Gaffer

You know what, I actually had planned a 6 months retrospective on my 6 month anniversary Aug.14. Needless to say I did not get around to it, but I have been meaning to. I will try & post a thread tonight when I get home from work. Andrew

I use benefiber, but I have also needed to get usede to the idea that I may not have a BM everyday (Is that too much information or what?) Also make sure you are getting enough Water. I find I can tell when I am not drinking enough as everything backs up. Andrew

I can feel your pain. I did the "too full, need multiple defills past where I last felt good at" thing as well. Andrew

I agree with what everyone is saying. I feel that my aftercare from both Dr. Coburn and his staff have been top notch. He has taken the time to call me to help me resolve issues. I also saw him in Calgary when he was here most recently for a fill & a check up. I feel he is genuinely concerned for the well-being of his patients and I feel as though he has not forgotten me once he recieved my money, unlike so many other service providers I deal with. I cannot say enough good things about him. Andrew

That is great news. As soon as I saw your post I was wondering how you were doing with that. Andrew

I did have bread, and was able to eat bread before I was at my current level of restriction. You may want to wait a little to try the bread. IIRC my post op package said to try toast first as it tends to go down a little better. At 3 weeks you are still recovering and I would wait a couple of weeks in the event that you have to PB it back up. On the other side of the coin though, I would not plan on making bread a regular part of your diet once you are restricted. It just is not worth the greif. Andrew

My fill Dr. has one of these scales too. I love to go in and see what is happening. Nice increase in the FFM too. 10# of FFM is another 10# of fat that is gone. I would post my latest numbers, but they are at home. Good work, Andrew

I am in the same boat. At 360 I thought to myself, "I dont look that bad." Maybe that was just me protecting myself from the truth. Now I look in the mirror, and I can recognize where I came from, but I am still thinking "Why do I look this bad?" My wife & I were looking at an album that she was putting some new pictures in the other day, and I could not believe how fat I looked. I said to her "Why did'nt you tell me I was that fat?" Of course I was kidding, but she told me she had told me, maybe it was during hockey playoff & I did not hear her. That is the best feeling being able to get rid of a bunch of stuff. I am pretty sure that there is not much in the way of thrift store finds for guys that were as big as we once were. If you do have alot of expensive stuff, or suits, it may be worth while looking at a consignment shop. Many of them will just pay you up front, less than what it would to consign but still some money. I have scored the last 2 days. The Bay up here has had all of their clearance stuff an additional 40% off. I managed to score some $115 Hilfiger shirts for a little over $20 each. It is great all the brands that I wanted to wear but was too fat & cheap to buy. Andrew Andrew

The last time I lost a bunch of weight (125#) and was fairly buff I would wear a size small T-shirt under my clothes. I knew some twins who had lost a bunch of weight & they swore that the small shirts helped with bringing some of the skin back. This time I am planning on buying some compressions shirts by under armour when I am stateside (they are twice the price here in Canada). I think I will pick up about 5-6 in black & white so I can just wear them under my clothes like I do a T-shirt. I only wear performance shirts & shorts when I work out. Cotton is so 1800's. I prefer the Russell Athletics ones as they are softer & well priced. I like the loose fitting Under armour but I find they are a little too short. Addidas clima-cool is good, but I find it is too rough and when it gets we it chafs really badly. Can you say bloody nipples? Ouch. Andrew

It is amazing. My favorite shirt was a RL Chaps button up (which I could not button up) in 5XL (I find their stuff fits small). I bought another one last night in XL, note the lack of digits in front of the XL. The T-shirts that I wear I have gone from a tight 3XL to a comfortable L. I am headed to Vegas next week for some R&R, and some clothes. My closet is bare and the shirts I bought on sale at the beginning of summer to get me through are way too big now. I literally have 3 shirts that I can wear to work but I dont want to spend a ton of money on clothes that I will not be able to wear in a few months. Do any of you guys still look at yourself & see your self like you did at your old weight? Despite getting rid of mountians of clothes that were way to big, I dont see myself much differently that I did at 360#. I can feel the difference and notice it, but sometimes I look in the mirror & still see the super-obese man I was before my surgery, not the new "just obese" person that I am. I guess it has only been 6 months, maybe my brain needs to get accustomed to seeing less of me. Andrew

