susieq321

If it is the face I would go to someone who is an expert on faces... bodies and faces are different in my head....

George Bell is supposed to be the best as per a Dr I used to date.

I would use Sammy in a heartbeat for any body work but I would investigate the face specialists.

Heather

I definitely will be getting a lower facelift within the next year to three years. I would love to know who people choose for this and definitely only go with a plastic surgeon who is well qualified for.

I love my PS who is extremely experienced with Band Patients Dr Sammy Sliwin he is in Forest Hill and he did an amazing job on my Tummy Tuck and I have the best boobs ever.... midline belly button etc.

If you want his number let me know

Heather

Hi all Canuck Lapbanders.

You know I was thinking ( which can be dangerous by the way) but after reading many of the posts here with all of your stories of success, difficulties and support that we all give to each other and recieve, I was thinking as an individual, one person is not a LOUD as many.

Many of us do not have the money for this surgery from what i read, and borrow or do without to take this on. The other surgery,gastric bypass has higher health costs, waiting times and HUGE risk to the patient including MORTALITY! The costs of obesity wreaks havoc not just on our emotional health but health costs and diabetes , heart disease, coronary heart disease, etc costs our health plans millions a year . The insurabce plans will pay for breast reduction as an example and I would think that changing an obese person to someone of good weight and health would be just as important and overall save money to the system. I advocate that we talk here first and then organize it so that as a group collectively we protest to our government.

We can see first how we feel about what i am saying and then go from there and organize how we do this. I am a nurse, i also have worked in the media and if we get the media on our side , we would have some clout. We can decide to write letters, or as a group sign something collective and on the same day across the country, we get together near which ever big city we live in and protest at that house of legislature. If Toronto, was on the news that day on television, and say Montreal, ottawa, etc across the board, then we might be heard.

Now do you think I am just suffering from cottage cheese/ yogurt fatigue or do you think this might be something that we collectively can do?

If you want to do it go ahead I have made my stance on this known time and time again...

Before you get it going you may want to check in the Dec 2007 legislature records for the ON legislature who has passed a bill saying that the band will not be eligible for coverage by OHIP. It was in the Globe along with the Bill it was passed on it at that time. The band not being covered was a direct result of a lawsuit based from an appeal so to prevent any more potential payouts and lawsuits they passed it in the legislature as a codicil as part of another bill. Don't remember the exact date but it is there somewhere if you want to search.

Heather

I really am not a fan of the listing on the side... is there a way to switch it back?

This is off topic but does anyone know where to find Wasa Rye bread in Ontario or even Canada? I can't find it anywhere.

Thanks

I know whole foods in the US carries it, try a deli they usually have some of the european items.

Heather

Heather I was part of that telephone conference call. There were 7 of us and more indicating they wanted to take part. Unfortunately the young girl who set up the calls was very disorganized and failed us miserably. Shortly after she went to Alberta and intended to continue but that never materialized either. What she had difficulty with was the time zones and notifying all of us. There was a great deal of difficulty as well with the connections. The last attempt she made, nobody came on line and she cancelled the sessions. That last session was around Christmas time and I was never notified of the time nor if I recall were two or three others. The rest were away with family. Also, she wasn't very knowledgeable about counselling. She was a young bandster like the rest of us. She had no education as a thearapist. The dismal failure was not the fault of the clients.

Doddie,

Actually the incidents I was talking about happened long before you were a bandster.... but they were offering different things in different formats and whether they were conferences or face to face the clinic would set it up, people would confirm and never show up.. so one of the reasons they stopped them was it was wasting their money at the time because regardless if someone showed up for the call or meeting the Docs were paying for the nutritionist etc. I haven't done a teleconference so I can't speak for my experience I can speak about the conversation I had with Dr Yau and why they stopped offering some of the services that they offered at the beginning.

Heather

I did not intend nor imply a one on one session. What I was suggesting that if this doctor can hold support sessions once a month for a group at the clinic so should he hold support sessions for long distance patients by conference calls. It seems that long distance patients' money is taken for support services but they are rarely provided. And I don't need the comments that I should have realized that at the time because frankly I was looking for the best doctor and the literature they put out satisfied me as to support. However in real life it never materialized.

