapbanders on Yahoo and obtain meeting times and places. Attend as many meetings as possible and talk to bandsters who have had the band for a long time and some not so long. I understand that Canadianlapbanders is owned by a Slimband employee but SWLC clients also post their meetings. You can go to either clinics sites and obtain meeting time and places. Everyone is welcome. Even if you are out west, come to our meetings and get as must upfront information that you would like. We have Meico, USA and Canadian clinics attending our meeting and I am sure the two eastern clinics do as well. Good luck and take your time researching.

hi: you have to join slimband's website just as you do most. They have a private members only as well. Go to their home page and follow from there. Dr. Yau works from the TLBC and Slimband is his support organization. He has only the one clinic but supports long distance patients like myself through webcam meetings with various specialists. He has fill nurses (doctors) throughout Canada but you must be a patient of his. Most clinics go that route. You can find fill doctors through the internet that will do fills for a fee but they are hard to find. The other very reputable clinic is SWLC. Dr. Colbourn (sp?) is very well respected. Many do go to Mexico which is cheaper, but as advised you should be prepared for hardship in getting fills. I understand the clinic gives good support so they may have started fills doctors in Canada. You shoud check with them. The sleeve is fairly new and I understand it must be removed after a certain period of time. I admit I am not knowledgable about it. Research is the only way. You will find gastric bands run around $16000 with the reputable well known clinics as they provide free aftercare for a period of time. For instance Slimband is my clinic and they offer 4 years with fills. However, I continue to receive moral support and am enjoying how the clinic has improved services of the years. If possible, go personally to the clinics.

Hi, I just had my first consultation with Silvanna at slimband. she's very nice but i'm very overwhelmed with all the info and reading so much on the boards. I thought i read last year that the procedure was going to be covered by our health card soon - i'm guessing it still isn't but does anyone know anything about OHIP covering the cost? i did read that they did cover some people if they went to the States to get it doen - seems counterproductive to send the money out of country instead of keeping everything here. i've got a lot of reading to do with all these threads.

Hi there; I was banded by TLBC (now Slimband) allmost 3 yrs ago. Prices of $4200 and $5200 are the clinics in Mexico, that offer the surgerys. I personally know many ladies that have gone to Mexico for their surgery and all went well. Problem is AFTERCARE, who is going to do your Fills for you in Canada??? CIBO, SWLC, Slimband will NOT do fills for NON patients... so make sure you check out all options. With the SLEEVE, you'll need no fills after surgery, but you may want to stay in contact with your surgeon for questions and concerns.. Do you live in Toronto? or close by? There is now Lapband offered in Barrie, Ontario from Lakeview Surgery, I visited there and its nice, surgeon very approchable.. Liked them. you can pm me with questions too if they are of a more private nature.

Hi Thanks for responding. I've looked at the slimband site but can't seem to find the forum section. i can only see the blog sections. I thought i read last year that the band might soon be covered by our health card but can't find anymore info on it. so i'm guessing that it's still not covered - is that right? what about these ads at the side that say $4200 for the band $5200 for the sleeve. Is the clinic down town the only place who do it or is it just the best place? i'm wondering why the difference between the $4200 and $16000 how much could i expect to loose once I get the band in?

I'm going to Slimband in Toronto, so far the whole process with them has been good! All my follow up will be done in Alberta, that where I am

Hello, hope you are doing okay. I went to Slimband in Toronto and they gave me a binder to take home which is very specific about eating. 1st 5 days clear fluid (broth, jello), next seven days cream soups, yogurt, smoothies and meal replacement shakes, third week mushed up food like baby food consistency and then solid foods in small bites - hope this helps.

Dr Yau was my surgeon 3 1/2 years ago and the aftercare given by the old TLBC and the new Slimband is like night and day. Today the staff are trying very hard (and succeeding) with their advice and support. They are now using webcam sessions as a way to supporting long distance paitients. I find them very helpful. I would recommend Slimband as a choice.

Hello, my bmi was 33 when I went for consultation with Slimband here in Toronto Canada. They have financing available.

I'm going to Slimband... I spoke with Kathy, and she was fantastic! Any questions I come up with she answers them pretty fast. I'm glad to see some positive reviews about the actual surgery through slimband, although after reading some of the posts about the inital consult kind of get you thinking. Good Luck to everyone!!!

So last month I had my 6th fill and i've finally hit my sweet spot. I won't be going in this month because i'm steadily losing every week which is awesome. I am finally in onederland!!! I weighed in this morning at 198 yipee!! This is soooo exciting. I went shopping on the weekend at Pennington's and I am a size 14. I won't be able to shop there anymore because that's the smallest size they have. Can you believe it - I have to shop at regular stores now. AWESOME!!! I am so looking forward to this summer at the beach. My goal is getting closer and closer. I love love love my band. Thank you slimband.

