Well, today was my doctor appt. I asked my doc to send in the referral for a consultation with the doctor's in Edmonton. I was kind of surprised that my doc didn't know anything about the surgery and as a result I found myself educating her. She said she had one other patient recently asking about surgery but hadn't really checked into it. Oh well... at least she thought it sounded like a good idea for me as a tool to help control portions.

I expect the wait will be at least 1.5 yrs for a consult and possibly longer for surgery. I hope some money falls from heaven in the near future so I can go to Toronto to a private clinic. I haven't given up hope. I'm a true believer that if it is meant to be - it will be.

Janice

Soooooooo true Andrew! As you may recall I am currently working on my BSW and I too have found that average weight people fair much better in the world of work. It's a shame that our society can be so shallow and judge people on their outer appearance. Over weight people are often viewed as lazy or stupid - far, far, far from the truth - obviously!!!

Anyway... I have two very good reasons for working my a.. off to get a loan and go East for surgery. First, my age, I'm turning 45 this month and my family history of heart disease is overwhelmingly huge. My dad had his first open heart surgery at 49 and his second at 78 which he didn't recover from and died in the ICU at Foothills in 2005. My oldest brother died suddenly at 50 yrs of age from a heart attack in Dec 2004, six months prior to my dad's death. My second oldest brother had open heart surgery at 48 years of age. So I figure, Lapband surgery is something that may help me avoid or at least help reduce my risks for heart problems. Second, I think the risk for infection during surgery in the regular hospital system is much, much higher than in a private clinic. I personally have heard of at least five people in the last few years who have gone in to the hospital for routine surgery and acquired an infection, sometimes life threatening. Going the private clinic route is so much safer and I believe, more efficient - definitely a better bang for your buck!

:clap2:

Janice

A year and a half wait??!! Every time I read a post from a Canadian it scares me to death that we now have people in charge of our US Congress (as of today) who are in favor of socialized medicine. I know there are advantages, but......

Anyhow...hope your Quest goes well....

ooooooooooooooooooo, *biting at the bit*...I will refrain from making a comment....because we play nice in our Canuck Sandbox!!!! But there are so many comments I would love to make here!!! LOL I'm sure my fellow Canucks can imagine them though, so no need!!!

:nervous

Hey JLB: sounds like you are doing it all for the right reasons!! It's too bad this wasn't an option several yrs ago, eh? Investing in our health is one of the best things we can ever do!! And....we deserve it!!

Yoda, you are so right, wouldn't want to sway anyone in either direction. I have personal reasons for my expression of choice ie. gut feeling but also family in the area, etc. Thinking out loud I guess.

I know Dr. Joffe /Yau are also good and were the first to perform the surgery. I haven't been on the board for very long but for the postings I've read Dr. C is mentioned way more than Drs J/Y. Anyway, just an observation. I would love to read more about both Drs. Helpful to get everyone's views on thier experiences with different surgeons/clinics.

Janice

Yoda, I sure wish I knew about this surgery long ago. As I understand it, Lapband was first performed about 6 yrs ago or so by Drs. J/Y in TO. I only heard about Lapband surgery a few months ago - must have had my head in the sand! By the way... congrats on your 61 lb loss. You are doing fabulous!

I noticed you were banded in TO. Do you live out there and go to the same clinic for your fills or??? Would you be willing to share any other info regarding your experience at the TO clinic. I am still in the deciding mode so I definitely appreciate any info about different surgeons/clinics.

Thanks,

Janice

:help:

Like so many other people I also took the Self Pay route because waiting was not an option. The only thing that saved me some money was the fact that I went to Mexico but even if I had to stay in Canada I still would have begged, borrowed or stolen to get it done.

Janice,

I forgot that you were a student. I know how that can really put a dent in things, especially with the current price of tuition, books etc.

Maybe it could be your grad present to yourself.

Andrew

ooooooooooooooooooo, *biting at the bit*...I will refrain from making a comment....because we play nice in our Canuck Sandbox!!!! But there are so many comments I would love to make here!!! LOL I'm sure my fellow Canucks can imagine them though, so no need!!!:nervous

I know what you mean Yoda, I had to talk myself out of posting about on that one.

