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EMEP, The new website is modeled very similarly to this one... it seems to be a trend with posting boards that they are all going to a similar format to this one. As I posted to Doddie, if you look at how they are built they are built almost the same... this one you don't count the forum entry screen to access whatever forum you want for most people... so it seems like myslimband has more entries. But if you find Lapbandtalk easy you should find myslimband pretty easy to navigate too. I am not sure what you mean by more privileges? I have had good experiences with Slimband since before it was TLBC even but I have said that. I have been at goal for over 5 years now so I am not in for fills often but the staff members I have had to deal with for fills are awesome to me anyway (that is about once a year) and when my port was moved in Oct the staff was really good not just to me but in keeping my mom informed and making sure she had something to eat since she was waiting for me longer than we though and she has diabetes. So I will say my experience is limited since I am not filling and defilling all the time, but what experiences I have had have been good for the majority and I don't have more privileges than anyone else. Good luck on your journey, and I hope it is going well for you Heather

Doddie, Once you get used to it, you might like it... I don't mind either forum style for posting I had to get used to this one after the canadian lapbanders forum on yahoo and disliked it forever. So there are different groups and all the postings originate in the group forums... On the right hand side select groups and then which group you want. If there is a group you want added email the admin. I did that for a general forum so we could discuss other things there. If you click on the group you want, fills, buddies, ask the nutritionist, general etc it will bring up all the active topics in that group. So then you can respond to the topic you want by clicking and reading similar to on here or start a new topic I think the add a post button is at the top. It is very similar to how this group works when you break down how the pages are designed and programmed... but as a general rule I know for me anyway I skip over the main forum and come right to the Canadian pages and then I can see all the posts and topics. The myslimband site has that same segration as we do here ie general, canadian, 40's, 50's and then postings underneath... it just doesn't seem that way to people who don't play on computers all day. So my slimband has the segration at the group name level and then you get into the postings similar to on here. I find the people on myslimband pretty cool and working towards their goals in my clinic's setting... and it is nice to read some positive stuff in there along with the not as positive stuff... and the other advantage I like is you get access to the slimband staff like Lina, Hanna, Jodi etc they check and post and will respond to questions so you are getting your clinic recommended answer rather than just the answer of another bandster. Both may work... but one may be more right with your dr... Does that help.. or did I get to technical? Heather

FWWAB, There is the myslimband.com forum that is for Slimband patients... you can join there and post. I am enjoying it more than i enjoyed the last TLBC board. It has a pretty active participation and they will email you about discussion and sessions etc once you join. I like both sets of forums but if you want slimbandsters specifically they are at the myslimband site. Good luck with losing Heather

Just like Doddie63, I'm joining this thread so that I can read about other Slimband-sters. I was banded on Dec 11, 2008. I'm satisfied with my progress. I wish I could lose more, but I'm losing the healthy, recommended amount - and that's o.k. I'm attending two of the Supercharged seminars at the centre, and I find I get something out of each. I didn't know there was a "Slimband" website 'til yesterday. I don't know how I missed it - I had been checking the calendar on the TLBC site. I've had two fills, and have an appointment for another next week. I believe I'll ask for a little bit more, as I don't think I've reached my "sweet spot" yet. Close, but not quite there. Someone here recommended a central place for Slimband/TLBC people to gather. Is there a way to get a forum specific to us, I wonder?