Don't ask us, we are in the Canadian forum. Best to ask on a more american oriented part of LBT than the Canadian forum. Andrew

Does anyone still do VBG. I am not saying that to be rude, but I think that Lapband has replaced VGB in most situations. Here I think you will get most of you opinions saying that Lapband is superior. In my opinion it is. The adjustable aspect of it was the most appealing for me as well as the very low rate of complication. That combined with the fact that after 5 years, weight loss with Lapband is not significantly different than other weight loss surgeries made it a no brainer for me. Andrew

My wife & I are headed to Vegas shortly to do some shopping. I have to get a new wardrobe since I only have 3 shirts & a couple of paris of jeans that dont fall off me. We have been to Vegas before, and have been to the Premium Outlets there, and found some pretty decent deals. That was about 3-4 years ago, and we will likely go back there this time. Someone told us about Fashion Outlets in Primm NV, and we can catch a bus from the strip, its about 45 minutes away. I notice that there is some of the same stores at each one, but I am wondering if anyone has been to both & if they can comment on which one they think is better or if itis worth going out to Primm over Premium Outlets? Thanks, Andrew

It is likely that the instant breakfast has whey Blend of some kind, and it may be of poor quality. I know if I use whey blends I will farting all day. Look for a protien shake that uses Whey Isolate, like Iso-Pro or NxCare IsoXP. Go to your local body building supplement store or someplace like GNC and ask for Whey Isolate. You can also find them & order them online. Of course since you are in pre-op, talk to your surgeons too & see what he says. Andrew

Mike's are carbonated. Personally I have an easier time with beer, as opposed to other carbonated drinks like pop (I wont let coolers pass my lips). I find the beer has smaller bubbles, likely due to it being naturally carbonated by the yeast. Maybe pick up a Mike's before you go to the game & see how it goes. I would also try a light beer & see what you have an easier time with. Andrew

silentfades, When I was looking into the surgery, it was the number/stats that sealed the deal for me. I have a strong science background, but at the end of the day, I looked at how the numbers where stacked in my favour. The chances of death were miniscule and the success rate was very good especially when weighed against the complications of other WLS. Do some looking around at the stats, and you will see that the deck is stacked in your favour. Apart from the numbers, I can tell you that I have not regretted for a minute having the band. I am 6 month post op as of today, and never has my life improved for the better in such a short amount of time. Andrew

That "100 Alberta Lap-Band" is a farce, and I am willing to bet that no more than 50 band are going to be placed this year. You see, AB health care bought 100 bands, but they do not have the capacity in the system to perform the surgeries. The problem is there is no capacity to perform the pre-op care, the surgery, or the post op care with fills, nutritional counselling, or psych counselling. The health care system in Alberta is in rough shape due to the influx of people looking for work. Here in Calgary many high risk pregnancies are sent out to BC, Sask or even into the States because there are not enough beds in hospitals or NICU. With things like this happening weight loss surgery, which is still viewed as a lifestyle issue, takes a back seat I have started the referal process for a panniculctomy, It looks like I am about 18-24 months before I get surgery (fingers crossed). Alberta is not setting a precident, rather they are talking some good game. When you get all the facts, we are no further ahead than other provinces in terms of lap bands. Andrew

Quote: Originally Posted by njwhitetail well I do eat wendys chili it goes down great It is great though. I was normally spending about $8-$9 for lunch at these places, now I am full off a $1.39 Chilli (Canadian prices here). The money that I am saving on food and beer will pay for my surgery in no time. Andrew

Is your ring made from Titanium by chance? If so, they are forged. I really liked the titanium ones when I was shopping for mine, but being unable to be resized was what put me off. As for the ring guard, the do come in larger sizes for wider bands. If you go to a local jewler that does repairs they will likely have one. I found it really handy whne the weight was falling off I could just bend the guard to make the ring smaller. Andrew

