susieq321

Take it easy Love and drink lots and lots... we are all different by day four post surgery I was driving from Toronto to Boston and by day 6 I was on a plane to Dallas and day 7 I was teaching classes for 10 hours a day but I didn't have issues keeping things down. And was up and walking through the mall on Day 2. The dizziness will pass soon if it doesn't call the clinic and ask about it. Good luck Heather

But what about when that badge of honor causes infections, makes you jean size 4 sizes up from where it would be if you only didn't have that loose skin.... sure it makes you look better and it is vanity in some aspects but it is also your mental health along with your physical health.... I went from a size 16 to a 10 with a TT..... that is a lot of loose skin why should I carry it around? Losing weight is the badge of honor being healthy is a badge of honor not extra skin and stretch marks for me!!! Heather

Yasmina, Tracey is completely right on this one OHIP covers what is called a Panni... and only in cases where the apron is interfering with your quality of life, ie rashes and scarring from the rashes requiring home care and this must be documented over a period of time. Breast reduction is covered if they remove more than 500cc of tissue (which is the equivalent to a c to d cup implant, my PS tossed it over and said if I take that much out what will you have left.... ) (Both the TT and breast lift add the tightening of tissue to the surgery and are done in a private clinic where OHIP is done in a hospital) OHIP used to cover panni's with relative ease but because of the increase in WLS and patients wanting the surgery they now make the surgeons jump through hoops to get it covered. I asked when I had PS 4.5 years ago. I know some people who have had portions covered of PS but their surgeons have fudged their records in my opinion based on what they told me and frankly I wouldn't want to go to a surgeon who is willing to shortcut for OHIP to pay cause what are they going to shortcut on the table while they have me open. My other opinion on this is choose a PS who has a lot of experience with Weight loss patients because our skin is a lot different than most people it is damaged and stretched and it is much harder to work with and get the results you want if you are not as experienced with patients who have had dramatic weight loss. Heather

It really is so individual who gets what and wants what for PS.... some people don't care about the sagging skin me I am shallow I care.... I would rather have a tighter body enhanced with PS. It is so individual

I will go against the grain I never want to see the lap band covered call me all the names in the book I am ok with being an elitist snob for a lot of reasons... If it is covered there won't be more time for WLS surgery it will just be another surgery on the schedule and there is already a 7 year wait in ON for the bypass. people who are self pay take it more seriously and tend do better than people who have it paid because they have skin in the game (that comes from talking to WLS in the US where there are both options) and a host of other reasons I know it is a hardship for some but hell I had to pay too and I found the money.... I am glad the On legislature passed a bill to not cover the band. Heather

Mandi, I am sorry and my thoughts are with know this, there is no right or wrong in how you grieve... I never cried over my brother when he died I was too busy being angry I love him but I was mad he was killed. Know you got to spend time with her and she was happy at the end and that is what truly matters more than anything else.... Take care of yourself Heather

It all depends on you, your genetics, how overweight you are when you start, how stretched is your skin, how much elastin do you have... the more you have to lose, the older you are, the paler skin you have the more likely you are to want to have PS when you are done... you don't have to get it and I know more bandsters who haven't had plastic than I know who have... I know people who have lost over 150 lbs and didn't have any plastic they were happy with their bodies. Here is what will help a bit, toned muscles, Vitamin e cream.. but they are just surface items. Me I was fine with my thighs until I had a tummy tuck several years ago... and since then I have wanted my thighs done I have postponed for my own reasons work, family health etc.. they will get done when I have 6 weeks in a row that I am not traveling somewhere... and my family is in good health so I don't have to worry about someone taking care of multiple people and my job allows for me to take time and not be on deadlines! Good luck... after my thighs I will consider my arms and maybe an ass lift... I love my flat tummy and perky boobs best thing I ever did. Heather

Doddie, Now when I say it I say it with a laugh which doesn't come through in an email and politics are politics... I don't have to like their leader or his actions and I am allowed to speak my mind and I do this about cdn politics as well. And lets face it there are very few differences in reality between cdns and americans and the way we see the world having lived and traveled long term all over north america, really there is little more than a border line and different govt's separating us. I didn't criticize a host, I criticized two god awful dishes in my mind.... I would never critique my hosts menu during dinner or to them, if offered something I don't enjoy I decline it with a polite no thank you, everywhere I go for holiday dinners these are family favorites... I don't have to eat what I don't like and as I said I am just thankful it never caught on in Canada and regardless of how much I love my hosts I don't have to love everything they serve me. And if they ask me about a dinner even if the served nothing I enjoyed eating I would still tell them truthfully the company makes the meal..... because as a general rule I don't eat meals with people that I am not fond of when it is by my choice. PS it is Heather not Susie... Heather

I work in the US and at home I take my shoes off in the US not as much anymore I just honestly prefer being barefoot so I tend to slip shoes off fast anyway. My favorite question is Thanksgiving... what do we have to give thanks for? I usually answer that we aren't american, we don't have george bush as our leader or what do you think the exact same thing you guys give thanks for traditionally a good harvest.... our is just earlier than yours for most of the country. Although I am so glad that cdns never really picked up on the green bean casserole thing or sweet potatoes with baby marshmellows... no matter where I am in the country when my friends invite me to those are served and i just don't get either of them... canned green beans, mushroom soup and fried canned onions.. ugh

Tyler you are completely correct and when you get to 250 you might adjust you goal to be something else, or it might be the perfect goal weight for you.... I preferred setting mini goals as I went along and lost weight at 50 lbs lost usually with milestones too...