All I will say is that even after I pay for my surgery myself, I will still have more money than if I were paying the health insurance premiums I would have to pay in the states. Not to mention that at my current BMI it is very unlikely that I would not be covered.

Universal health care is still the better option despite its drawbacks.

Andrwe

Hey Time2Live!!!!! Long time no see!!! Good to see you. You are doing FANtastic!!!

JLB: I live about 2 hrs north of Toronto....so yes, I do go to Toronto for my fills. I don't go to the actual clinic at TLBC though....I go to a hospital in TO where either Dr. J or Y do fills by fluro for those who need it done by that method. Unfortunately, I am one of those people....but actually for me, it works out better...the hospital is a bit easier for me to get to than the clinic downtown. If you are wondering why I get my fills by fluro...it is merely the manner in which my port is positioned that makes it difficult for the fill nurse to get me on the first couple of tries (I have some stories about it that you can find if you do a search) and though both Docs got me that way...it still took them "too many" tries....so by fluro it is a snap...(plus I will admit it is realllllllly kewl seeing my insides....when I saw my heart beating it was verrrrrry kewl indeed!!!).

My experience at TLBC was excellent but likely everyone will the say the same thing about their surgeron and clinic etc. My advice (especially when paying that much money) is to visit and have a consult with at least 2 clinics (an easy thing to do in TO since there are a few in the area). That way, you get a personal "feel" for the people (ie. pre-op and post-op staff), the surroundings etc....nothing beats the first hand experience. Afterall, you wouldn't buy the first car you look at on the lot. Different things will appeal to different people...at least if you literally check out two places you can make an informed decision for what is "right" for you, for your own personal reasons.

All that being said, whether you go with TLBC or Dr. C, you will be in good hands!!

I'm excited for you and everyone else just starting their journey!!!

JLB,

I was banded at the Lapband centre with Dr J/Y and the clinic is the best. I can't speak for the other clinics but I have had the pleasure of numerous conversations in the clinics waiting room while waiting for a consult, surgery or fill and the staff and patients are all very supportive and wonderful. My experience with the TLBC has been fantastic but you're right - it is a personal preference and just because you see more posting from Dr C's clinic doesn't make it the best one. I researched before choosing and they are the best and their continuing care is great too. Many of the staff have had bands and are walking successes. They will tell you about their bands and the triumphs as well as the valleys. Many of their patients don't have time to post to the forum or find their support from the support groups offered at the clinic. I have to travel for them so I prefer to use the internet as one form of support.

These folks here are wonderful. If you have specific questions someone will answer. Maybe not to your liking but you will get an opinion non the less. Have a great day!

My dh and myself was bandedby Dr Joffee/Yau.All the staff are very nice. We get our fills at the clinic . The clinic is very very clean. I wished i knew about the band sooner.

I would (& in fact have) recommended Drs J/Y AND Dr. C to people who ask.

I know ya do, Yoda! I do too!

I wasn't able to audition Dr's like I would have liked to, so I also had to go by word of mouth, and my gut feeling. Dr. C wasn't my initial choice, but I am happy that he turned out to be!

Mandi

p.s. Oh yeah... one thing Dr. C (and Mumford) don't have going is a cool clinic. They're moving into a brand new one soon, I hear.

Thanks everyone for all the info., there is such a wealth of info on this forum and a great bunch of people who are always willing to share and help us newbies. I really appreciate it.

:clap2:

I wish I could visit several clinics but finances kind of prevent me from flying to and fro. So I guess I'll just continue reading posts and will eventually probably choose from word of mouth. Sounds like both clinics are a good bet and I couldn't go wrong with either.

Argon: I didn't realize Dr. C's office was moving, do you know if he will still be located in Miss.?

Yoda: No, I don't know what Fluro means but I will definitely do a search on that right now.

Thanks,

Dr. Cobourn's office will be moving (or maybe has moved) not too sure. Anyway the plans look really amazing. The office will still be in Mississauga at 1421 Hurontario St. I had my consult at the old office which I will admit was not that special looking :phanvan but thanks to Mandi's post awhile back I was forwarned. Anyway the new place looks awesome and when I go for my surgery in Feb I will be getting it done in the new building. Pretty excited to see what it looks like and to see if it looks like the building plans.