gurlygirl

I agree with time4me...I don't like the idea of altering my digestive track and you don't have the option of going back. I have heard of lots of people who have the gastric bypass and have problems with malabsorption and not getting proper nutrients because it bypass' the intestines so quickly you don't get everything out of your food that you should. These are just a couple of reasons why I know the lap band is the right choice for me. I would definately get a second opinion and do lots of research so you make the best decision for you. Best of luck to you.

Ghostbuster - Good Luck with your upcoming banding! Keep us posted on your recovery.

I am being banded on the 18th. I saw the money leave my account today and that has put it into perspective. My pre-op diet is no carbs starting 10 days prior. :gluck: Good luck to all the September Bandsters with band dates for next week.

The grande non fat chai latte is 200 calories. See starbucks® beverages & food details thanks Manatee for the link.

Me and coworker have been watching our calories and looked at all the Starbucks drinks to find the ones with the least amount of calories and fat content. The grande nonfat sugar free latte's are only 130 calories. Super filling too. So the tall would be even less than this and you can get the decaf variety if your Water intake is of concern. :ranger:

Hi Chilipepper ~ I am from British Columbia. I will be flying next month to Dr. K in Colorado $9950. To save on flying back down to Dr. K for fills I will be getting my fills done at North West Fills in Arlington WA. Their web site is northwestfills.com and they charge $150 for the initial fill/visit and $125 for every fill after that. Which is quite reasonable. Most people that have been to them on LBT have been pleased with their fills and service. My husband and I will be flying out of Seatac for $197 return to Denver. Flying out of Vancouver is twice this much because of the taxes and airport fees. I would weigh all your options before you make your final decision. Good luck to you I hope everything works out.

I had a phone consult with him on July 30th and my surgery date is Sept 18th. This is when I had my vacation time booked. I never tried to get in earlier. I am also a self pay patient. I must say that I was very impressed with him. He did not hesitate to answer all of my questions and put my mind at ease. I am just under 4 weeks to surgery and it is coming so quickly for me. It will happen before you know it. Mark is right. Check out the thread "Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum". You might want to post the same question on that thread. But I think he is getting busier as word gets around about the good Dr. Best of luck to you.

Thanks for all the info Kat. I too am a bit scared with my surgery date set for Sept 18th. I am happy to hear that I will be able to drink normal and a controled amount of food after the healing period following the surgery. After reading some of the posts I have found on here, it can really freak a person out. This makes me feel good about my decision. Congrats Kat on being one with your band! Good luck hford on you upcoming surgery!

mdicurn - I agree with you. Not drinking with meals will be hard to get used to for me too. I guess we can take solace that we are not in this alone. bubblebelly - Is your surgeon in Mexico? stacy73 - Congrats on 7 lbs down. You're already making the scale move in the right direction. WOW...SEPT 20th seems to be a popular date for this crowd. Welcome everyone. I would love to hear all your experiences with surgery, so please keep the posts coming. My band date is 6 weeks today.

Dr. K charges $9950. Which includes: surgical assistant anesthesiologist LAP-BAND placement outpatient surgery at JACHO accredited Surgery Center 3 months of follow-up care and adjustments pre-op and a post-op consultation with our nutritionist indefinite participation in our lap band support group Costs NOT covered in the fee are travel expenses, food costs, hotel fees and prescription fees. After the 3 months the fills are $15. He truly cares for his patients and wants to give them another alternative to Mexico, which is why his price is lower than most. I had my phone consultation over the phone with him while I followed along with pictures on a pdf file to illustrate what he was explaining. I just cannot say enough about him. I guess everyone has their own reasons for choosing the Dr they do. We have to do what feels right.

Thanks for the info everyone! Doddie63 - How many times have you been to Dr. Woodhead? What was your overall experience like? Was he pleasant or treated you differently because you had your band put in by another surgeon? Just curious. $400 seems steep for the initial consult. :faint:The northwestfills.com is only $150 initially and $125 every time after that. Some other banders on this forum said they were really good. I am kinda leaning that way myself. Do you know if you can claim the fills on your income tax if they are done in Canada?

What type of preop diet is everyone on and how long before surgery do you have to start it? My Dr. has me on no-carbs of any kind starting 10 days before surgery. Just curious, there seems to be a bunch of different preop diets out there. Congratulations to eveyone for getting their band dates.

I will be banded next month by Dr Kirshenbaum in Aurora Colorado. I chose him for a number of reasons, which include but is not limited to his aftercare. I will definately be making some trips back there for some initial fills, but was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for fill Dr's in Western Canada that they have used. I have researched a fill center down in Arlington, WA (northwestfills.com) which is only 1 1/2 hour drive away and has reasonable rates. So, if I need to get a fill or defill and don't have time to make the trip to Colorado, I will make the drive there. I would love to hear what other BC and Alberta banders are doing for their fill needs if your surgeon is quite some distance away (ie. Ontario, United States or Mexico). Thanks for all that reply to this post.

Hello to all you Sept 2007 bandsters! I am getting my band on September 18th. Very excited yet nervously anxious at the same time. Looking forward to this journey! :whoo: