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Really tough. Had Slimband Dr. Yau 2008. Dr Yau won't answer phone. Last word from Slimband was they wanted $1400. My family doctor says I need to find another surgeon. All for taking a CC out with a needle. I was thinking I might need to share a needle with a junkie but am pausing on that idea a bit:)

Soda has been a no no as long as I was banded... I can think of one senior bandster who has some diet coke last year and had pain like she thought she was having a heart attack... she honestly thought she was going to die.. she works for a Dr and he defilled her and low and behold it was the soda expanding in her pouch and causing the pain instant relief! With my original band I could never drink soda at all it was too painful. The carbonation expanded too much and it was physically painful all the time. With my J&J band fountain soda works for me I tend to avoid it because my thoughts run along these lines.... There is no redeeming health value in the crap that is in soda/pop I don't like the taste of diet pop and if I am going to put crap in my body I might as well go for the full sugar crap as opposed to the chemical tasting diet crap. If you understand how much you stretch your pouch with all the carbonation of soda you might not want to drink it. Mythbusters did an experiment about pop rocks and soda exploding your stomach and watching the pig stomach expand from the carbonation of just the soda alone was pretty freaky! Drinking soda can make you prone to slippage and other complications... as long as you are aware of the potential damage you are doing to your band then go for it but it could be worse than you ever thought... If you are a Slimband bandster go talk to Dr Yau about drinking pop/soda and see how long that lecture is and how shamefaced you come out of it... he has some very strong views about bandsters drinking pop! Heather

Hi KreemyPeach. Could I please have the contact info for Sabrina the fill nurse. I too was recently told that I was"let go" from Slimband support. Mary

I was experiencing problems most of 2012 and finally in June 2012 they recommended my fill be removed (I only had .5 in there from 2003 to 2012 and was still having problems) I kept in touch with them via email and they were always calling me to give me advise and ask how I was doing. So after a few tries at refilling me 1 then a defill to .5 in May & July 2013 I was still having problems. It was a surgical nurse doing the fills in Bowmanville that told me she was going to talk to Dr. Yau because she was going to recommend he go in and possibly put a new band in. I just wanted it fixed!!! I was called for a surgery date October 31, 2013 and the day started off with a 2 hr surgery delay then Dr.Yau came in and explained everything and he was so charming and I remember telling my mom and husband that he used to be a dick and he was no so nice. Well I had surgery and the hell for me started!!! I woke up in the recovery room by wonderful nurses and moved to another room to rest in. Dr. Yau came in stood over my bed and started yelling at me telling me I was not his responsibility anymore and how dare I ask for a new band, I after all wasn't even his patient and the guy who did my surgery wasn't even allowed to practice in Canada anymore. I was on IV had oxygen and at that point a nurse came in an told him to leave. She said she is my patient and you are upsetting her. I lost it, after they took the IV the nurse left the room for me to rest but I got up, got dressed and started walking down the hall calling out for my husband. I was still groggy and crying really bad. Two nurses came running down the hall to get me and told me that no matter what he said they were not allowed to let me leave until THEY felt I was okay. I was taken back to the room and the nurses stayed with me and one told me that what Dr. Yau did was unacceptable and that they had called in the Patient Support Coordinater. She came up to the room and told me that Dr. Yau had no business saying what he said and that they realized I wasn't a NEW patient. It was their mistake. Dr. Yau came back in and told me if I wanted his help in the future I had to pay the full NEW price. I told him that he was an ass and that what he did was uncalled for. I told him you don't berate patients when they have only been out of surgery for 30 minutes and that he was a dick. I also told him that his bed side manner needed working on. He said, oh well and walked out of the room. The nurses kept telling me that they were shocked at his behaviour. So that was my experience and I am still considering legal action against that ass and slimband. They don't deserve to be in business .. especially when you are dealing with people's lives. Deborah

It is impossible to get a fill in Toronto. Slimband told me that Dr. Yau resigned, therefore they are no longer obliged to 'take care of me'. NO FILLS FOR ME!!! I am getting seriously fat! PLEASE HELP!!!!

I have the College of Physicians and Surgeons looking into Dr. Yau's practice and behaviour towards "grandfathered in patients". They have all emails sent to and from Slimband for the last 6 years. The Board is meeting in a few weeks so it should be interesting what they do with him. They have a ton of information I sent them plus they got information from the nurses who were in the recover room with me last year ... shouldn't be too hard to reprimand the little weasel.

