What is your favourite canadian hockey....

[Dame J 0]

wheezy that was my understanding from Dr. C as well. He said fills for life and he did say that if there was a problem and the band had to come out the clinic would cover the majority of the cost.

I know for me it was a hard choice to make between the two clinics. It just came down to who I felt the most comfortable with. After speaking to staff and then meeting Dr. Cobourn I was done.

So far I have nothing bad at all to say about my choice.

Good luck to those that are making their choices.

[Gaffer 1]

wheezy that was my understanding from Dr. C as well. He said fills for life and he did say that if there was a problem and the band had to come out the clinic would cover the majority of the cost.

I was sure this was the case as well. Although my brain has about the same capacity for more information as my stomach has capacity for food these last few days.

The fills for life are not so much of a big deal for those of us who are not close to the clinic as we have to pay for those whereever we are. I guess it is cheaper than flying to Toronto for fills.

Andrew

[Doddie63 6]

Hi Wheezy: Depends on the clinic and the fills are not necessarily for life. You can fill and defill depending on the circumstances. For instance, if you swall too large a peice of food you may have to have a defill to allow it to get into your larger stomach from the pouch.

Bostom Bruins - yaeh, Bobby

[Yoda 0]

I apologize if Dr. C's clinic does, in fact, provide fills/de-fills "for life"....I was merely going by the info provided on his website (in which it states for 5 yrs only) and by what I was told when I contacted them last year. If this has changed....my bad and no harm intended....although they should change their site and be sure to give out correct/current info.

[argon 3]

yeah, that's a little confusing. Actually when I got it done it was for a year, then switched to for life, and now (last I heard) is only 5 years. I don't really care which it is. I will probably rarely get fills/defills at the clinic. I'll post the question on their message board and ask for a current and clear answer.

[Doddie63 6]

Argon: Just noticed your loss at 102. congratulations and you certainly do give me hope as I am just starting out. Any hints?

[argon 3]

Thanks Doddie.

I really don't have any secrets or hints! Cross your fingers, and do what you can. Eat as healthily as you can, try not to drink with meals, drink lots of Water, Protein first, and get working out sooner than later. Everyone says these same things though. I don't know why I'm doing so well when other people who are way more strict (and harder) on themselves are struggling.

You're doing great already... keep it up

[Doddie63 6]

Thanks Argon. You are right about the exercise. At the moment I can only walk. I opened one incision by walking too fast (belly jiggled to hard) so had to tone it down a bit. Still it is an inspiration to see how well you have done. I love sucess stories. Doddie

[CanMacDaddy 0]

I have rec'd awesome info on clinic comparision. As a result I have decided to have a consult with both...next week... I can afford it as I will not be spending $2000 in Raeligh, NC to watch Hurricanes beat my Oilers in the final this year as I did last.

I will let everyone know how they went.

Mac Daddy...looking to be twice the father to my kids and half the man to myself.

[CanMacDaddy 0]

After having consultation with both clinics I decided to go with SWLC.

I have surgery booked for March 27th and started Optifast today.

After comparing 6 clinics (4 in Canada 2 outside) with the help of ewe all online and other info I had narrowed it down to two: (Two that fit my criteria)

SWLC and TLBC.

Both of these clinics are held in high regard with only slight differences.

The top 4 that clinced for me were:

1) Trained medical professionals in my city for fills vs my family doctor performing after reviewing a CD.

2) My consultation was with the Surgeon vs Coordinator (This does cost a premium of $200) but did give me a peace of mind.

3) believe it or not the "Optifast" diet with regards to effectiveness of liver shrink prior to surgery.

4) Inamed as a brand used exclusively at this clinic.

ANY OF THESE FOUR COULD BE ARGUED AS POSITIVE OR A NEGATIVE FOR OTHERS CONSIDERING.

BOTTOM LINE: BOTH GREAT CLINICS

thanks for your input on these.

MacDaddy ....

[Irishmist 0]

Congratulation on your decision Cam, March 27th is just around the corner.

Maria

[Yoda 0]

That's great....congrats with your decision and journey!

I'd just like to say that at TLBC, I had my consultation with both the coord AND the surgeon (ie. one after the other). So I don't want folks to think they don't have a consult with the surgeon at TLBC.

I also want to point out that TLBC also uses Inamed. They have use of all the various bands, including Inamed. They pick the best suited to YOUR body. I just don't want folks to think TLBC doesn't use Inamed when they do.

As far as Optifast....I agree, it is either a negative or a positive. Personally, I went thru the entire Optifast program a few yrs ago and I was more than happy to NOT use optifast for this surgery and my yogurt/cottage cheese diet was highly effective. Obviously, the effectiveness depends directly on the individual's compliance.

[loriely 0]

Yes i had a consult with the coord and the surgeon .Very pleased with my choice. I am so glad i did not have to do the Optifast diet pre op.

[canuckswan 0]

I'd love to tell you how great Dr.Cobourn is...but then it might make it harder for me to get appointments in to see him.

[Gaffer 1]

Either way you have made a wise decision. That consult fee is taken off the price of your surgery so really if you went with Dr.C the consult was free anyway.

I personally did 3 weeks of Optifast recently, and I found it to be pretty easy after the initial couple of days, and your body went into ketosis. Once you get throught he intial crappy part stay away from the carbs as they will put you out of ketosis and you will have to go through the misery again.

Try to keep your mind off the fact that you will be able to eat almost everything in moderation once you are banded.

I have found that I really dont want to eat those things anyways. After paying the price of the surgery I feel that I dont want to screw this up by falling into my own eating habits.

Andrew