so done with it all

Tom usually post them a few weeks in advance. Not sure if he always post them on this board or not but he always does on this yahoo group. If you aren't a member you may want to join as they post coffee nights and dinners/lunches, etc.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/canadianlapbanders/

Premier ones are really good but unfortunately we don't have a costco near me so I also buy powder from GNC called Isoflex. It is very good as well.

Lapband is not covered through OHIP. The criteria that you mentioned are the criteria that OHIP uses to cover RNY gastric bypass.

How as your experience been so far with the band? Some days I want to get it really bad some days I am not sure. I guess I am just scared. And since i am so far away worried if something happends Doctors in Timmins wont know what to do.

Things have been good, never had a need to rush back to the clinic for anything. Have not encountered any issues with local doctors. I made sure my family doctor understood how it worked so at least he could be in the know. It's completely normal to be scared, it's a huge investment and a big step to take.

You get you fills in Timmins? I didnt realise there was someone here to do that. How long were you banded?

Yeah she only does fills for SWLC though so if you go anywhere else, she can't do them. Banded 5 years now.

I haven't heard of anyone having it done there yet. I was banded in Mississauga at SWLC and live near Timmins as well. I get my fills done here by a nurse that SWLC trained. It works out great and no travelling back and forth after the surgery.

The 2011 SWLC Symposium will be held at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre on Saturday, April 30th 2011 at 801 Dixon Road in Toronto. Guests will benefit from information filled lectures and the opportunity to mingle with surgeons and leading experts in the medical field. The anticipated annual event is looked forward to by the SWLC community as it brings all of SWLC patients together throughout Canada. The fee for all attendees is $100 and will include the following:

• Inspiring and educational speakers
• Continental Breakfast
• All program materials and handouts
• lunch Buffet
• Cocktail Reception
• Gift Bags
• Door Prizes

Registration deadline is April 28, 2011. For more info please click here

I don't have Barrett's but know of someone that does. Are you on any meds to control the stomach acid?

As for alcohol and being able to eat. If I drink, I tend to be able to eat more than I normally can. Not sure if the alcohol just relaxes us more or what but I have definitely been able to eat more when I drink any alcohol.

Surgical Weight Loss Centre has opened a new clinic in Vancouver. I had mine done there years ago at their Mississauga clinic, would highly recommend them. Their website

Hey Everyone,

Ok...so you may have read my posts about how I felt the day after surgery and I'm not going to lie, this is hard! My pain is getting a bit better each day, but I really have to ask about nausea. I've been eating YOP yogurt drinks, Jello, cream Soups that I puree, and I've had some serious bouts of nausea that scare me. Last night, about a half an hour after eating pureed clam chowder (about 1/2 cup), I got so nausous that I really thought I was going to puke for sure. I started crying. I took my chewable gravol and rocked back and forth until it kicked in about a half hour later. Here are my questions:

1. Can someone please tell me that this is just at the beginning?! Tell me what it's like to eat and live normally now that you've had the band for awhile and reassure me that this will go away. Please! I'm so scared that this is what my life will be like from now on and I have pings of old "depression" feelings that I don't want to feel ever again. I just feel like I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

2. Any suggestions for what I should be eating right now that will help keep nausea away? Before surgery I wasn't eating a lot of yogurt, milk, creamy foods, and I'm wondering if I just don't tolerate them well. Should I be eating only broth like soups? I'm scared that I'm not going to get enough nutrients in my body to heal, but I'm actually becoming scared to eat anything at all because of the nausea. Help.

3. Can someone tell me what it is actually like to throw up with the band? I know this is a weird question, but I feel scared that it will get stuck in the band and I'll choke or something. Is it possible to throw up?

I don't mean to come off like I'm a huge complainer. I researched this band forever and I really wanted it. But this part is scary and I feel so lost for some reason. I really want to lean on you guys that have had the band a long time and live normal lives. I just need some reassurance. Please share your story with me so I can see that this is only temporary.

Thanks so much

Kerry

Kerry,

You are less than one week post op and pureed foods don't normally start until day 8. That could be why you are feeling nauseated. I would eat things that are liquid only for right now. Some people need to stay on fluids longer than others and you may be one of them. Do you have any meditrim left? If so, stick to that and some broth and maybe some Jello for a few more days. Fear is normal at this point but life becomes completely normal once you are healed. You are in the WTF did I just do to myself mode. It will pass so don't worry about how you are feeling. You just had surgery and the nausea could still be from the anesthetic you had so if you feel a wave of nausea starting then take some gravol. In a few weeks, you will be over all of these feelings.

When I threw up with my band from having a GI bug, it was the same as vomitting pre band. Vomitting with the band if something is stuck is different as there are not stomach acids mixed in. The chewed food just comes right back up. Since you are on liquids, you wouldn't be stuck so chances are if you vomitted at this point, it would be like a regular vomit.

Kerry I believe you were banded at SWLC so you should call the emergency number to discuss the redness from the steri strips. The rest of the stuff is completely normal but I'd not wait to find out about the redness on your skin. They gave you that number for a reason so give them a call and ask what to do. I'm assuming you have already removed that tape with the gauze on it and you mean the actual little strips that are directly over the incisions. That other tape with the gauze made my skin red in just 24 hours but as soon as I removed them as per the instructions, the redness went away. I didn't have any issues with the actual steri strips. You may not want to put any cream too near the incisions as they are still open. I'd call the number and have one of the surgeons call you back to ease your mind.