So last month I had my 6th fill and i've finally hit my sweet spot. I won't be going in this month because i'm steadily losing every week which is awesome. I am finally in onederland!!! I weighed in this morning at 198 yipee!! This is soooo exciting. I went shopping on the weekend at Pennington's and I am a size 14. I won't be able to shop there anymore because that's the smallest size they have. Can you believe it - I have to shop at regular stores now. AWESOME!!! I am so looking forward to this summer at the beach. My goal is getting closer and closer. I love love love my band. Thank you slimband.

Slimband, Toronto, pre and post care, 16,000 canadian, fills for life. Lena

I ended up going ahead with Slimband and I'm SO glad I did. Dr Yau performed my surgery on April 16th and it was great! He gave me some very helpful advice and his team was fantastic. The nurses made me feel relaxed before and very comfortable after. And so far the followup care has been okay too. Slimband was great for me and I would definitely recommend them. However, as with all health-related issues, the best advice I can give is to do your research and determine the best route for you and your health.

Hi there! I travelled from New Brunswick to Toronto to be banded at Slimband on April 22, 2010. I was treated very well and was impressed the entire time by the staff. I was banded by Dr. Yau and I found him to be wonderful!! I am still abit sore, but I'm very happy that I went there and was banded. Hope this helps!

Hi all! I'm 31, a marketing consultant and I live in Ottawa, Canada. I've been overweight my entire life and have considered having WLS a few times. I never really took it seriously until my uncle had it done in January 2010. Although he went to Mexico for his (he's doing great!), I opted to have mine done here in Canada at the Slimband clinic in Toronto. Dr Yau performed my surgery on Friday, April 16th and I've been on the liquid diet since. Just took off my bandages today and everything looks and feels pretty good today. I lost 6lbs during the pre-op diet (one week) and I've already lost another 4 since the surgery. I've got another 120 to go but looking forward to the journey ahead!

Okay, so I spoke with Niki and all my questions have been put to rest. I've been told that 'Tara' the girl I spoke to at the first stage of the process no longer works at Slimband. Thank goodness! It certainly doesn't help their image any to have people like that on the other end! But it also confirms my suspicions that the Slimband team keeps their eyes on the prize and watch these forums for any problems with current and potential clients. So keep that in mind when you're posting! I've also been made aware of a few internal changes happing with Slimband in terms of their information packages and the schedule for receiving this information. Apparently, I will receive one binder by FedEx before surgery and one binder with post-op info after surgery. That's great news!! Finally, Niki also said she would do her best to make sure Dr Yau is there for me on Friday. That being said, I'm not sure how that can be guaranteed but I'm taking her word for it and I'm confident in her so I think it will be fine. One thing I'd also like to add is that Niki is a fountain of information. And like most consultant she prefers to express herself over the phone. And she's great at it! As soon as I spoke to her I had all the answers I needed and I felt pretty relieved. She comes across as a VERY warm person and even did so under the pressure of my big mouth so kudos to her for that. I guess this is a lesson for me in patience. I'm super excited about my surgery on Friday and can't wait to meet the team. Wangpangtang, I would recommend you do go with Slimband but only if it works for you. Do your own research (as it appears you are right now) and I'm sure you'll find the best solution for you. That being said, you're almost always going to find someone who isn't happy with the clinic you're considering. Don't let that stop you from considering them because perhaps that person just didn't have a Niki. And perhaps that person doesn't post the good stuff as well as the bad, like me. Most people don't. Good luck with your journey! And I hope things work out. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more updates on my progress.

Heard back from Niki at Slimband today with some answers to my questions. Very polite and cheerful as per most of her messages. I've been told that two surgeons work on the day that I'm having my surgery and that she'll make a note that I prefer Dr Yau. This surprises me...shouldn't I simply be given the surgeon I request if he is available and willing to do it?? Strange...I think I've got some more paperwork to hand in so I've been asked to give a call back. Will keep you posted! Thanks to everyone for the support so far! :thumbup:) And I hope this gives you some answers wangpangtang!

Thanks for the sympathy Spartan. It's very disheartening as I did do a lot of research when I ended up choosing Slimband. It was the aftercare that I was most interested in and I still am. I just hope I'm overreacting a little and things will improve in the next couple of days. Pickles123, I'm hoping for confirmation of my surgeon by Monday. Fingers cross cause my surgery is a week from today (Friday)! Thanks for the support! I'll keep you all posted on the outcome. :biggrin:)

I completely agree with Spartan. Sadly, that's what I thought I was doing with Slimband. I did a lot of research and I wanted Dr Yau so I chose to pay my fee to Slimband who I now realise must be the 'patient coordinators' you mention Spartan. Now I can't seem to get any confirmation from Slimband that Dr Yau will be performing my surgery (or not). It's very frustrating. I think it's important to research your surgeon then find a reliable and transparent 'patient coordinator' before you commit. Good luck in your journey. Exciting times ahead for me but I just wish they weren't tainted with a slightly less than transparent Slimband situation.

