Hi,

I am looking for people who were banded with TLBC in Toronto (now Slimband) to see if they have been advised that they are no longer going to support us free of charge. I called their last week and I was told that they no longer can afford it financially and it is not fair to their new memebers to honor those old contracts. They honored them for a awhile but since Dec 2013 they can no longer and as patients we are no longer obligated to seek services(fill and defills) from them since we don't have any contractual obligation with them. I can't seem to find a contract that I would have signed with them, not even sure if I got one. Does anyone else have a copy of their contract? I can recall being told that I had lifetime support .I still have a lot of questions that I didn't get to ask when I called because I was frustrated and emotional about the situation but I plan to call back and get more answers. If anyone has a simular experience or has more answers I would like to hear from you. I'm not sure what I am goiing to do with this information, I am contemplating contacting a lawyer to see if they are obligated by the contract or what my options are but I am trying to reach out to others who may be facing this same situation.

Hope to hear from someone.

Tamara from Sudbury, Ontario

Edited January 12, 201412 yr by tboyd

Lap-Band adjustment Doctor in Toronto FOUND!!!
Dr. Ali Hazrati , a truly nice Doctor, Bariatric Surgeon does Lap Band adjustment at his clinic on 5734 Yonge Street
416-222-1932
$120 per adjustment
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM!

RoseIvy!

That's GREAT news. hmmmmm something seem very fishy. This doctor is also the NEW Medical Director, Staff Bariatric Surgeon at Slimband.. So if I understand this correctly they have set up adjustments through the surgeon at his clinic for $120 however if you want an adjustment at the clinic it will cost you $200. He also works at the Scarborough Hospital as surgeon Dr. Yau.

I wonder if he would sign your consent form so you could go have your adjustments done by Sabrina at half the cost.

Edited April 23, 201412 yr by KreemyPeach

I was banded at TLBC in 2007 and have had major complications the last few years and just recently have been advised the problem stemmed from the lapband, which I felt all along. Now a call to SB and I am told that TLBC went out of business and SB took over, hiring Dr Yao and honoring the TLBC lifetime support but for only 5 years. I need to get this band removed and I am getting the run around all over the place. I called Dr Yao's office and while I was leaving a message a woman picked up the phone and told me he see's patients once per month, and he gets a lot of calls from TLBC patients. I asked her what he did the rest of the month and she seemed to understand the question and replied "I don't know".

My health has been getting worse over the past few years due to this band and what has previously been diagnosed as Barrett's Esophagus and then esophagitis.

I am bringing up 'bile' like liquid at night, coming out of my mouth and nose and its very bad, there is no rhyme or reason to this, even if I don't eat anything after lunch I can still have a bad night. I cough like there is no tomorrow also which is also affecting my partners ability to sleep as well as my 18 month old little girl that sometimes gets woken up by daddies coughing.

I need this to end and soon.

Glenn

Edited May 12, 201412 yr by Glenn Abrahams

Glenn

Sorry to hear that you are having troubles. How did all your symptoms begin before you were diagnosed? This worries me as I get spasms in my esophogus like heart palpitations and I don't know why. I would suggest that you get a referral from your family doctor to see Dr. Yau and it took me about 2 weeks before his office responded to my family doctor, all in all it took two months before I could see him.

I heard rumor at first that they wouldn't remove the band without a cost and now I am hearing the opposite that they will remove the band without a cost. I was refused the bypass because I had a lapband and my doctors secretary suggested that I remove the band and reapply for gastric bypass.

Hi Glenn:

I am in the same boat and when my band is tight, I am up all night coughing up stuff

It is not worth the rest of my life living with this band. I had lost weight but by getting the defills, the weight has crept back on slowly. I would like the band out also.

There are two others that are seeing patients. I think they are Dr. Ali Hazrati and Dr. Cryriac. Get a doctor's referral and go see them for a consult. Dr. Yau's office is impossible to get through to. I always get the answering machine. Hopefully, one of these two can help you out/

At TLBC we were promised that we would receive free support when SlimBand took over. Hopefully everything works out for you.

Take care,

The lifetime support wording is in the original glossys in the folder. I was banded around 2006 and was doing great until recently. I started gaining and went to find that I had to get the band readjusted. That was just 6 months ago. I have gained back half my weight and can't get any support.

I was one of the people caught in this nightmare. Please contact me to let me know if other bandsters will be persuing any action.

_{Yes I called up this morning and they told me DR. Yau was out of business and no longer at the clinic. I wanted to try again and get a refill and they wanted me to take pictures of my food for a week instead of write it out. Nonsense. I am working on getting a referral from family dr. to see him. I don't know if it will work again since it never worked right anyway. I have had de fills and refills and never found the right spot. When I got a de fill the choking, coughing and ear aches stopped. Now I don't know whether to try again or get it out. I am afraid of erosion or slip sometime in the future. I don't want to be messing around with this in my elder years. I was told it lasts forever and I have heard about complaints and don't believe what they have told me. I told them about my problems. I was banded in 2006 and paid a lot for it and was not really worth it. It is not right to have to pay for refills. They make enough money and it is not fair to have to pay for refills and all the trouble with it. I guess I will see the same surgeon and make a decision.}

_{Legal action I am on board.}

Anyone banded by TLBC or Slimband that isn't currently being adequately cared for or entirely dropped. Please contact me directly at Tlbchelp@gmail.com

I have been working on a solution for the past several months and looks like I am getting close. I was banded back in 2007 by Tlbc and then totally dropped early 2014 by Slimband. As if they are a different entity? Still don't buy it.

Contact me.

So I tried to login to the Slimband Website and I was told that my privileges were suspended for and I quote:

“Sorry! Your participation privileges were suspended by Community Managers for persistent abusive behavior: Please contact support@slimband.com with any questions or concerns.”

Now I admit that I posted what is happening to us TLBC patients on the website but the moderator took it down 24 hours later. However it was there long enough to spark some conversation . That was months ago!! I guess that was when they decided to chastise me and kick me out of the group. They didn't have the courtesy to advise me that I was no longer 'welcome' in their little rah rah club and yet I still get e-mail notifications about recent posts. How stupid is that?

I asked for an explanation so we'll see what they have to say.

I am looking for anyone banded at TLBC or Slimband that has information on the following;

- A contract that outlines what "Lifetime Support" includes

-Any documentation which includes Life Time Support or information on Fills and Defills

-If you have emails, glossy info or any other information that would helpful.

Please send all info to tlbchelp@gmail.com. I can provide you more information.

Thank youPK

I have the College of Physicians and Surgeons looking into Dr. Yau's practice and behaviour towards "grandfathered in patients". They have all emails sent to and from Slimband for the last 6 years. The Board is meeting in a few weeks so it should be interesting what they do with him.

They have a ton of information I sent them plus they got information from the nurses who were in the recover room with me last year ... shouldn't be too hard to reprimand the little weasel.

I was banded in 2007. What is currently happening with this. Is there a class action suit happening

If anyone knows how to get in touch with Nancy please let me know. I would love to contact her.

I had to contact Dr. Yau to get information so I could get an MRI as my band is the original Lap Band from 2003. I was part of the original group of bandsters banded at Scarborough Grace that was supposed to be looked after at the clinic when it opened. Needless to say, we are no longer being looked after by the clinic. Dr. Yau gave me the info that I needed and stated he'd see me with a referral from my family doc. So I got one and will see him soon.