Cat

Now you make me regret not going. I just have a hard time imagining Dracula and ballet. Maybe I will consider dangerous liaison. Leslielee, your desciprions of people and situations are vivid and engaging. Are you a novel writer (or plan to dabble in it)? The guy in kilt is probably my acquiantance's husband (lol). He is a proud Scottsman and always wears a kilt to formal functions. Are you feeling better today about your choice to go to Dr. Cobourn? I am sorry that my Dr. Yau/Cobourn thread and Inamed band issue caused you anxiety. I felt bad about it. What are you doing to prepare for your procedure? It seems that you have already lost a few lbs on your own. How long do you have to be on pre-op diet? Cat

Hello Neal, Your weight loss is amazing. Aside from following the diet rules, have you being doing any specific exercise routines (or something else)? Cat

Hey Leslielee, How was the Dracula ballet? My friend went as well. Her husband, my husband, and I went out for sushi dinner instead (well, they ate sushi and I ate cooked food).

Hello All, A member's feedback in my Yau/Cobourn thread gave me an idea to start a new thread where we can post credible reseach materials on banding and related matters. Maybe someone has already started one. If not, here is one. I will start the thread by attaching a very new reasearch finding on Lapbanding published in January in the peer reviewed Journal of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity. For those who may not be familiar with journal publication, a peer-reviewed professional or academic journal is the highest form of publication (in terms of recognition and content validity) for any professional or academic. It means that the research report you submit for publication in the specific journal is reviewed and critiqued by other experts within the field. Many reports are rejected while others are subjected to multiple revisions before it is accepted for publication. There are few that get their report published without revision. Of course, among peer-reviewed journals themselves, there is an order of "prestigiousness" which means that some journals are deemed more recognized/prestigious than others. For more research findings on obesity surgery, here is a link to one peer-reviewed journal site: http://www.obesitysurgery.com/ I look forward to more research materials from members of this site. ObesitySurgeryArticle.pdf

Mandi, I read the last couple of pages of comments and proceeded to look for your pictures and...Woooow! You look fabulous! What a difference. A big congratulations to you! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Cat

Doddie, Have you generally received good support from TLBC in the past until the recent e-mail incidents you mentioned? Would you say that they respond much faster if you call them? Regardless of the type of service purchased, I am always leary and concerned about promises made up front that is not delivered after one has purchased the service. I hope that this is not their usual practice and that the majority of TLBC-banded members have consistently received good post-op support and services from them. As for post-op fills, they told me that they are very actively working on a referral list for out-of-province lapbanders and that the list will be available very soon. Cat

Hello Patti, Welcome. I am an Edmontonian as well. I will be getting my lapband in Toronto. I have heard of Dr. Davey through some of the folks on this site but have no information one way or the other about his practice. There are a few Edmontonians and Albertans on this site so that's great. Maybe we can set-up our own in-person support group. Cat

I see your point Dame J and indeed good intentions can at times unintentionally go astray or generate non-desirable side effects. I hope that all that read this thread will take both the feedbacks and their own diligent research to make a final decision.

Dame J, This thread was started by me to find out how people make their final decisions regarding who to go with. Their feedback has been very, very helpful in allowing potential lapbanders like myself to consider the various aspects of the two clinics that might help one to narrow down his/her decision. Afterall, we can only go to ONE physician even if both are good. The thread is absolutely NOT intended to pit one clinic against the other. Rather it is intended for potential lapbanders to consider factors that might be important and of which they might not have considered before. By the way, your assumption is wrong and I have looked into both clinics. Otherwise, I would not have been able to share the information that they provided. Getting feedback from those who have gone through the decision making and banding process is smart and prudent and should be encouraged, not discouraged - especially for a significant, life/body altering, and costly procedure such as this. Ultimately, people can take the information, consider them, and make their own final decision. Cat

Leslielee, Andrew is right. Both clinics are excellent and there probably is not enough difference for you to justify cancelling your appointment in favour of another clinic. From the threads, it seems that Dr. Cobourn has used the Inamed band successfully in many lapbanders. Of course, ultimately, you have to go where you are most comfortable.