Tyler, I am a TLBC bandster and I tell some people and don't tell others.... it varies it is my choice if someone sees me after not seeing me for a few years I just say thank you for the compliments and I ate well and moved my body more and ate a lot less... all of that is true.... My close friends know, I tend not to hide being banded but I also don't shout it from the roof tops. People reactions will surprise you and who supports you and doesn't support you will really surprise you! I know people who told no one but it is harder. Good luck Heather

Most of the bandsters I know set realistic goals and reach them, I have several close bandster friends and all have made and maintained their goals.... now some are more realistic than others, some people want to be a size 2, some want to weigh 130 lbs, I am happy at size 8-10... no matter what I weigh. (my clothes range from a size 6-14 but the average is 8-10, just depends on who makes em) Keep in mind for someone who started at 400lbs to be 200 is a great goal and very reasonable... or to be a size 12 is reasonable.... excellent it depends on where one starts and where they want to end. At one point I wanted to weigh 140 but when I hit 150 and my band surgeon was complaining I lost too much weight... and I really shouldn't lose more... I looked emaciated...and refused to give me a fill and started defilling me... now insurance and BMI tell me I should be 130-140.... why? I think we need to remember that as obese people we have a layer of muscle in there and muscle weight three times as much as fat so you may weigh more than you want and be a size that is perfectly acceptable to you. That is where I am... size 6-8 on top and 8-10 on the bottom and every time i step on the scale it changes... up and down... so I stopped and I am happy with my clothes fitting and NOT buying bigger clothes and making excuses for it like I did when I was heavy. There is nothing stopping people from losing more or losing less... sometimes the body doesn't want you too though it reaches its healthy point and rebels and there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes our bodies know more than we think we do. Heather

Marivan, It varies but the band maintenance is the best thing about the band.... it is simple and easy as long as you eat well and move your body. I think the maintenance part of the band is where the magic comes to life... I lost 150 lbs in 18 months and never really looked back... it is simple.. I have good days great days and really bad days.... where I eat whatever. Overall I like eating well and I am pretty healthy but it is not a thought I have to eat this type of food or I will gain... I eat whatever I want when I want in limited quantities.. I hate the gym but I try and make it a few times a week to be a healthier person. Maintenance is where you stop thinking, obsessing and generally driving yourself nuts... I haven't been on a scale in months, my clothes fit I am happy... when the jeans get a little too tight I stop and ponder, hmmm maybe the threesome with ben and jerry two times last week and the alfredo not the best thing... I am not sure the brain ever catches up.... I have thin days and fat days most days I just say I am average it is when I see pictures with my friends or I say I have a shirt you can wear and I am smaller than they are.... there are days I think I look like a cow in the mirror... I didn't get it after a bypass friend who was a size 2 said she understood her thin friends and their fat days now.... and I looked and said you never have a fat day anymore... but we do it is just how you feel on that day either blah or chunky etc. I don't pay a lot of attention to it it is just a day... then again I don't pay a lot of attention to anything until some stranger starts talking about how hot I am blah blah blah... (my friends are beautiful so we don't think about it until we hear it out loud from strangers) Go with how you feel and where you feel good that is all that matters I am a size 8-10 and I am happy there Heather

Susan, That is awesome keep up the good work

Buffie, Don't think the worst, and look at all the options... there is also the sleeve which is much easier on the body than the bypass. Dr Yau is in my opinion the best weight loss surgeon in the country he can do any of the surgeries, the DS, the sleeve, the bypass and the band... The pain makes me wonder though, the stomach in the middle, where is your port could it be pressing on a nerve close to the surface did you plastic guy move the tubing at all and could that be hitting a nerve? Pain is really unusual with a band complication... involving the stomach slips, erosions usually don't involve pain (I am sure there are some that do I just haven't heard of them) Could it be a hernia from surgery those are holes in the muscle walls and depends on where the trochar punches through on lap surgery or what the PS is doing but they won't show through on an xray... and hernias can hurt like a dickens. Getting him the films fast is the key, I am hoping it has nothing to do with your band at all... and it is simple to fix and diagnosis keep us up to date. Dr Yau's policy now is unless the stomach needs to heal from trauma to it the band comes out and a new band goes right back in same surgery... it used to be standard procedure to take it out and wait 6 months and that was my joy when I slipped. Heather

kirsten, what you have written is brave... I think there are a lot of people who get banded or who have other forms of WLS and are not mentally prepared to give things up or commit to the life changes they need to make. Only you can determine if the band is for you or not for you. I would suggest strongly you think through whether or not you are ready, maybe you take all your fill out and have a band break for however long it takes you to decide. Talk to your surgeon he should have staff at the clinic to help you talk through this decision. I don't want you to regret this once you are done with it. The work it takes to lose and maintain weight loss is considerable, I think people underestimate the commitment and the drive to succeed at this. I had many complications 4 slips, band removal, tubing disconnect a few port flips but I can honestly say I never questioned my decision to have the band and the work that I put into this and still put into my journey. Good luck, I hope you can work this through, and make the right decsion for you Heather