Doddie,

Sorry it wasn't clear in your first post you were looking for the distance sessions. I agree with you it shouldn't be too hard to put on a conference call or webcast. I will caveat the conference call with this though.. I spend 8-10 hours a day on the phone for my job and if I didn't multitask I would never get real work done. With that said... multitasking on a call like Dr Simon's would never work and the reason they may not offer it is that in the past when they offered things like call ins, or chat sessions they haven't been taken seriously or taken advantage of by the patients and it hasn't been worth the investment the clinic made since people say they will show and no one does so they end up paying for a resource to do something and no one uses it.

I talked to Dr Yau about it a few years ago this was before the clinic had a full time nutritionist and they brought one in who did conference calls and set aside time for patients and people would make appts and never show, the same for the calls people would confirm and never show for the calls. Based on that they stop offering some of those options because they were wasting money on them that experience has to weight heavy on them when they start offering new programs that cost them money to host.

But overall a podcast should be simple, much less interactive but not hard to arrange and post for downloading.

Heather

One of my concerns is the local residents have access to a psychologist (so the event calendar indicates) but we don't. As tango indicated if she had access to some mentoring on how to deal with frustrations and stress without the use of food, the situations may have been handled better. Many people spend their life savings or go into debt to have the band so can't afford private sessions. When Slimband have such an individual available to some clients the effort should be made to make it available to all. And yes, I have expressed this opinion to them.

Doddie,

Dr Barry Simon does group sessions and I know people who are going to those sessions and really enjoying them. But I have never heard of them promising one on one sessions with him or anyone else, but then again everyone has a different meeting. I have a friend who has done at least two of the Dr Simon sessions and I know she has found them valuable to her and her eating issues. He deals only with obese patients and weight loss as a specialists POV. I wish the sessions were available online but even then the odds are with my schedule I wouldn't be able to make it. I have asked for them to be added to podcasts but no one promised it to me, so it is hope rather than anything else.

Heather

i wonder if others are as upset as i am about the post operative care at TLBC i know many people are from the conversations in the waiting room. I would like to get a letter signed by a number of us expressing how the changes they are making in the clinic since they became Slimband is not resulting in better care or results for us patients. Let me know if you feel the same

Tango,

I don't agree with you but I empathize with you, if you feel you are not getting what is promised starting a petition is not a bad idea. Working in the business arena and for many years with clients and customers my advice is

a) write down exactly what you think the issues are so what were you promised that you are not getting personally I haven't been promised anything that isn't available. But truly spell it out, if you think the post op care is missing something and you were promised that with others write it out be specific and really anything promised should be in writing, make sure it was a promise and not a rumour you heard from another patient.

:thumbup: do not do this as an internet petition have individuals write out their letters addressing what their own issues are real people who are real clients of the clinic. Each person will have different experiences and what their issues are may be vastly different from yours.

c) Make sure the letters come from real clients with real names so the clinic can address those clients. Since it is a medical practice you can collect the letters but there is no possible way that anyone from the clinic can address anything about me as a patient with you they can't even acknowledge I am a patient to you. So the letters can be given as a collective whole but really they will need to be addressed individually to the person who has the issue. I think there are a lot of trolls on the net who like to stir up trouble and a lot of people who have some issues but aren't willing to take the time to address them by doing something like writing a letter, make this a serious effort to produce the results you want.

d) make an appt with the mgmt of the clinic and present the letters after ensuring the people are real patients of the clinic. There would be nothing worse than presenting a bunch of letters to find out a majority of them were not written by real patients. But present the letters along with a summary of the most common issues and ask them to address the issues as a whole and to the individuals.

Me I have no issues with the clinic Slimband has always been great with me, I like the staff, I have no issues getting fills with my travel schedule, I have never been promised something that wasn't delivered on time and correctly. I have had one problem and I addressed it and as far as I know it was taken care of in house. But I have found in the past dealing with companies the most effective way to resolve issues is to put things in writing making sure they are well written, concise and well presented, don't make it a bitch session that you don't like what you hear or read from others, make sure your issues are legitimate issues and only write about your issues not your friends. They can't address what is happening to others with you, only your real issues and what has happened to you.