I have attempted emailing people with regard to what is happening with slimband /Dr. Yau. No one has responded! Is there really a class action suit against these people. I am in Buffalo , NY and desperately need a fill. I don't know if there are legal actions that can be taken but it seems a lot of people are having similar issues. Please if there is a lawsuit can someone tell me where to sign up? Thank you

Deborah! I found you. Remember me? We both had our correction surgies on October 31st 2013. We connected before surgery but when I went to find you post-op on the Slimband community to check in to see how everything went, your account was deactivated. I will assume the kicked you off just as they did me. Send me an email to takeaction2014@gmail.com Kat

Hi, I am looking for people who were banded with TLBC in Toronto (now Slimband) to see if they have been advised that they are no longer going to support us free of charge. I called their last week and I was told that they no longer can afford it financially and it is not fair to their new memebers to honor those old contracts. They honored them for a awhile but since Dec 2013 they can no longer and as patients we are no longer obligated to seek services(fill and defills) from them since we don't have any contractual obligation with them. I can't seem to find a contract that I would have signed with them, not even sure if I got one. Does anyone else have a copy of their contract? I can recall being told that I had lifetime support .I still have a lot of questions that I didn't get to ask when I called because I was frustrated and emotional about the situation but I plan to call back and get more answers. If anyone has a simular experience or has more answers I would like to hear from you. I'm not sure what I am goiing to do with this information, I am contemplating contacting a lawyer to see if they are obligated by the contract or what my options are but I am trying to reach out to others who may be facing this same situation. Hope to hear from someone. Tamara from Sudbury, Ontario

Hi Glenn: I am in the same boat and when my band is tight, I am up all night coughing up stuff It is not worth the rest of my life living with this band. I had lost weight but by getting the defills, the weight has crept back on slowly. I would like the band out also. There are two others that are seeing patients. I think they are Dr. Ali Hazrati and Dr. Cryriac. Get a doctor's referral and go see them for a consult. Dr. Yau's office is impossible to get through to. I always get the answering machine. Hopefully, one of these two can help you out/ At TLBC we were promised that we would receive free support when SlimBand took over. Hopefully everything works out for you. Take care,

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

I don't believe Slimband uses the Allergan Lap-band but you would have to ask them to be positive. They were using other bands at one time.

i know how you feel. i've known about the slimband for about 2 years and thought and thought and thought about it. kept putting it off because of the cost but my mom happened to mention a commercial she saw a few weeks ago and that's all it took. within 2 weeks i had already had my first meeting to find out all the ins and outs, paid the deposit and book my appointment. it's amazing how just a simple bump starts things rolling. i think the timing is right in other ways too because dh and i have been trying for 4 years to get pg again and have a second child. i think my weight has played a huge part in not conceiving so maybe in a year or so i can report that we're expecting our second child. :biggrin:

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.

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.

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?

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.

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!

Slimband is the same, just the name I have been struggling for over 8 years with obesity, been overweight since starting a desk job years before that. I am very anxious and often get cold feet! Nice to meet you.

Is Slimband similar to a Lap Band? I was banded 3/22/13 and It was the best decision I have ever made. I have lost 34 lbs and feel so much better already.. Good Luck I had anxiety also.. Especially during the pre-op diet. I am 55 years old and have been overweight for 15 years (since a hysterectomy) and then gained 40 lbs quitting smoking and the lbs just kept adding on.

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to this site. Just got my surgery date from August 12 and looking for a buddy. how does this all work? is it an online thing or do people buddy up with others in their city so they can meet in person? I live in Toronto and don't expect too many Canadians on an American site but it would be great to buddy up with someone else in Toronto. I'm 42, married, mother of a very energetic 4 1/2 year old girl, looking to lose about 150lbs with help from the Slimband.

Welcome Kurby. Is the Slimband the same as a Lapband? Do they call it something different in Canada? For me it was the best decision I ever made, just wish I could've done it when I was as young as you. I've wasted many years being miserable about my weight. Janet, the vacation sounds wonderful. I've never done an all inclusive before, I am partial to cruises, but then again how can I be partial if I have no experience with the other so might just have to do one sometime. I hear they are wonderful. I wish I was part of your family! Joyce, what is a yoga retreat? Eva, sorry you have to do your sister's errands. Treat yourself to something special while you are out. Julie, welcome back, I missed ya, you left as I came back. Hope your pain is getting better. My mom has been having horrible pain issues they think due to a bulged disk or something and is starting epidural shots on Tues.

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