susieq321

Betty, trust me on this questions don't piss them off, I have known Kathy for over 7 years, she is an honest person, and one of the best bandsters that I know. Good luck tomorrow, liquids is short in the life of banding and keep posting HEather

Anything that I put in my mouth and swallow that comes back up is vomit not pb or sliming.. I do not PB.. I think it is a term that is bad to use it is a misnomer.. it makes people think that pb'ing or vomiting is not as bad for the band as it really is they take it less seriously. Anytime you bring something up/vomit you are putting your band at some small degree of risk and the more you do it the higher the risk is. Any time you put something in your mouth chew it an swallow it... it is vomiting I honestly think sliming and pb'ing are the stupidist terms ever applied to banding.. I vomit, I don't do it often but I do vomit once in a while. I slipped 4 times without vomiting very often, I sliped 4 times with almost no fill and absolutely no fill people slip and they can't do anything to prevent it... we can however change our eating habits and learn from our mistakes. We all vomit once in a while, but it should be the exception not the rule. I find I tend to vomit when I am stressed more than anything else and sometimes I am fine when I am eating and 1/2 hour later i need to vomit... there is no predicting but i eat slow and chew I have learned that lesson and so will you it takes focus. I know I sound harsh but I would rather be harsh than have even one more little complication Heather

Angel, I have said since my first year of banding the trick is to get your head around the who, what, why, where, when and how you eat... give yourself some time to work out the head issues and go for the band again. It is a ton of hard work for anyone. A lot of people do not realize that there are a lot of similarities between anoxeria and bulimia and over eaters and bingers have a lot in common. Good luck and keep in touch and know TLBC will be there for you along with us Heather

Bear, What a journey you have had, and you are right Dr Yau is an incredibly caring surgeon as are his staff. I am a walking complication so I know Dr Yau pretty well after a few surgeries. I am glad to hear you are maintaining and working on your health. Keep up the work you are putting in and keep yourself healthy Heather

Kathy works there and has seen it all if she tells you it can go there it can go there... but keep in mind that we end up with stretched skin etc so the tattoo may not look as pretty in the future as it does when you start and there is also an incision scar pretty close if not right over the port too so I have not one tattoo and I have no idea how scar lines etc would affect them. God luck it is kinda cute idea if I was into tattooing. Heather

Remember as you lose the skin moves and gets loser etc and the port is more in the rib cage area good luck though Heather

you look at her body language, is she leaning in or leaning back are her arms open or crossed, is she saying back off. Go for the hug and kiss on the cheek and see what happens from there.. it works for me Heather

Love and Betty, I offer this advice and take it for what it is worth it is free... before you get the surgery ask the clinic and have your questions addressed. I hate seeing people going into this feeling like you are being ripped off, in conflict and questioning things. People who go in like that seem to question their choice later on and think similar thoughts if anything bad ever happens like a complication or plateau for a length of time. Go into this with the right mind set you are making a choice and paying a lot of money for something that will change your life forever, changes the way you eat, eventually the way you think, your appearance and really your entire life there is no aspect of this band that will allow you to live the same life you live as an obese person when you do it correctly. Please please go into this with no questions about your clinic or their fees, sit down on the phone face to face email whatever and ask them to clarify why the fees are structured the way they are. Why is post op so much... you guys have no idea when I was banded it was 10K straight to the surgeon and there was no clinic, no nutritionist, no websites, no bandsters at goal to talk to we had nothing but each other. Post op is now a huge thing they have realized that it is almost more important than the band in some ways how you change your life after the surgery and how you deal with the changes. Just go into the surgery with a light heart and knowing that this is the right thing for you. All the clinics charge similar fees and offer some of the similar post op care but it varies. To me when I look at what TLBC offers compared to the other clinics it is the most comprehensive program of aftercare for their patients. They are one of the few clinics that even hires banded patients to deal with bandsters they know our issues because they have walked in our shoes. I love TLBC I never felt ripped off and I don't question where my money went. Dr Yau to me is the best surgeon I could ever ask for and is truly skilled at what he does. Good luck, and make sure you clear up any questions, or feelings of conflict pre banding. Heather

I don't think I would personally do it.. I was one of the rare complication cases and 6 surgeries later I am so glad I had my surgery in Toronto with cdn doctors there is another thread you may want to read that thread too and take all the advice there into account. I would get rock solid contracts if i was going out of country and make sure that they are applicable under both cdn and the other countries laws... deal with post op including complications and who pays etc. Good luck with your decision Heather

Ok you would have to phone and ask on that the pysch fee call them on it, who knows they may have something else they want you to do or they may have switched the billing breakdown to the new one just a little to early there is more than likely a simple explanation.. contact Kathy and ask about it or email and ask about it and she will explain it. 6000K for post op care that is a great deal post op care for life for 6k I know you are thinking I lose the weight and never go back and what do I need.. I am over 6 years out and I still get fills and defills and I have been at goal for more than 4 years almost 5 now.. but you will have this band for life and if you start breaking it down it is a tiny tiny cost. It includes access to TLBC only events, nutritionists, fills, their website and everything else it is a steal at that if you start breaking it down you will realize post op care should be the largest cost! Good luck and you will be on your way before you know Heather