Heather my problem is I have a hectic schedule and before I have always been able to call and the receptionist booked my fill appt while I was on the line. I left a message for the fill booking line and I was in a meeting with the gentleman called me back and therefore left a message telling me that I couldnt get a fill for Friday (today) and to call back and leave another message with a better time and date available. I did and they called back and left a message with the time that was closest to what I requested and I had to call back and confirm. So it took me 3 calls and 5 messages between myself and this hotline VM service to book me a fill! Thats very bad business. And when I paid $16K I expected to be treated as a respected client. Yes I have met with Jodi, a couple times and did find her helpful but I think since she hasn't been banded that she doesn't fully understand what I'm going through and that was another connection I had with Jill. I also don't like the fact that I have met with Jodi a couple times and when I'm sitting in the waiting room she will walk by and not even raise her head to say hello. That shows me that we have no connection and that she doesnt care enough to even say hi. I have never felt a connection with Kathy, I had her for my consultant and I didn't find her to be helpful. The only person that I feel support from is Nancy and that is why I have continued to have my fills at TLBC well that and the fact that I have paided for my post op care. So sorry Heather I know you are trying very hard to convert me to be a TLBC/Slimband supporter but I feel they are just changing everyday into a less productive and supportive atmosphere. At the end of the day I miss the bootcamps, the friendliness of the clinic, and most of all Jill and her support. Have a great day everyone! The GTA is suppose to be getting hit with some snow and freezing rain this afternoon so please be careful getting home and enjoy your weekend! I'm going snow tubing with my niece and nephew tomorrow! Hope I don't break my behind!!! haha!

Ok so now we have a Slimband fill and defill booking line at TLBC/Slimband? I called this morning to get an appointment for today or Monday morning for a fill and now you get transfered to a voicemail that I have to leave a message and someone will call me back to book an appointment? This place is just getting worse and worse! I find it so cold and unfriendly when I go there, I haven't heard anything good about their new "Supercharge programs" or whatever they are called. And the fact that I can't simply call and book an appt for a fill or defill is just another factor that is making things frustrating and disppointing! I need to really find Jill and get some positive reinforment! I feeling very off track right now!

Doddie, Thanks for the good wishes.... I love the gym while I am there, other than Jamal is going to kick my ass and push me hard again of that I am sure! I used to weigh daily and haven't in about 5 years since I was at goal for about 6 months and just after plastic surgery I stopped. It worked very well for me for a long time... but in this case I had my own reasons for not caring if I gained and weighing daily wouldn't have stopped me it would have just made some other things worse.... I think there are merits to judging your progress by the scale and by how you look and feel. I have to say sitting and talking to Dr Yau when he moved my port back in Oct helped a lot. Knowing he is there whenever I need him or call Slimband helps too... at the time Dr Yau and I were talking I just wasn't mentally ready to make any of the changes I knew were coming.... and I knew they were coming and exactly what they were because I had been here before.... that was prebanding so I knew how much work I had to go. I just didn't factor in the migraine headaches that were my body begging me for sugar. Heather

As requested starting a new thread... feel free to post here the good the great, the not so great, problems, complications compliments etc. Again this thread is primarily for Slimband patients so if you are reading and not a Slimband clinic patient please do not get upset when we talk about our surgeon and clinic as our best choice and the best choice we see possible. Heather

HI: Why don't you start one say "Slimband aka TLBC cont'd" :tt2: I am not a great computer "geek" and find myself happy I can navigate these sites. Let us know how you are doing in your quest to get under or at your goal. Nice to see some different topics here. Can't we start a new thread though, so we can have less pages to wade through? Mary

I have a slightly different perspective.. when I was banded I had US health insurance and could have had a lap RNY in less time and for free.... I couldn't be banded in the US since it was approved until much later in 02 than I was banded... but I could have self paid and gone to Mexico. There were no clinics when I was banded and only two choices of local Toronto surgeons who worked together and both did my banding. So even though I could have had a lap RNY faster I choose to self pay in Canada and a large part of that was the difference in the medical syste,. I didn't trust Mexico at the time (this was over 7 years ago) and now that has been born out with the number of patients I have talked to who have no one to do their fills locally, who have had complications and their Mexican surgeon while very experienced in placing bands since he doesn't see most of his patients again isn't so skilled in complications... and sent them to find a new Dr in Canada. I have heard great things about the hospitals and the skills but crappy things about the follow up. The US I know a little about the US since I work there much of the time... their medical system is a crap shoot.. so I get banded I pay for everything including fills in most cases. If you are fortunate enough to have Health insurance and have a WLS you better hope you keep your job and your carrier because if you switch jobs you new carrier can refuse you covered services because you had surgery under another carrier... even if you stay with the same carrier... and switch jobs they can refuse you coverage because it is a pre existing condition.... I am glad I made the decision I made 7 years ago, I could not have more confidence in my surgeon Dr Yau and my clinic and their support of me... I have had one issue with Slimband and it was resolved as soon as I complained... I agree with Tracey check out all the clinics and make your decision on who you are comfy with this is a long term relationship so you need to like who you are going to have it with. Heather

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

Different clinics use different bands, SWLC uses only the lapband system done by innamed last time I heard. Slimband uses all sorts of bands the realize, J&J/ swedish band, the Innamed system and so on. One of the nice things about Dr Yau is he looks at your body type and shape and then based on his experience choose the right type of band from his arsenal that he thinks will suit you. I had won a free Innamed band at the first bash and Dr Yau knew that and decided when my Innamed original band had slipped so many times it wasn't good with my body and he wanted to use a J&J Swedish band since based on how I had lost weight and where I had lost etc he felt it would be better with my body and knock on wood other than my port having to be moved I have not had a complication since.... That said almost all the bands work the same way with differences in how they are constructed being minimal some of the tubing and band portion around the stomach is more or less flexible. Heather

Hi Green: Yes I prefer TLBC over Slimband. I wish they would go back. I have had great success with my band. There was a time (lst years) that I had difficulty with aftercare communications but that was sorted out. Now I am happy on my journey.

Slimband is the name of a company (formerly TLBC) and lapband is the name of the product . There are a number of companies selling different bands. With the Slimband clinic, the surgeon puts on the band that best suits his patients at time of surgery. I am not sure of the bands they carry.

Hi Mimi, I had the same question myself when I was researching lapband, the clinic TLBC changed their name to Slimband. (they might be considering a new name change again due to these posts though) LOL!!!!

Hello, What is the difference between the 'slimband' and the 'lapband'? I am scheduled to have the 'lapband' done at the Maples Centre in Wpg. in Feb. Just curious if there was any real difference other than brand. Thanks.

Lucy, It was meant to show how absurd accusing anyone of working for a clinic is... Just because some one has had good experiences doesn't make them a plant, it means they had good experiences.. just because someone has bad experiences doesn't make them a plant either it means they have had some bad experiences. Over all my experience with Slimband/TLBC/no clinic prior to that has been amazing and this is coming from a girl who has had 7 complications surgeries that required her to fly back to Toronto to have them fixed.... none of the complications were the surgeons fault and I attribute them to a faulty band and weight lost. Sorry but my experience is the opposite of theirs and i don't mind saying it doesn't make me a sales person it makes me a happy bandster. As for where swansong lives i looked at her profile and it was on there... 50, sudbury , 3 posts and you can even read the posts so that is where I got that info. I don't work for the clinic don't need to work for the clinic don't want to work for the clinic my clients are high enough maintenance without having to deal with patients who are super high maintenance pain in the asses myself included in that, god if I had to deal with people like us all day I would shoot myself.. I have sat in the waiting rooms and listened.. and not a hope... being a software consultant is bad enough people are horrid computers are simple, believe me or not...I don't care my pay cheques are signed by someone other than slimband. You are going to go where you are going to go, I just say go where you are comfy and where you like the staff and the surgeons you will have a long relationship with them. You owe it to yourself to be happy with your clinic and the amount of money you spent and if you have 3-4 choices in your local area why not talk to all of them and then make your choice... I am not saying choose one over the other I am not saying lean to one over the other it is obvious where I would go and where I will take my mum when she is ready to be banded. And I don't care if this thread goes on forever I wanted to start something more positive so sue me, something that was shorter again sue me.. as I have stated many times I prefer focusing on the positive but yes sometimes my annoyance gets the better of me like all people and do you honestly think if i worked at the clinic I could post what I have been posting... and they wouldn't fire me, or at least tell me to stop posting...think about it.. I have always been known to speak my mind and I am not going to change that. Read Canadian lapbanders on yahoo groups or read my posts here you can search my name and you will read that it is not all about the clinics neither are my posts on here for the most part until recently. Sorry when I see something I believe in being jumped on I will speak up... and I don't care who likes it. And yes I will continue to post about my positive experiences because guess what I have that right just as people have the right to post about negative experiences... and when I had a negative experience I posted about that.. and dealt with it and got over it and moved on. People have both.. so what... I have never ever said don't post about the negative I have said post it and move on... So good luck Lucy I hope it works out for you, I hope you meet and exceed your goals and I hope that for any one who is banded whether I like them or not or whether they go to my clinic or not it is a free market system may the best clinic win you business and I hope you do your research and ask a ton of questions and most importantly make the right choice for you and that you are comfy with. But since I came here for support I think I will get back to my basics and start working on my support... Heather

Thanks for letting me know that I can join while I am still at the looking stage of which clinic to go to. I have read many of the posts there as a guest but will join so I can start asking questions. And Heather,I made it clear in my opening that I am not interested in TLBC/Slimband so use your efforts to sell them on someone else. Thanks to the two that have actually been banded at Surgical Weight Loss for sharing your stories and steering me to the forum to continue my research. Lucy

Heather, What a conspiracy theory you have come up with. You think everyone else is working for another clinic yet it seems you are working for Slimband. If they hired you to drum up business, I think they deserve their money back. You are the worst advertisement for them. It is so obvious that you are pushing them every chance you get. I have in fact read through many of your old posts and you never mentioned them as much as you have in past week. New job for you? I love how you blame every new person of being a plant. You have been a member here a long time but that means nothing at all as to your credibility. You could be getting all kinds of perks for pushing the word on this clinic. I think this whole thread is nothing but a huge train wreck and people just can't look away. Your feeble attempt to start a new thread to keep people away from this one that is full of the truth didn't quite work out for you did it? You see that most people have seen right through your little game and continue to post in the original one. I have read swansong's posts as well and nowhere does it say where she lives so it's a big assumption on your part that she's from Sudbury. Do you have super powers that the rest of us don't have to know where someone is from that hasn't posted it? I didn't think so, just another lame excuse to put the blame elsewhere. You seem like the plant here, just a long rooted one is all. Enjoy your new job of promoting Slimband but quite honestly, you have done just the opposite. Your constant pushing towards it, has totally turned me away from it. I think they need to rethink their latest tactics to get patients because it just isn't working. You are a huge disservice to them and I believe it's been shown here just how much people do not trust you. Lucy

Congrats Jorja, I am so excited that Slimband is sending a fill nurse to you. I am glad to see that they are doing the right thing. It is a good move on their part! I am glad that you wrote about your experiences on this site I think it helped you get the positive response that you did from Slimband. I hope that the people that read these posts who don't like negative things written about ones own personal experiences should know that good things can come out of it! Right Jorja:thumbup: I personally love to hear the good, bad and the ugly, but unfortunately it gets out of hand at times, i got caught up in it as well and I apologize for that, but I must admit these posts are entertaining. Doddie, You have a good balance in your posts, I wish mine could come across as well as yours do! Keep it up. :thumbup:

Thats weird about what TLBC says about Jill. They had told me the same about my consultant Dorothy being fired for the same thing..un-proffesional behavior. Really gets you wondering. Just to let everyone know so as not to dwell on the negative and make some of you believe I'm a negative person.... Belina at Slimband has been working hard to help me with my issues and they (Slimband) are bringing the fill nurse up to Sudbury for us northerners which has me pretty excited. After almost getting squished by a transport the time I went for my first fill. I am absolutly terrified to go back to Toronto again this winter. Has anyone else here , not lose any weight after their first fill?

Lucy, I am a TLBC patient and have been for 7 years, it is a good clinic. I have had one negative experience with the clinic since it has been open and it was easily solved.. I sent an email, got a solution and that was that. I would advise you to visit both before you make your decision. I know SWLC patients and they all love their clinic too... I think both clinics will do phone consults to save you an initial trip it is only a phone call and they both will pay for long distance. Before going into any clinic there are some questions I would ask knowing what I know now. 1) fills how long are they covered and if not for life why not? 2) complications who pays and how much and why aren't they covered? 3) post op support what do they offer and how this is very important for new patients to understand and distance patients it becomes even more important. And yes Slimband may have a few vocal patients who aren't happy today but there are a few hundred I know personally who are delighted with the clinic and wouldn't go any where else. Most of all I say go with where you are comfy and if you choose to talk to Slimband ask them about the negative comments and what you have read and see what they say Good luck and make the choice you are comfortable with Heather

Doddie, Thank you for the offer, right now forgive me if I am annoyed frankly I think Cindy is a plant... three posts all negative and meant to stir the pot please that sounds like a rival clinic to me. I was talking to a friends who isn't banded and she actually gave me the idea... I told her the scenario and she said the best offense is a good defense... so it sounds like this person is a plant trying to stir up ill will towards your clinic and like she might be employed by a rival clinic lets face it banding is big business worth a lot of money and as a clinic if I can steer people away from the busiest clinic with the most patients then they up for grabs for the others clinics to make money off of. Was a 50 years Cindy even banded last year who lives in Sudbury? I don't know only Slimband and she does.... and I am guessing based on her accusations of me that the answer to that is no. I have had a very different journey than most, 7 complication surgeries but overall my journey is relatively easy. I just have the need to refocus my energies on my journey. And I will do that however it works for me.. I have been posting on myslimband since it is a different forum and I wanted to try a different crowd than the Yahoo group with a different perspective than I was reading.. and so I came back here too. For me it works to go back to my basics but I also want to add a few things in there and I am struggling with how to add a love of fitness in there... So for now I think I will keep posting everywhere it suits me and sorry if that annoys the people who aren't happy but it makes me happy and just for kicks everytime I read something negative I think I might just find a positive story about Slimband/TLBC from my present and past and maybe even the future as it happens and post that for contrast.... Slimband has done awesome things... they have done a ton for their patients over the years. But there will always be patients who fail to meet their goals and blame everyone else for the reasons why instead of themselves. And I so understand about venting and getting it off your chest I don't understand focusing on the negative. People will post what they want positive or negative... I am just choosing to focus on the good instead of the bad because I know in my life it is how I get to the best places for me to be. Again Doddie thank you I will continue posting and taking what works for me out of this discussion and the others on the site..

I just found out about this site yesterday and I did post something yesterday after reading all 14 pages prior to my blurb. I don't think this site is so that we can point fingers at each other and to think that every other person is conducting industrial espionage. The reality of the situation is that we are not all going to click to the same person - that's what makes the world go around!! I am the first one to admit that I was very upset when I found out that Jill left as she had steered me through my journey and was not there to know that I had reached my goal. I miss her. However, I realize that life goes on and I hope that after Slimband has completed their overhaul or whatever it is that they are doing, I will be able to find the same level of support, friendship and solace that I have found in the past. If in fact this site is being monitored by a staff from the clinic, I would love it if they could explain the changes - it might be helpful to a lot of people to know what changes are being made, why (there is a theory that if it ain't broke, don't fix it) and what we can expect in the future. I think that some of the problem might be that for those bandsters that have been around for awhile, the changes have not been explained in any way. On some levels we are not owed the explanation, however it would be nice.

Cindy, It couldn't just be that I was offended... go back and read my posts there are 288 of them if you look at my profile. Think what you want I am not here to change your mind. I came back to get support at a time I needed it and offer what has worked for me in the past. Take from that what you want and if you want to think I am a clinic support staff come up and say hi to me next time you are there... And I plan on continue posting read it don't read it.. I am not sure what Slimband did to violate your trust as I said I haven't read all 14 pages and I don't plan on reading them. We all need different support at different times I have hit a low point where I threw out all my rules for about 8 months while I watched a love one die of cancer. So now I need to refocus and for me focusing has been posting on support groups and getting what I needed. When my port was moved in Oct I was talking to Patrick Yau about it and he as my surgeon encouraged me to get back to my basics... I wasn't ready to do it then and now I am. I am sorry you think I protest to much and I am support staff... I hope no one ever treats you when you are looking for support the way you have decided to treat others! heather