Good luck

Heather

sounds interesting, how large and heavy is it?

Ok on day two of wearing it and I actually forgot I was wearing it for a while today it is kinda of like having a loose elastic around my around

Heather

i've signed up for the 'Learn to Run' program at the local Running Room store. I hope to be able to run 20 - 30 minutes without a break by the end of the 10 week course.

Any one else?

Cujo,

Cool I signed up a few years ago and I learned that running wasn't for me.. I do it on occasion but I am not a person who has ever reached the runners high.

Good luck with the running room it is a great program make sure you have good shoes and enjoy it!

Heather

sounds interesting, how large and heavy is it?

Actually it is small about twice the size of an Ipod shuffle... and not heavy... we will see how wearing it feels after a few days it bugged me yesterday but then anything on my arms bug me... that is just me it is back on today counting calories etc.

H

Doddie,

I got my bodybugg last night... so it straps on and you wear it 23 hours a day, excepting times in the pool, shower, sauna etc and it measures four things...

numbers of calories burned, your motion and steps, your sweat and the amount of heat dissipated from your body so it is kinda cool... straps onto the left arm and away you go I haven't set up the entire online thing yet I will let you know how it does... having something strapped to my arm is annoying to me... but most people don't complain I think it is a matter of adjusting to a level of comfort.

Heather

no, it is not worth it. SB has a good site going.

Cool... I just thought I would ask since it seems the challenge died... I know I am still trying to get at least 4 workouts a week in!

Heather

I noticed someone posted about the fitness thread... somewhere do we want to start another one... or is it worth it?

Heather

Just make sure you stay hydrated. Altitude changes in reality do very little to change the band, not nearly as much as hydration levels can change things.

It is much easier to become less hydrated at higher altitudes because the air is drier, and your body literally has the moisture almost sucked out of it.

I fly almost everyday.

that is so very true drinking Water is important.... and avoiding booze it adds to the dehydration overall.... having flown frequently for years I know I only drink Water on planes...

Heather

Hello;

I have been researching all this information and I am quite comfortable with Mexico and Dr.Aceves I think. I am waiting to hear if I am a good candidate for the Sleeve. Too much aftercare in the Band I think. Looking for feedback from anyone in Canada. I want to do this soon and wondered if there is anyone looking to have a buddy to go there with for a procedure? I am in Ontario but anywhere is OK as we have to get to San Diego anyway. This is a huge expense but I really need to do this somehow. The more feedback the better .. Thank you

Please keep in mind Mexico is on a travel advisory from the Canadian Gov't these days due to gang violence... and it is violent.. I have friends who live in San Diego and won't go over to Tijuana even on a day trip because of the number of people who are being killed over having a marine hair cut or having a expensive looking ring on... it is very dangerous these days.

Please please read the advisories before going.. and make an informed decision.. these days you couldn't pay me to go to mexico and I am a very experienced traveler.

Heather

Hi: I have 'subscribed' to threads and I am notified when someone posts.

My main reason for posting today though is about the complaints. I approach the complaints with a sort of polyanna thought. Most posters are desparate for support as there really isn't many face to face support groups. We are in all sorts of moods such as fear, frustration, anger, whatever and it shows in our postings.

I have stung in my postings and I have received stings, so I am not putting myself forwards as a little angle.

What I do know, is that I try to look past the 'bitchin' and read the message the poster is trying to say. I hope people keep posting on this thread so that other bandsters can help.

Amen

Doddie,

I think that people need to get the anger out and vent... don't get me wrong about that... but what I don't get is the need to go on and on and on... let it go and get on with living life and doing it better stronger faster slimmer... when you spend your time focusing on the negative over the positives that you are doing to improve your life... you hold the negative and never get over it, so it tends to feed how you live your life. We have all met the people who on the surface have it all on the outside but on the inside they are bitter and angry... that is what reading posts from people who harp about the issues forever seems like to me.