I have not seen any bandsters on here from Ft. Mac., but I am assuming there are some there. I am sure Dr. Coburn mentioned that he was training someone to do fills there. I know there are some in Edmonton, Grand Prairie and some here in Calgary. A little too far to get together for a quick meet up. Welcome to Alberta. Andrew

I had the same pain, and I also had a hernia repair. Just to be safe I would talk to one of the nurses at the clinic. From what I rember being told that tightness was caused by the hernia repair and it did go away. Stay positive, there are bound to be some bumps along the way but overall the experience is a great one. Andrew

I have been enjoying wine more after I have been banded. I was/still am somewhat of a beer snob, but I have started to get into more wine lately. My wife & I have really been enjoying some nice Pinotage wines lately. I cant say that I am partial to a particular country, I am an equal opportunity wino. The only thing that I dislike is that I try to finish my wine before my food arrives. I am a strict no liquids with food kinda guy. Any one have a favorite wine they like lately? Here are my recent favorites: Ash Tree Estate Shiraz Monastrell Graham Beck Pinno Pinnotage Good Stand Bys: Ruffino Chianti Folanari Valpolicella (This is great because it comes in half bottles which is perfect when you dont want to open a whole bottle, and they are only about $6 each here) Andrew

Congrats on taking the plunge. I did not have a last meal per se, rather I liked to call it the Farewell Tour. What a pig out it was. It is totally normal activity, and I actually found it to be beneficial in my case. After the month of donairs, donuts, whoppers and other crap I felt so awful I was ready to get the monkey off my back. Andrew

An interesting side note to this. My boss has been in the weight management clinic which is the first step to getting a provincially paid band. Some people may have heard that Alberta was going to fund an additional 100 bands this year. Well from what I have been told by my boss who is in the program, Dr. Coburn and my fill provider is that the will not be able to do any where near this many bands. There is no capacity in the health region to do the triage to see who gets them, the counsiling that goes with it, the actualy surgery and recovery as well as the aftercare for the patients. You can buy 100 bands, but they aint doing any good sitting on the shelves and they wont install themselves. It is tragic as there are so many people that could benefit from these surgeries. Andrew

Are you talking $4,000 for the entire surgery? The band device itself costs that much alone. Currently it costs about $16,000 in Canada to be banded. I dont think that they are going to get qualified band surgeons to drop thier private practice to do public bands at a cut rate, especially if they are only going to give them $600 like you say. I would be livid if Dr. Coburn started doing high volumes of cut rate bands as it would limit my access to aftercare which I paid my own money for. Fills are free for Coburn patients at the clinic. Only those who are out of town have to pay. Any public system would be foolish to not cover the fills as it is the adjustments that make the whole thing work. Why would they pay to have the band put in and then have people not properly adjusted because they are too cheap to get their adjustments. Aftercare is the key to success with the band, charging people would not work. Why would people pay. Ughhh, maybe they dont wait 3-5 years to have it. The band is covered here in Alberta, but they have more surgeries and need for surgery than the system can handle. The government recently annouced that they would be doing an additional 100 bands. Gues what, the wait time is longer than ever because there is no capacity in the health system to perform the surgeries and perform the aftercare. Lapband are a low priority comapred to surgeries that can immediately save peoples lives. I will guarantee that even if they are coveing the band that you people would still be waiting years before they are banded. That is why I decided to pay for mine. I wanted to stop dieing and start living. Here I am, over 100lbs lighter and adding years to my life when I would still be waiting to see a surgeon to book a lapband 2-3 years from now, with a surgeon who only does a handful of lapbands a year. I will take Dr. Coburn (or any of the other experienced private surgeons, even in Mexico) over a surgeon who has done less than 50 bands himself. I dont think you will find many people who would give up their bands or rethink them, especially on the outside chance that OHIP MIGHT cover it. Before I was banded I was on the fence about private or pay for service health care. Based on my experience with my lapbanding I can say that I am 100% in favour of being able to pay for services privately so long as it does not come at the expense of the public system and peoples access to care. To me it sounds like your Dr. does not know what she is talking about or you may not have all the facts. If I were in Ontario I certainly would not be holding my breath, especially during an election year. A lapband program would take years to set up properly. Andrew