Hello All, Good News. I went to my alternate family physician (yes, in spite of the physician shortage, I manage to keep two family physicians) today to ask if she would do my post-op fills for me. She is supportive of my decision and has agreed to do my fills for me, so I am thrilled. As for the bands, Dr. Yau's clinic confirmed that they can use all three types of band - Midband, Swedish, and Inamed. If you have a specific preference, they will accommodate your request. They did mention that they have experienced higher incidents of slippage with the Inamed band and thus have chosen not to use it regularly or exclusively but again, they will use it if you insist. They mentioned that Dr. Yau has NO vested interest and special partnership with any single band producer and as such will use the band that he thinks will work best for the shape and formation of your stomach. In response to concerns regarding post-op fills for out-of-towners, Dr. Yau's clinic is actively working on a referral list of post-op fill physicians in some Canadian cities (they mentioned 3 in particular - Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton). I was informed that the list will be available very shortly. I thank everyone again for his/her feedback. They are most helpful. :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Thank you very much for the information, Andrew. Cat

Hi Gaffer, It would be great if you can share the information with me regarding reimbursement from Alberta Health Care. Thank you.

Hi Ladies, Thank you so very much for taking the time to offer me your feedback. Leslielee, it is nice to know that another Edmontonian is going through the procedure. We'll be able to compare notes in the future. Joanne, good to know about the clinic location since I have no clue being from Edmonton. Yoda, I have thought about the fact that Dr. Yau is the pioneer of the field here in Canada. My biggest concern with Dr. Yau is the follow-up procedures - in particular, getting the fills. I wish they would rectify this matter. Dr. Cobourn's clinic not only provide you with a direct referral but also include the fees of the fill within the initial $16000. I am guessing that the lack of out-of-town follow-up assistance from Dr. Yau's clinic has resulted in some potential lapBanders going to Dr. Cobourn. To be honest, I would like to go to Dr. Yau but may end up going to Dr. Cobourn for the reason mentioned above. Susieq321, your feedback on TLCB is very detailed and all the points deserve consideration. I look forward to talking to Nisrine next week. At the present time, I do feel positive about TLCB but the issue of post-op fills (as mentioned to Yoda above) is still a concern for me. Maybe Nisrine can offer some viable solutions. Lferland, you look great and thank you for your feedback on Dr. Cobourn. At this preliminary stage, I prefer Dr. Yau but is concerned with post-op fill assistance. Today, I went to see an internist to discuss my high blood pressure. She was completely not supportive of my decision to undergo the Lap-Band procedure. She thinks that if I work out some more and eat less, it will do the trick even after I told her that I have been eating healthy and keeping active but that the lbs still just won't melt away beyond a certain point. The reason I am sharing this is show how judgemental and presumtious people can be (maybe more so among health professionals) so to get pre-arranged post-op support is so important. Otherwise, I would have to find a health professional that is willing to assist me without being judegmental. If I have to ask my own family physician (as suggested by Dr. Yau's CSR) and she says NO, it would really put me (and maybe also her) in an awkward position. Again ladies, I truly appreciate your feedback and would of course welcome any additional feedback that you and others may wish to offer.

Hello All, I am new to this banding community. I wish to say that this site has been most helpful to me in terms of feeling good about my decision to proceed with banding. I will have my telephone consultation with both clinics (Yau and Cobourn/Mumford) next week and will have to make a final decision on which one to go with. I reside in Edmonton, Alberta. I am hoping that those of you who have considered and completed the procedure with either Dr. Yau or Dr. Cobourn/Mumford can share with me how you come to your final decision on which physician to go with. I know that both clinics and physicians have excellent reputation and going with either would probably be fine but this knowledge does not help me to narrow down my decision. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.:help: