Hi Everyone,

I just joined here today and don't really know what to say or who to say it to exactly. I'm saving for surgery...$16000....aiming for early 2008. I don't have an appointment (@ TLBC) in Toronto yet cause they told me to wait until I'm a little closer to the date (a few more months) they said. I'm about 100 lbs overweight and would just about kill to be thinner. (well almost) It seems the more I think of losing weight, the more I gain...go figure.

I was wondering if anyone has any advice or opinions, I'd love to hear it! As for the saline solutions, how do they know how much to fill in the beginning? I can see that being a pain to regulate since I live about 350 miles from Toronto. And I've heard that the band sometimes becomes eroded...how does that happen? Isn't the band made of plastic? And why would it slip? I've heard of that happening too.

Anyway thanx for listening...and hope you can answer some of my questions.

Jordhana

did you talk to them about financial aid?

when i was in the clinic i noticed these pamphlets talking

about getting a load/payment plan for the surgery.

also, to answer any of the medical questions you have, can the

clinic fax or mail you the q and a sheets they have?

it talks about all the possible complications..... which are slim by the way.

re: erosion.... the plastic doesnt erode.... what it means is that the band rubs into the outside lining of the stomach.... sounds terrible...but this isnt something that turned me off getting the procedure... and they also told me its a long term side effect if it even occurs/

you should also mention where you live about.... maybe someone here

lives there too, and they can advise you about getting fills.

Thanks sg sg,

But I don't want to owe any money...hence the saving. And maybe I will call them and ask a few questions...I've seen some FAQ online, but they didn't answer the questions I needed answers to. I live in Sudbury btw...anyone else from Sudbury by chance?

Also Sg Sg, may I ask how much weight you've lost so far? Just curious, cause I'm so looking forward to being at that stage.

Jordhana

I live in chelmsford and am thinking of getting the lap band as well actually just waiting until they open to give them a call. I am quite nervous. My husband is a little or actually quite a bit nervous about the money. Although if you add everything up i am sure i spend that plus more already. thinking of going to the Toronto Cosmetic Clinic Dr.Tin has anyone had him do there surgery?

Hi Brooke,

I live in Chelmsford too....how coincidental is that? lol I just said Sudbury cause I was sure no one had heard of Chemmy. No I have never heard of Dr. Tin...just Dr. Joffe and Dr. Yau at the TLBC in Toronto.

And I agree with...I probably spend more money on junk and stuff to more than cover the operation.

Talk to you later,

Jordhana

Where is the Toronto Cosmetic Clinic located, i am afraid i have never heard of it. Dr Cobourn/Dr Mumford are at the clinic in Mississauga, they are located in the same office as the Plastic Surgery Clinic.

Maria

Hi Irishmist

There are two weight loss clinics in Toronto that do the LapBand surgery.

One is "The Surgical Weight Loss Centre @ The Plastic Surgery Clinic". Their address is 1413 Hurontario St. Mississauga ON. 1-866-803-6415

The other is "Toronto Laparoscopic Band Centre" which is at 64 Prince Arthur Ave. Toronto, ON. 1-800-409-8151.

Note that the TLBC does NOT charge a consultation fee...it's free whether you get the surgery or not.

The Surgical Weight Loss Centre charges $200. up front for the consultation to be deducted when you pay for your surgery in full.

Jord

Thanks sg sg,

Also Sg Sg, may I ask how much weight you've lost so far? Just curious, cause I'm so looking forward to being at that stage.

Jordhana

well, dont go by me...... ive had a bit of a slow start...i think because i need more fill......but u can see the success of others, some of which are just unbelievable

but i have no regret.

Well made the appiontment for march 15 is my consult not sure how long of a wait after that.Just thought i would let you know that at www.tcclinic.com it is 15000.00 and the consult is free not sure if that is a big deal to you but 1000.00 is better in our pocket than thiers.

Thank you for the information Jordhana, but the question was if anyone knew about Dr.Tin at the Toronto Cosmetic Clinic, as i had never heard of him i was asking where that clinic was located. I was banded by Dr.Cobourn at the Mississauga clinic. But thank you again for the information.

Maria

Hi Brooke,

Thanx so much for that info. Since I'm saving for the surgery, $1000. is a huge saving for me. I'd never even heard of the Toronto Cometic Centre so thanx again. I'm gonna look up their info as soon as I finish writing here.

Thanx again

Hi Jordhana,

I am booked for the surgery in April. I checked out the website you posted and they told about the procedure but not about the doctor or what type of band he uses and how many he has done. When I was looking around I made sure that I had someone that has lots of experience in this procedure. I am with the misssissauga clinic, and they don't use a knock off band, which he told me they use in Toronto, yes it costs a little bit more, but I would rather have something that has been tested for a long time, then something that wasn't the real thing. Also I wanted someone who was experienced in doing this and has had the proper training, I'm not going to sacrafice my life and my families for $1000 cheaper. I understand about the cost, I think we all do, this isn't an easy price for anyone to pay unless you are rich. But I wanted the best in the field so paying a bit more is well worth it!! It's like anything, you pay for what you get... Yes these DR's are robbing us blind since they know that OHIP won't pay for it, and they don't want OHIP to pay either that way they can charge high prices, but what are you going to do. My health is worth it I guess, I keep telling myself and my family that since they just can't believe that I would spend that much money on something that small. I had to get a loan for it, if I had to save up it would take me years, because so much else comes up that we "just need to have", so I felt going this route was the best. I've had to wait 3 months for my surgery date, but that's because I am with Dr. Cobourn and I think he is very popular since he is the one training so many other Dr's with this procedure. I hope this helps you a bit more with your quest on Lapband surgery, maggie

Hi again,

Maybe I needed to post my message to both Brooke and Jordhana.. sorry.

Hi Maggie,

Thanx for the info...it NEVER even crossed my mind that there would be such a thing as a knock-off Band!! I'm wondering how a person would find out that info? I find it hard to believe that they would be stupid enough to actually tell you that they're not giving you the real thing!!

Jordhana

Hi,

They don't tell you it's a knock off version,but if you go onto the website of Dr. Cobourn, it tells you the name of the band he uses and that is the original band that the mississauga offices use. Dr. C was the first Dr. in Ontario (I believe he told me that at the consult appt.) to ever do this type of surgery in Canada and he was trained by the Dr's in the states as well as Europe who first used this band. That gave me enough reason to go with him as I have worked in the medical field and felt very comfortable with his decision to use the original band as opposed to a knock off version. I know that the band he uses has been tested all over the world for many years now and if there are any problems they should have gotten the kinks out of it by now.. I hope this makes sense to you, Maggie:)