But I think people need to post the good bad and ugly... I think people need to know this is not always the easiest thing in the world to do, to change who you are... how you life and form better habits. I think a lot of people don't do the research and go into banding like it is a magic bullet and will do it all for you... it won't and it isn't... and people need to know that... they need to know this is real work for the rest of your life!

People need to know about complications and how they are solved and the challenges.

I really don't care though if people hate other people, or love other people.. hate the clinic staff or love the clinic staff... my experiences have been great with Slimband and that is what I judge them on my experiences not yours, not someone elses, just mine... and as long as they continue to be great they work for me. And I think people need to post that just not dwell on it... same with good experiences post but don't dwell... live your best life as Oprah would say.

Heather

I haven't been on a plane but I live on the Gulf coast at sea level. We went skiing in New Mexico at 10,300 feet. I had great restriction at home but in the high altitude almost no restriction. When I got back home it was there again. Very thankful for that.

jazie

See that is funny to me because I spend a lot of time in CO at 7000 feet and I have been up Pikes Peak and spent some time at 14000 feet and I find I can get tighter much easier at altitude over looser...

Heather

I am just wondering if anyone out there has come up against any problems flying after being banded?

I have flown probably over 100 times since i was banded no issues ever doesn't even set the security alarms off... the old old ones would once in a while but not the ones installed since 02.

Heather

Heather thanks, I went there and posted on 3 different groups and I got a reply telling me the program was in the planning stages. I am satisfied.

I have been on the twitter.com and I can't figure that one out either so I guess it is me that finds Slimband difficult. However, the more I use it the more I am getting to know how to find My Home Page. As Slimband is my clinic, I am hoping I will get more adept at using it.

Thanks again.

Doddie,

No problems... as I said to Mary different strokes for different folks... I loved yahoo for ages.. I understood it when I first came on LBT I hated it!!! Now I get it.. and it is ok... Slimband was easy for me I am an IT geek so it made more sense... just to my geeky mind. I am sure like LBT it gets easier with time.

Heather

I went to the slimband member's section the other day and after twenty minutes of looking at all the groups, I gave up because I couldn't find that post you had made Heather! And I don't get notifications about additions to that subject (if there are any). Next time you are there, if you could copy the address that may help.

I find that site so annoying. It isn't at all like this forum or others I've been on. Oh well.

Mary

Mary,

See I love it over there and I don't have a lot of use for lapbandtalk... different strokes for different folks.

It is located under the thread title though...Who wants ideas on how to get started on getting fit and into shape??!!

I find the people more realistic and positive... which personally helps me more... I understand talking about the good and bad but some people here just seem to love the bad more than the good... they seem to forget they are changing their lives for the better and focus on whatever they can scream the loudest about.

I find that the people posting on myslimband aren't always happy, are challenged but they are moving forward not dwelling on the negative... and as I said for me that helps me.

But I like to read it all

Heather

Heather after reading your post, I immediately went to the Slimband website and I looked and can't find any announcement. Nor did I receive an email announcing this long distance program. I responded to a couple of groups that I guessed might be the correct one and hopefully someone will email me. In the meantime, can you tell me where to find this announcement?

It was on the same thread that I said I was interested in forming the group, one of the staff mentioned they were planning on doing this type of group with distance meetings etc. I think it was the fitness group. And I wouldn't say it was announced it was a response to a post that they were planning on doing something much like I proposed... so that would tell me it is in the planning vs the actual out there stages.

Heather

Cool bones.... Slimband is going to a distance bootcamp they posted it on the myslimband site... so that takes care of me having to organize one I like it when great minds look alike!

Heather

It was both my posts that were deleted and I just want to clarfiy that I was never sent an email for the removal of the first post but I did receive an email from Mindy when she removed the second post. And she did explain why. I don't agree with it but I will respect the rules of the site.

But I think this is a beaten horse so I will just drop it. But I do want to say that everything that goes around comes around and eventually certain shady people will have to answer for their behavior.

I didn't get one on my removed post either I think it is more a hit and miss thing.

Heather