I'm in the process of booking my surgery with Slimband right now. My surgery is scheduled for April 16th and I'm really looking forward to it. So far my experience has been a bit of a roller coaster. It went like this: 1. First point of contact was with someone called Tara (I think). I'm not entirely sure what her name was but I'll tell you now she was super pushy and VERY rude to me. I was debating between having my surgery in the UK (where I'd been living for the last 7 years) and having it done in Canada. She was so rude to me about choosing some 'foreign' doctor to do my surgery and tried to scare me into believing that NO canadian doctor would take care of me after I'd had surgery abroad. I explained to her that I already had a doctor lined up as a family member had their lap band done abroad in January. She still didn't believe me. She told me she'd never heard of any doctor willing to clean up some other doctor's mess. VERY rude, very pushy and a complete liar. I was not impressed. BUT I wanted to know the cost and she wouldn't tell me so I asked to speak to a 'consultant'. 2. I spoke with a consultant called Niki. She's actually the woman from the TV ads and on the website. She was completely different to my first point of contact. She was pleasant and listened to all of my questions and answered them to my satisfaction. She explained that even though I'm based in Ottawa, they have 'outreach programs' and a doctor in Ottawa that does fills/defills for Slimband. Well, it seems it's the same doctor I was going to go to when I was thinking of getting my surgery in the UK. Anyway, Niki gave me plenty of information and helped me through the application process. That being said, when there was a delay with a fax I should have sent the sales person pressure came out of Niki as well. She pulled out classic sales tactics 101 and tried threats, fear, implying she did me a favour, and strict deadlines. I ended up sending her the information she was after and literally haven't heard from her since. 3. Now, the thing that's weird for me is that throughout Niki's sales pitch I was told that Dr Patrick Yau had completed over 3500 surgeries and that the rest of the staff had completed nearly another 1500. I made it clear from the start that if I was going to go with Slimband I wanted Dr Yau. I've tried on multiple occasions to get confirmation that Dr Yau will be performing my surgery and even suggested that if he's not available I'm prepared to wait and all communication has gone cold. No response. 4. I received the 'services agreement' and in the agreement it says that any member of their surgical staff that they deem suitable may perform my surgery. I wasn't told THAT during the whole sales pitch! 5. The services agreement also outlines an 'explanatory binder' and a 'surgery DVD' that I should receive but I haven't yet and when I've asked about it twice none of the contacts have provided an explanation. 6. I tried to join Myslimband.com and post questions and comments but for some reason I can't post anywhere. I sent a message to Amy the administrator a couple of days ago and haven't heard anything back. It seems pretty silly to me to have a 'forum' when only SOME people are allowed to be involved in the discussion. So, here I am living in Ottawa awaiting a surgery from a COMPANY I'm not entirely sure I want to work with. All of their staff have told me to email them with questions or concerns and their website promotes their 'support' for their clients but since I've signed the $16,000 away, I haven't really had ANY real answers to my questions. I'm trying to be balanced here so I will say that I've had my blood work done and it has Dr Yau's name on it but I wonder if any other Slimband patients have had his name on their forms and had their surgery done by another doctor. I've also got the pre-op diet information sheet which is easy to understand and follow. I've started today but I've got some questions and since non of the Slimband staff are replying to my emails and I don't have any permissions in the Slimband forum I came here. Not only am I nervous about this life-changing surgery and the $16,000 debt I've just agreed to I'm totally confused because I've got plenty more questions AND I don't even know who my surgeon is going to be. I've found some answers here so this forum has been a pretty big help. Keep looking around and you'll find more answers yourself. I don't mean for this to discourage you or anyone else considering Slimband because when the contact silence finally ends I'm sure I'll end up happier but I guess I just feel a bit trapped now when I should be feeling anticipation and some relief for the life change ahead of me. Good luck!

I am highly considering booking my surgery with Slimband located in Toronto and was wondering if anyone has had any experiences with them and are they good or bad? I have done a lot of research and its betwen them and SWLC but slimband also offers 4 yrs of afercare with the cost and no charge fils/defills and have a dr locally in NL.....this makes a big difference to me but if they are not reputable then I would rather a reputable place. Thanks,

So I went in for my 5th fill. I got .75cc fill. Felt fine but by that night couldn't even swallow my own spit. I went in the next day and had a .25cc defill. Felt fine and then a few days later the band tightened again had to go back in and have another .25cc defill. Now I am at 8.75cc in a 10cc band and feel great. I think I am at my sweet spot for now. Altogether - I am down 55 pounds as of this morning. What a wonderful feeling. Even though being overfilled was very uncomfortable - to get to the spot where I am at is great. I can hardly wait until summer - going to the beach is going to be a totally different experience than in the past. Before people looked at me like I was a beached whale. This summer I am going to feel awesome and totally enjoy the water with my boys. Thank you Slimband - I Love My Band.:thumbup: