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Elizabeth, When I was done there was no TLBC, and I was done at Grace the hospital so the bandsters like moi have an agreement with Grace to fix things. But TLBC fixes things for free part of the full coverage service you pay the money for. Heather

Doddie, I don't blame the surgeons who didn't do the insertion of the band i was thinking more for an emergency situation take it with you if you had to go the hospital and that might help them understand how to do a defill if they were willing to watch. I can honestly say about 6 years of banding I don't travel with a band card or the fill dvd and I am on the road over 50% of the time. I take the risk and so far have been ok. Heather

As someone who has every documented complication excepting erosion I know from experience that complications generally do not cause emergency situations including erosion. Erosion is something that happens gradually not over night, slips can happen immediately the only time a slip is an emergency situation is if it slips up and closes off the esophagus (one of my slips went up out of 4 but not an emergency situation) or if the band twists and closes of the opening from the upper part of your stoma to the lower part of your stoma. Or if you self tighten or have a too tight fill and can't keep any liquid down you may have an emergency situation. I know hundred of bandsters and the true emergency situations are very rare. Too tight a band is very real and it does happen all too often whether it is too tight a fill or stress or other emotions causing a band to self tighten over time. I can think of one bandster and one bandster only who had a true emergency situation not related to too tight a band, while she was preggers her band slipped and twisted and blocked the openings and she was hopistalised on IV's since she couldn't get liquids or food down, the iv's were her saving grave and she could have lived with that situation with medical intervention for as long as she needed too. It was a bad time to be sick as the Docs were on holidays and our of the country. She suffered the twisted band for a few days in the hospital as soon as the surgeon came back he took care of her, even though he was still on vacation he heard of her plight through the grapevine. The other true emergency I know of was similar food poisoning and with prolonged vomiting her band slipped up her stomach so she couldn't keep liquids down and the band had to come out. So complications causing true emerg situations are rare ask your band surgeon, the most common is too tight a band, whether from fill or swollen stomach. I know dozens of people with slips none were emergency situations they do need to be fixed, same with erosions remember you don't feel these happening they may happen over weeks and months and only can be diagnosed by someone familiar with what they are looking at on an xray. Emergencies do happen I am not saying they don't I am saying they are rare due to complications. Your best defense is an informed offense, knowing your body, knowing how you process food, knowing how your band reacts. Getting a fill dvd from your clinic if they don't have one ask them to make one for the patients. Know where your port is, understand that it is not a normal everyday needle they use to access it, they need a much longer gauge needle.

Lizzie, The only thing that really requires immediate attention for a lapband is being too tight and not being able to keep liquids down. Slips, erosions and most complications are things that happen over time you don't even know they are going on. Surgery doesn't have to be the same day it can wait. My first slip I was traveling and I knew something was wrong but I couldn't get to TO so it waited a few weeks to get looked at. So don't stress over 90% of the complications they more than likely won't happen to you and won't be life threatening that is the nice thing about the band. The worst you can experience is a band too tight to keep liquids down and that becomes dangerous in several ways, dehydration etc. Heather

I am six years out and here is what I have noticed... a) most feel to uncomfy heavy to date so they want to lose weight :shades_smile: once you lose weight you feel uncomfy in your body and want plastic surgery to get rid of the skin c) after plastic you worry about the extent of your scars and if anyone will notice them. As for dating banded, I tell some I don't tell others... it depends there is no rhyme or reason it is a comfort level for me. I have never had anyone react badly and run away saying you were what you did what. It is what it is and most people are pretty accepting of it. To the rest that I don't tell they assume I am just a very light eater. Heather

Doddie, That is horrid, I hope you wrote and complained about it. And next time you are here demand to see Dr Yau and don't leave till Nancy or whoever finds him. That is his decision not hers to make. Dr Yau is great and he will explain all his decisions to you and why he is making them. You paid the money and flew all the way back here you should have seen Dr Yau whether Nancy thought you needed surgery or not. I haven't met Nancy and I hope I never do.

i have an lower abdominal port and it is a simple procedure quick and easy to move it. I love the abdominal placement and refused the sternum placement too many people tell me sticks out like a boob... IT can be a little harder to find for fills but anyone with experience should be able to find it fast. The only other thing I can say is it tends to move around a little more on an abdominal placement and might flip but again easiliy fixed and mine has stayed in place for years.

I am glad you are writing, I had issues when I was traveling into town getting a hold of Nancy and left over 4 messages with no response I finally went another route to get a hold of someone who answered me in minutes instead of taking over a week with no response. But I was lucky I knew of another route to get my problem solved not everyone does. If we don't write and formalize the complaints the higher ups at TLBC won't know what is going on and then will never fix it. I have dealt with Kathy and she is amazing at solving issues and does it fast. But if we don't tell the problem children's bosses what is happening they will go on thinking those people are servicing their patients and doing it well. I have always found businesses pay more attention to a written complaint than a phone call... they feel the need to respond and address something someone takes the time to put in writing. Heather

Sorry Doddie, I hadn't realized how far back in the thread I was when i posted this. H

Rose we missed you at the lunch on Sunday... H

Actually Doddie, Small correction, Nancy has nothing to do with Canadian Lap Banders. Kathy owns the yahoo group but she has owned it for years long before the clinic existed and it was the only form of support for bandsters. It has been around longer than lapbandtalk I think. And while Kathy owns the group she doesn't limit who joins or what is talked about. I think most days she is too busy to even read the group. Heather

June, I have been banded over 6 years with about 150 lbs lost with relative ease and maintained... it varies you have to work at it. But you need to work with the bypass and any other WLS. The band works...