There are two port placements and sternum and abdominal the sternum is right between the place where the ribs meet and the abdominal is on the left or right side of the lower ribs. The ports are nestled in place and some surgeons stitch them and most don't stitch tightly or too tight if they use stitches. The port has to be able to move with your body as you lose weight as your skin shifts and your fat layer shifts the port has to be able to shift too. If it is stitched it can't move or the stitches may tear if enough pressure is put on the port. (remember your body exerts a lot of pressure from muscles etc) So a port flipping or moving as you lose weight is not uncommon with the abdominal placement it can flip under the ribs as you lose weight. The other thing is as you lose weight it sticks out a little more or it may become uncomfy to sleep on a stomach or just not in a place you are comfy with it being. So sometimes ports need to be repositioned or moved. Personally I would only go with a abdominal placement because on me it is more hidden and comfy. Heather

Kathy isn't an RN, but she is a very experienced bandster with 8 years banded herself and 4 years doing pre and post op. She is certified in many different areas and goes for extensive training throughout the year on dealing with patients, evaluating them, running support groups etc. TLBC is implementing a formalized psych testing program to ensure you are getting the band for the right reasons, not because someone else is telling you, that you need it. No bandster who gets the band for anyone else other than themselves will be as successful as one who does it for the right reasons. Since we are all self pay and there is no insurance the hoops we jump through in Canada are much less than the US where there is insurance coverage if you can meet their regulations. Very few people are turned down by any clinic unless you are too obese (ie 1000 lbs and can't travel to a clinic or hospital) serious health issues where the surgery might kill you or you need to be done in a hospital in which case they will not turn you down but it make take a little longer to get into the hospital. Doddie is right Kathy has enough experience dealing with bandsters to look at a BMI and say your liver isn't as fatty as a heavier persons and cut a pre op diet here and there. The pre op is nice and it makes the surgery easier on the surgeon and less risk of complications to you but when I was banded we didn't even have one.. so it is a nice to have not a must. If there is a reason you can't have the surgery I am sure Kathy would refund your money. I think the deposit comes into play more when she books a date because once that date is booked and she books all the support staff who have to be there to cover you during and post op.. the clinic has to pay them regardless if you show up or not that includes the supporting Drs and pre and post op nursing staff. So if you book and cancel at the last minute the clinic still has to pay their staffing needs who were booked to take care of you. (some staff are full time and some are part time) Heather

The immediate post op burp hurts because they have intubated you and bruised all your abdomen muscles with the surgery (all the trochars punch painful holes in you) and the gas is worse immediate post op because the docs pump you full of it and it has to escape somehow, so it reabsorbed and you burp and fart. The move you move the faster the gas goes away.. But don't worry about burping dislodging the band it would have to be an earth shattering burp to rip out the stitches in the stomach they anchor that little sucker pretty tight. Good luck on your journey and keep posting. Heather

Burping is exactly that air moving from the lower part of your stoma up and escaping.. I still burp but it is a silent thing, I am not letting belches rip, can't do an alphabet or anything like that. I find that sometimes the position of my body matters too laying down for a massage I need to make sure the air is out.. or I get a pressure and a silent burp of air moving up and out. I do burp with carbonated beverages and that is normal. Doddie was exactly right about swallowing air with drinking and eating, make an effort to chew with your mouth closed and not talk. I like drinking with a straw I have heard it introduces more air into the system but I find for me it works the opposite and introduces less air when I am drinking. Or I try to sip keeping my lips close to the glass and not gulp air with the liquid. Either that or make sure when I am drinking the liquid covers my mouth such as chugging a liquid (god I miss chugging a whole glass of milk can only get 5 chugs in and it is stop or puke) The gas coming out the other end is just what we eat.. remember with the band nothing in our digestion is changing we absorb the products that create gas for farting the same exact way as we did prebanding. You might look at what you are eating to see if it is a food type that is producing more gas than you want. I have wondered over the years if that the reason that some bandsters feel they have more gas is because they are eating so much less that it really concentrates the foods that are causing the gas and allows them to produce as much as possible with very little interfere with that gas producing ability! Heather

Don't worry so much, complications are rare but they do happen, I have had almost every single complication there is excepting a few... and I still lost 150lbs in 18 months and kept it off over 6 years now I am in my 7th year of banding... and a size 8-10 I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Good luck not everything you read on the net is true and even if it is, it may not apply to you. Heather

both clinics work with medical financiers they will take jsut about anyone be aware the rate of interest is much higher than a bank.. so if you ca nget a bank loan do it or mortgage etc. If you are talking to TLBC or SWLC just phone and ask what their financing companies will accept... I know they are higher risk loans so much much higher interest rates good luck. Heather

Peaches, speedy recovery and good luck, Dr Yau is great with bands! Heather

I love TLBC and I wouldn't go anywhere else. I had a problem with Nancy not returning a call, but Kathy and Chris Henderson took care of it. I think part of the problem is no one told anyone at TLBC they had some issues with Nancy and if no one tells the clinic she is short with them or not returning calls how do they know? Patrick Yau is very approachable, ask to meet him pre surgery phone Kathy and take care of it. The advantages of TLBC to me, closer to you TO vs Mississauga, if you need to see Patrick he has another office in Scarborough too. Dr Yau has been doing bands longer and done more bands than any other surgeon in Canada. But the big advantages to TLBC is their post op no one has a post op like they do. They have seminars, they have nutritionist on staff, they have Dr Simon on staff, they offer online and phone seminars, they also have a ton of other events specific just to their clients. Online forums etc. But one of the huge advantages to me is that they have a large number of banded staff who understand being overweight and the challenges of the band in a way that non banded people will never understand. Go with where you are comfy, make consults and ask lots of questions, do not make a decision till you are ready and are sure you are happy with the answers. Good luck Heather

Sherri, It isn't that they are getting to big it is that the people at the clinic don't know about what the fill nurses do unless you tell them and you need to put it in writing.... email info@tlbc.ca and tell them about Nancy and the other nurse and your experience. If we don't tell them about our problems no one else is going to tell them for us. And if they don't know there are issues they think the nurses are doing a great job.... and the nurses stay on and do the same thing to more patients.. it is just like a store or bad food in a restaurant.... if you don't tell them it is bad they don't know how would they. Get your money's worth email them... info@tlbc.ca Heather

Peaches you are so right about TLBC.... speed recovery and take it easy Heather

The surgery can be used as a tax deduction as of right now it is not covered by OHIP and in Jan the On House passed a bill saying that from now till the end of time the lapband is excluded from OHIP coverage Good luck and keep posting

Sheila, that one is harder since none of the Toronto banding clinics are taking on patients done by other surgeons because of the risks and a lot of family docs and outside surgeons are not willing to take them on either because if there is a complication who does the patient hold responsible and their malpractice insurance won't cover them. Her best bet may be to talk to her band surgeon and ask them to ask the manufacturer of her band to help them out with people in her area who are willing to work with her. Good luck Heather

I have been banded for over 6 years now my Surgeon is Patrick Yau, I can honestly say I have talked to several Mexican patients who had issues and who came back to Canada to have those issues fixed because their Mexican band surgeons didn't want to deal with them. They lost the cost of multiple flights back and forth to Mexico to hear it wasn't a band problem it was their problem, it might be a fill problem etc with NO solutions until they had a CDN surgeon fix them, and it always took surgeries in every case I know of. I know TLBC used to take on outside patients and one of the reasons they stopped was because the main reason the patients were coming to them was to have their bands fixed because a variety of Drs in Mexico deserted them. At one point in time the Mexican Drs were even referring their banded CDN patients to the CDN surgeons because they didn't want to deal with the patients with problems! Personally I have talked to 4-5 of these patients over the years in email, phone conversations and face to face meetings. They felt abandoned over the years by their initial surgeons who could not diagnose or refused to diagnose and fix problems for them. They had to find alternatives after paying the money to Mexico. As of right now in ON you will be hard pressed to find any band surgeon who will take you on if you weren't banded there and why should they you choose to go with someone else. You choose someone else's aftercare etc. All I can say is in life you get what you pay for! And if I was going to Mexico I would want a lot of things in writing and I would want them reviewed by a Mexican and a cdn lawyer to make sure they are legal. I would want it spelled out what I get, what happens for complications, who pays anything etc. And this is coming from someone who has suffered just about every complication there is with a few exceptions. I love my band I would do it over again in a heartbeat even knowing I was going to have 6 band surgeries, but based on the people I have talked to in Canada over the years I would never ever go out of country to Mexico or anywhere else for any surgery that required follow-up whether it was banding or plastic etc. I would take what anyone was saying who worked for a clinic with a huge salt lick and discount it cause they are making the money not you and if your band fails or you need an additional surgery I wonder if they will be there for you then? Heather

I am traveling and spending time in CO for work and I have been banded for over 6 years do you guys ever get together and meet?

Stanley, I have been banded 6 years and was around before TLBC, When Dr Cobourn started his clinic there was none of this concern, no one warned patients not to go there. I think what you are missing is the legitimate concern of bandsters based on experiences and what we are hearing in the community and worried that new bandsters may be left in the lurch without a clinic to go to. Good luck on your search, hope you and your mother in law find a solution. I understand why you may be doing the research for her. Heather