Buffie, Pain will a slip is unusual, not unheard of but unusual... there are no pain nerves on your stomach the same way there are under your skin so when you pinch it hurts... mostly my slips had affect the reflux, vomiting etc. When are you getting the information to Dr Yau the faster he sees it the better off you are if you can't email it I would be overnighting it as fast as possible to him.

Buffie, I have slipped many many times.... so symptoms include the acid reflux at night, the vomiting eating nothing, the ability to eat anything.... along with a few others. Now this is going to sound harder than it is but take a deep breath and relax.... wait for Dr Yau to look at the films it could be big it could be small. Fixing a slipped band is easy they go in and replace it I know it sounds bad but it isn't it is easier than the initial band surgery and they can fix it usually pretty fast yes it does mean a trip to Toronto. I understand the expense of that and the pain in the ass it is... I had to fly in for all my complications and it was not fun. The good news... you can get the band fixed and continue with your journey right after your band is fixed, the harder news is until you figure out what is wrong and what it takes to fix it you might need to exercise some will power and stay away from the junk food... my advice is keep on track as much as you can. If you want to email me privately or talk my email is susieq321@hotmail.com. Dr Yau is my surgeon too and I know how good he is. Good luck Heather

Oh sweetie, you aren't stepping on any toes if you want to plan one go ahead I am just telling you why we decided not to do one this year and as rewarding as it is it is also a big ole pain in the butt.... and that has nothing to do with the bandsters planning any major event like that is a big ole pain in the butt. As I mentioned we will do a bandster splash bash just for fun in Oct I think sometime... but no lectures, no docs, no client affiliations etc. Dallas might be fun to go to I will keep my eye on the thread to see what happens! Heather

Plastics are the easiest usually and they will donate things like treatments etc.... they make money by talking about their skills and they find new patients.... you should be able to get a line up of them but look for one who has worked with WLS patients our skin is really different and hard to work with. Good luck Heather

I have helped organize some bandster bashes in Canada as part of a committee... they are a ton of fun we have had sex therapist comes talk about dealing with the body images pre and post losing weight, counselors, long time bandsters, plastic surgeons are always great and we have done draws for free bands and other services like consultations with plastic surgeons etc. Good luck with the planning it is a ton of work I will keep watching the thread I might be able to talk some cdns into coming down. Heather

We have done convention/bashes actually three of them I was on the committee we decided this year not to hold and educational conference for many many reasons... the biggest ones being the clinics are holding their own events for free for their patients and we are asking them to pay and people don't want to pay for what they can get for free. Putting on a convention is a lot of fun but a ton of work to get the speakers, prizes, a huge financial risk you have to guarantee number of rooms and amounts of food, people complain about everything... people rave about everything it is terribly gratifying and horridly off putting at the same time. If you want to plan one go right ahead but it is a lot of work. In the past we have had plastic surgeons, band surgeons, sex therapists, counselors , psychologists who specialize in weight issues, endocrines, imported speakers from the US many many times and ton of other people.... While we are not holding a educational seminar with speakers this year we will hold a splash bash in Oct that will not be associated to any clinic in any way with all bandsters invited for a fun social night. Heather

If you have US health coverage it may be covered but not in Canada... and based on a bill passed in the ON legislature last Dec it doesn't look like it will ever be covered or covered any time soon unless they change the law they passed Heather

I am ok with a 24 hour response and I am traveling 60-80% of the time no where near the clinic, but I have no idea where everyone got the idea that they bought an instant response with the surgery... You don't get an instant response with your family Doc, any specialist I know including my Dad's cancer docs.. I know I didn't buy an instant response from my plastic surgeon who I have paid just as much money too as I have paid TLBC. You guys may have a different contract than I have but no where at any time did Kathy, Dr Yau or anyone else at TLBC promise they would instantly respond to my queries... and I think if they say 24 hours they they should honour their commitment but if it takes longer it takes longer... (and they should not promise 24 hours on voice mail etc (ie Nancy) ) regardless of where you are in a true emerg situation you are going to the hospital TLBC response or none so what is the big deal? There is nothing out there that should have panicked anyone so much that they can't wait 24 hours for a response and that if they can't wait that long they shouldn't be going to a local emergency to deal with the situation anyway. I am on the road all the time and have been since the week I was banded.. don't carry a fill disk, don't carry a banding card. or needles even. I figured in a true emergency I can get online and show the doc more than the DVD and card can tell them or I am going to be out cold and it won't matter. And I have had complications... lots of em all while traveling and away from the clinic. If TLBC wants to offer an instant pager service and people want to pay fantastic I think it is a waste of your money though. Heather