Seena, you may be the only person they call back, a friend of mine called to get details and they never would call her back she left tons of messages. So she went with where I recommended. I agree with the others about the post op, your immediate post op sounds good and hope it continues for you. You can do the whole experience without it, hell I did but it is harder. My only worry seriously is can Toronto support 4-5 clinics. Two are big but there are several others and if CIBO goes under what will you do? I have an agreement from Scarborough Grace that they will always support the bandsters done at the same time and I know I can see my band surgeon in his office outside of the clinic so I know he will be there for me. In my experience wait and see what happens as you start to lose and are 6-12 months out and hope the support is still there for you as well as the clinic. I have heard rumours they lost their funding to build. I have no idea if this is true but i have friends in the medical community and when we were talking about it the other day they we saying what they were hearing is CIBO may not be around for very long. Again it is a rumour and take it with a huge grain of salt.. but I hope for your sake it stays around. Good luck

Lizzie, email info@tlbc.ca and file a complaint if you don't tell them what is going on they will never know. Behavior like that is unacceptable there are a ton of ways she can help you. Good luck Heather

Peaches, I speak from experience sometimes it takes longer to figure out what is happening with the band that other times. I had mine slip 4 times, my port has flipped a few times, tubing disconnect once, a total band replacement and god only knows what else. Once they figure it out it works and works well. The trick is living with it until they figure it out, I know it doesn't help or make you feel any better at all but it is the truth, every time something went wrong it involved a flight from where ever I was in the world to Toronto and usually another surgery. Dr Yau is a great surgeon stick with him, talk it out with him or his staff and they will figure it out. I was in for a fluro on Monday but I didn't see you I must have been in and out. Heather

Whoever you choose you will have a relationship with that clinic for a long long time. Most of the Drs who do fills for TLBC or SWLC will do fills for either patient base so location of the clinic shouldn't matter that much. Go with the clinic that makes you feel the best and offers the most that matters to you. It is about way more than the money, it is about knowing you will be taken care of by your choice in clinic.

Any of the clinics can help you with getting funding. But if you don't have the cash it will be a monthly payment no matter where you go. TLBC has a great program for patients I am sure SWLC does too. Good luck I would only go to a Clinic that is a proven commodity these days where I knew I was getting a standard of care that met my expectations.

Canadian Lapbanders organizes a lunch every month and they move it around the city so it hits the west end, east end, and central areas as well. Anyone is welcome to join I know Laurie who organizes them was going to post on Lapbandtalk as well. I think this months is in Ajax at Applebees but I don't know the date.

I hate it... i have worked in the US for years and i can't tell you how much better it was when my salary was almost doubled with our dollar... but on a bigger note the strong dollar does hurt our economy and the imports to the US we are losing out as their largest trading partner to China more and more this year and last.. but I understand the temptation to shop

I have my big baby lap dog at 75 lbs.... Darby he is a irish Water spaniel... and i have no idea how to insert his picture. But I love and adore him and he loves and adores me. Most days I swear he is better than a man, he falls in love with me everytime I walk through the door and tells me so.

We had three plastic surgeons speak Dr Kraden, Dr Kreidstein and Dr Dupere. They all have experience with weight loss patients and they were all nice. I really personally liked Dr Kradjen. My PS is Dr Sliwin who I wouldn't switch from for love nor money because I really like him. I have heard great things about a lot of PS's. Go with who you really like personally. You will want to have more than one procedure done.

I have some pictures that we will try and get posted. I just wanted to remind any attendees if you have any suggestions for next year on what you like to see or changes let the commitee know. Hope we get to see you next year

1st you shouldn't choose your band... I don't let me Dr tell me how to do my job.. don't guess at his job. Regardless of the surgeon they have a choice of bands even if it is within one manufacturer. And they will look at your body shape, size where you carry the weight etc and then say this is what I have seen work the best with the least amount of complications. I had the innamed band (it was the only one available when I was banded) and when I had complications and needed my band replaced my docs had the choice of any band innamed, midband and swedish and choose the swedish band by J&J Dr Yau felt it was the best band for my body now that he had choice and I was already at goal at this point... Innamed offered me any band I wanted and I turned them down because my surgeon didn't think the second Innamed band would do any better in my body than the first one. Let your surgeon choose... and don't stress it.

My May goals 1) eat better get more fruits and veges and fibre in me 2) get back on track for working out several time during the week 3) hit a trail at least once in and do some hiking in the mountains since I am hanging out in Colorado 4) working on getting the size of the thunder thighs smaller( yes even at goal I still hate the thighs...)

Lila, congrats... I know how awesome it feels... now go keep trying on some of those new clothes do a little twirl and enjoy it...