Technical question.

What exactly type of needle and saliene is used to fill a lap band.

Reason I am asking: I was banded in 06, had some fill removed by my GP in 09 during my chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. I could not make the trip to Vancouver from Kelowna at the time to see my own Dr Leung.

She is trained as a surgeon and I trusted her. She was fast, hit the spot and was confidnet. The fill she took out gave me immediate relief from my nausea.

Now, I want her to put some fill back in, but she doesn't have any sterile saliene. And now I am wondering what the 'proper' needles for fills are.

Can anyone tell me?

Thanks in advance.

Guessing. Any saliene would do, but I see that there is 95% and 97% or something like that. And I am guessing at a Huber needle? But would like to know for sure.

My clinic only uses non-coring Huber needles and sterile saline. The other needles could damage your port.

I don't quite understand why you would want to stick with them if this is how they are treating you already and you haven't even had surgery yet. This is going to be a huge indication of what post op follow up will be like if they can't handle some simple pre op questions. If there is any way you can get out of the contract, I'd be running as far and as fast as possible. And if you can't get out of,it hopefully, others thinking of going there can be extremely cautious about getting everything answered prior to the handing over of funds.

SWLC?

SWLC(Surgical Weight Loss Centre) is another band clinic. It's in Mississauga. Here is their website if you want to check it out. www.swlc.ca They offer free consultations by phone with a surgeon for those of us that are far away. I had consults at a few places before deciding.

Hi,

I saw my doctor today and he had received and read the package from Slimband. He said that he thought the whole thing was a good idea and was very encouraging.

So what now? I have emailed the girl that I had my phone consultation with and am assuming she will reply tomorrow. What happens after you have made the decision to go through with the procedure?

Vicki

I think most of us in this thread went to SWLC and not Slimband so not really sure what their protocol is once you have decided. With SWLC, after we speak with the surgeon and make up our mind, they set a date then we speak with our patient coordinator who walks us through everything.

Wow I am also going through the exact same thing! For the past 2 weeks I haven't lost anything and my hunger increased quite a bit. I was worried that I had stretched my pouch out too. What are the symptoms of that Cjf?

I went for a small fill on Friday, only .2 but I feel so much better. I have very little hunger again and the scale is moving down.

I don't understand how you can be at a good spot then loose it after a while?

The sweet spot is a moving target. You will find it many times during your journey. As you lose weight, you lose fat around the stomach and the band needs more Fluid to bring it back up to that spot. I found my sweet spot many times over the years and the closer you get the goal, the less often the sweet spot changes.

I am planning on going to Dr. Chris as well and I just wondered if anyone wouldn't mind telling me the costs involved, iv had my over the phone meeting and am almost at my $1000 down payment goal. I'm reading that it cost $16,000 why was i told $5000 from his office? Is there something iv missed?

It's been $16 000 at SWLC for years so not sure where you got the $5000 price from. You should definitely be double checking with whomever at the clinic gave you that price.

The only time I have heard of a $5000 fee being charged was when someone had their band placed out of country and then wanted SWLC to do their fills so the charge was $5000 for the follow up.

You can claim your surgery, your travel expenses, meals(even if you didn't eat), hotel rooms, flights, etc. Every time you travel more than 40km for medical reasons, you can deduct it on your income tax. You don't need receipts for meals or for miles driven in a vehicle as they are a flat rate. The clinic issued me with a paid receipt the day of surgery. If you didn't get one, just contact your patient coordinator and they can send you one.

Crackers are slider foods. I could eat half a box easily especially with something like cream cheese. If I was eating them with kielbassa and hard cheddar, can't eat anywhere near as many.

Re your fill: The clinic had said that if you didn't get a reply within 48 hours to get in touch again in case the email or voicemail got lost. They'd sooner hear from us twice than to miss out on a request from us.

Polly could you have banged yourself near that area at all? I remember mine was a lot longer to heal than the little poke marks and it seems tender for quite some time. One time I ran into a wall and I hit near the incision and then it was sore for a week or more. If you aren't having redness or hot to touch, it shouldn't be a problem but you may want to double check with the nurses just to make sure. When I do any kind of abs exercises, my port area is very tender after as well.

That hard lump near the biggest incision is your port. As you lose weight, you can feel it more and more. It is buried deep during surgery but the more you lose, the less fat on top of it.

Have you tried to book a fill by email instead of phone message? I find I always get a quicker answer via email.

Vomitting can be an issue with either surgery. The solution is to take your time and chew properly. They are both restrictive procedures so have similar issues. That said, I didn't vomit for the first time until I was over 4 years post op with the band. I eat out often and never order Soup. I order whatever I am in the mood for and have never once thrown up in a restaurant and don't even think of it.

Good luck in your decision

Things like chips, popcorn, crackers, etc are known as slider foods. Don't gauge your restriction by how many of these foods you can eat. They will slide through no matter how tight you are. I have had days when I couldn't eat a bite of anything solid but could eat a boatload of crackers.

I was banded at SWLC 5 years and no regrets at all. They have a fill person in London but that may be as far as it is to go back to Mississauga. If you go back to the clinic then the fill is free but if you go to London, you have to pay the fill doc or nurse whatever their fee is, usually start at $75 and some are higher.