BriDawn

I have anxiety and am prone to panic attacks too. The fact that I'm terrified of hospitals and have a slight phobia towards vomit also won't be helping me. I had my pre-op today and discussed this with the doctors and nurses. Their plan is to give me a small dose of Ativan once I'm whisked away from my parents since this will likely be when the panic starts. That and they're going to help me through it by chatting with me and keeping me doing some deep breathing (something that always helps me in those circumstances). My advice is to talk to your doctor as well and see if they can help in a similar way! I'm very nervous just at home too but I'm on anti-depressants for my anxiety which seems to keep the huge panics at bay. That and I try to take it one day at a time and not worry about too much. Good luck!

I think my list could go on and on but the main things: -feeling confident -shopping at the stores I like and not the stores with clothes that will fit me -going to the lake or pool with my friends -going on a hot vacation! -getting a massage -being able to do more workouts without feeling so exhausted, and being able to see the muscle under all the current flab! -meeting a new guy -being healthy and enjoying my new life!

I live in Alberta, Canada and I was wondering if anyone in Canada had gotten banded? I know they have the clinics in Toronto but I'm not sure if there's anywhere closer? Also, I've heard everyone saying that their insurance covers a lot of the costs, but as far as I read, the wait for the insurance-covered surgeries can be up to 5 years whereas the self-pay ones are much cheaper. Is this true? Just wondering because I'm seriously looking into getting this surgery but am confused as to where I can or who to talk to about it.

I live in Edmonton and have been looking into getting this surgery for a couple months now. I really want to get the whole experience underway, especially if it takes a while to actually get into a clinic for the surgery. So far, I'm having problems deciding where to go. I know I'll have to do the self-pay route as I have a "lower" BMI and am quite young. I've been thinking about Mexico but I get a lot of mixed results from researching it. It's about equal to hearing about the great experiences to the horrible ones. If I could, I'd prefer to go somewhere in Canada or the US because I think it seems smarter, however I don't know if I can afford the $18 000+ bills for this.. I've heard some people have seen doctors for less then $10 000 in the US though. Anyways, I'd really appreciate some helpful thoughts and information. Also, has anyone found any "fill" doctors in Edmonton? Thanks!